Chapter 18

Patience's POV

Kelsey's face darkened instantly, his Alpha aura flaring with a metallic, needle-like sharpness. "Watch your tongue, even as Patience's friend," he warned.

Yvette lifted her chin, undaunted. "Isn't it the truth?"

Kelsey's expression turned grimmer; his grip on the reins tightened until his knuckles whitened, and faint shadows of wolf claws flickered between his fingers.

I stepped forward, placing myself between Yvette and Kelsey.

"Kelsey, if you dare harm my friend, I'll expose your affair with Hazel right here and now! Let's see how steady Hoffman Tech's stock price remains then." I declared.

"How dare you!" Kelsey's fury blazed, his eyes brimming with thinly veiled threats.

His aura surged, aiming to overpower me.

But my wolf growled in defiance, unleashing my own aura.

Kelsey's attempt to suppress me failed. His gaze darkened, his face paling visibly.

"What's to stop me?" I stood firm, recalling how Kelsey had spent fortunes to bury those scandals about him and Hazel.

He was desperate to protect his reputation and the company's image. The last thing he wanted was to have those skeletons dragged into the spotlight again.

At that moment, Hazel rode up on horseback and halted in front of me.

She looked down at me with disdain. "Is this the only trick you know? Leeching off men and resorting to gossip and underhanded schemes to win them back? Do you really think that'll make Kelsey change his mind?"

Yvette tried to lunge forward behind me, but I gently restrained her.

I looked up at Hazel and said, "You knowingly pursued a mated man with a mate, yet you accuse me of being despicable? Isn't that ironic?"

"There's no fault in following one's heart," Hazel tilted her chin up, her tone oozing superiority.

"Three years together, and you still couldn't make Kelsey love you. Doesn't that say it all? You're simply not enough. You'll never grasp that true independence and self-confidence are what truly attract men."

With that, Hazel kicked her horse into a gallop.

The hooves kicked up dust, and her posture was undeniably graceful.

The onlookers in the arena erupted into applause, as if they were watching a staged performance.

Kelsey's gaze followed Hazel's figure with undisguised admiration.

After a while, he turned to me, his voice laced with impatience, "A woman like Hazel doesn't concern herself with your trivial worries. Patience, I wish you wouldn't be so petty. There's no need for you to follow me here on purpose."

With that, he spurred his horse and chased after Hazel.

Soon, the two were racing side by side on the track, drawing another round of murmured admiration from the crowd.

I was speechless—did Kelsey thought I followed him to the riding arena?

His self-centered thinking was both laughable and pitiful.

Yvette was so angry she trembled. "How can they be so self-assured? Following them? We're here for serious business, not to watch their little show!"

"Don't let it bother you," I patted her arm, my tone indifferent. "Once the divorce is final, they'll have nothing to do with me."

"I just can't let it go!"

Yvette stamped her foot. "And that Hazel—what's so great about knowing how to ride a horse or fly a plane? What can't you do? You fly fighter jets! Her skills are nothing compared to yours. And yet she has the nerve to spout such hypocritical drivel!"

A flicker of nostalgia crossed my eyes as memories of the Royal Legion days resurfaced.

The sweat-drenched training sessions with teammates, the exhilarating freedom of piercing through clouds in a fighter jet, and the camaraderie and passion during missions—it all felt like yesterday.

"Let's go," I tugged Yvette toward the deeper parts of the arena. "We're here to help you with your mission. Don't let these people distract us."

"Right, we need to meet Cyrus," Yvette nodded, suppressing her anger for now. "Miss this chance, and who knows how long it'll take to reconnect with Gross Group."

The arena was vast. Following the signs, we walked for another fifteen minutes.

After crossing an open lawn, we finally spotted Cyrus.

He sat on a bench under a sunshade, a cigar between his fingers, gazing at the distant track. His profile looked even more rugged in the sunlight.

At the moment, Cyrus was surrounded by several people, including Mr. Carpenter, who had previously collaborated with Yvette's company.

It was from Mr. Carpenter that Yvette had learned Cyrus would be at the riding arena.

As Yvette and I were about to approach, Kelsey suddenly dashed over from the side, grabbed my arm with a bone-crushing force, and frowned.

"You're stalking me to this extent—what do you even want?" he demanded.

"I'm not stalking you," I shook off his grip, annoyance lacing my voice as I noticed the red marks left on my arm. "Could you be less self-absorbed?"

"You followed me here and still deny it?" Kelsey bristled, his accusing eyes blazing. "I'm here for important business, not to indulge your theatrics!"