From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

By the time Paisley returned with her chosen horse, there were already a few people across the riding field. Fortunately, the place was vast and divided into different sections. Thanks to Nathaniel's special arrangements, she had access to the VIP area for her ride.
The riding coach waiting nearby spotted Paisley leading out a horse like that and immediately figured she didn't know much about riding. Or maybe she could ride, but only just barely.
To coaches like this, people like her were the perfect target—easy to persuade and quick to fall for a sales pitch about lessons.
While Paisley was adjusting the saddle, a man dressed as a coach approached her. He had sun-kissed skin, well-defined muscles, and a dazzling smile that revealed perfect white teeth. "Need some help, miss?" he asked warmly.
Paisley thought, 'Wow, no wonder this is a high-end club—even the riding coaches are eye-catching. Not like those rugged, intimidating types back at the stables at Brightmoor who'd scare kids into tears with just one glare.'
She, however, politely declined. "No, thank you."
The coach wasn't ready to give up. He stepped forward and started adjusting the saddle for her. "You need to tighten it a bit more like this."
Paisley stepped back, letting him finish. Once he was done and was about to say more, she took the reins and said firmly, "Thank you."
Without waiting for a response, she swung herself up onto the horse. With a flick of the reins, the little brown horse took off, kicking up dust that settled right on the coach's face.
Ignoring him, Paisley rode a lap around the track, letting herself get a feel for the horse before returning to where she'd started.
Meanwhile, Serena in Maria's arms was practically bouncing with excitement, eager to ride a big horse. Paisley leaned slightly forward and gently took Serena from Maria's arms, settling the child in front of her on the saddle.
Afterward, with one arm holding Serena securely and the other on the reins, Paisley guided the horse forward.
Mindful of Serena's safety, Paisley kept the pace slow, letting the horse walk in circles. Even at that gentle speed, Serena was overjoyed. Her tiny hands gripped the handle tightly, and her proud little expression was like that of a triumphant general.
Every time they completed a circle, Serena would excitedly wave at Maria, who played along by cheering with exaggerated enthusiasm. The antics of the two had Paisley caught between amusement and exasperation.
Still, seeing them so happy, Paisley didn't mind indulging them. But the joy didn't last long.
As Paisley and Serena finished another lap and returned to the starting point, a group of people approached their area.
At a glance, Paisley spotted Dominick in the middle of the crowd. He was impossible to miss—somehow, he always had this ability to stand out no matter where he was.
Paisley's brows furrowed as she tightened her grip on the reins, bringing the horse to a stop. If she had known Dominick would be here, she would never have let Lucy accept Axion Enterprises' invitation to this event.
But leaving wasn't an option now—Paisley couldn't bring herself to break the agreement. For now, she just had to grit her teeth and endure until the opening gala that evening was over.
"Mom, why did we stop?" Serena asked, still full of excitement. She wasn't ready to stop yet—she wanted to keep riding the pony.
"Do you want to keep playing?" Paisley asked, looking at her daughter.
Serena nodded eagerly. "Yes. Mom, make the pony go again."
Paisley nodded back, loosening the reins slightly. The little brown horse started walking slowly again. She figured that since her daughter wanted to play, they might as well keep going. It wasn't worth worrying about who might show up.
For today, Marissa had gone out of her way to prepare. After all, chances to spend time alone with Dominick were few and far between. He was genuinely busy—so busy that even Grayson could only see him on weekends.
So she treasured any moment they could share, even if Grayson had tagged along.
But Marissa never saw Grayson as a third wheel. Quite the opposite—his fondness for her gave her more opportunities to connect with Dominick. Just like earlier, Dominick had no interest in coming horseback riding, but since Grayson wanted to, Dominick came along as well.
Still, Marissa couldn't hide her disappointment. She had dressed up meticulously, yet she hadn't seen the look of amazement she'd hoped for in Dominick's eyes.
"You look stunning in that riding outfit, Marissa," Alexis said as she walked beside her, genuine admiration in her gaze.
Alexis' comment had a touch of flattery, but it was also sincere. Marissa did look incredible—her outfit was the perfect mix of allure and elegance, with a hint of boldness.
Marissa's long, wavy hair danced in the breeze, and her radiant smile made her look like a model straight out of a magazine. Even their classmates around them couldn't help but steal glances at her.
"You look great too. Everyone's looking sharp today," Marissa replied warmly, her tone modest and approachable.
She had heard compliments like this her entire life, so they didn't affect her much anymore. They certainly didn't feed her vanity. Of course, if Dominick were the one to say something like that, it'd be a different story.
Marissa's gracious attitude won her genuine admiration from their old classmates. Back in school, she was the campus beauty. With the Vanderbilt family behind her and Dominick watching over her, she had been the untouchable queen bee.
Now, in the eyes of those same classmates, Marissa, the once-distant campus belle, was about to officially join the Vanderbilt family and become a lady of one of Harrowfell's most prestigious households. Her elevated status was unquestionable. Yet she remained so down-to-earth—it was hard not to admire her.
"Dom, you'll help Sonny and me pick good horses later, won't you?" Marissa asked.
Dominick hadn't bothered to change clothes since he wasn't planning to ride. He was only there to accompany Grayson and Marissa. Hearing Marissa's suggestion, Dominick nodded and replied, "Sure."
Once they got to the stable, Dominick carefully chose horses for both Grayson and Marissa. Grayson had been riding since he was four years old. At Vanderbilt Manor, he even had his own pony. This time, Dominick picked out a well-behaved, high-quality pony for him.
Alexis picked a horse and strolled over to Marissa. Seeing Dominick helping Marissa choose a horse, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. "Marissa, I heard you learned horseback riding from Mr. Larsen?"
"Yeah, that's right." Marissa raised her brows slightly, twirling the riding crop in her hands. "I mentioned I wanted to learn, and Dom arranged for Mr. Larsen to teach me."
Grayson was happily admiring the pony his dad had chosen for him, but hearing Marissa's words made him pause.
He wondered, 'Wait, wasn't Mr. Larsen the coach Dad arranged specifically for me? It was only after Marissa said she wanted to learn, too, that Mr. Larsen started teaching both of us. Well, I guess it's not wrong to say he's her coach too.'
One of the wealthy heirs in their group piped up. "Who's this Mr. Larsen? Is he famous or something?"
Julian walked over, leading his horse, and replied, "He's well-known in the equestrian world—a celebrated athlete from Lynford who's represented the country in multiple international competitions.
"But, he didn't win the international equestrian championship at Lynford last year or this year." If Yohan had won, Axion Enterprises probably would've invited him instead.
Grayson chimed in, "Mr. Larsen is incredible. I don't know who beat him, but they must be amazing to win against him." He idolized Yohan Larsen, believing him to be the best equestrian athlete in the world.
Marissa, with a gentle smile, took Grayson's hand and said, "Sonny, you need to remember—the world is a big place. There's always someone better out there. If someone could defeat Mr. Larsen two years in a row, they must be extraordinary."
Grayson nodded in agreement, growing even more curious about the mysterious champion.
After picking their horses, the group was escorted to the VIP section, thanks to Dominick. This exclusive area was reserved for premium club members. Without his presence, Marissa and the others wouldn't have had access.
To everyone's surprise, someone was already out riding when they arrived. Even more surprising, it was the same woman they'd seen at the hotel entrance earlier—the one who'd brought her child along.
They vaguely recalled what David had mentioned at the time. Something about the hotel inviting journalists and independent media influencers as part of a promotional campaign, letting them experience the club's facilities for free.
"Isn't that the woman we saw at the hotel entrance?" Alexis blurted out.
Marissa hadn't anticipated running into Paisley here. She had purposely chosen this area to avoid Dominick crossing paths with Paisley. After all, this space was meant to be off-limits to everyone except Dominick.
'How on earth did she get in here?' Marissa wondered irritably. 'Did she use Dominick's name, pretending to be connected to him?'
With that doubt in mind, Marissa looked over to Dominick, and sure enough, his eyes were locked on Paisley. Grinding her teeth, Marissa clenched her jaw in frustration.
Alexis scoffed, "What's with that woman? Does she think she can go wherever she pleases? What are the staff even doing?" Annoyed, she motioned to call someone over to question them, but Marissa stopped her.
"Forget it. She probably doesn't know any better," Marissa said casually while carefully observing Dominick's expression. Seeing that he was only staring at Paisley without any noticeable reaction, she continued, "Let's just go over and talk to her. Ask her to leave quietly. No need to embarrass her too much."
Grayson frowned disapprovingly at Paisley, feeling she was being reckless and out of place. He thought that it was fortunate Marissa was kind-hearted, or Paisley would have made a complete fool of herself.