CHAPTER 460: YOU’RE NOT SELINA?

Inside the Riding Club

The woman had, of course, been to this club in private before. To avoid arousing suspicion, she mimicked Selina’s habits and took a seat on the bench, just like Selina always did.

Luke, still clueless, ran over excitedly the moment he saw her.

"Selina, I heard you twisted your ankle? That means you can’t ride today, huh? What a shame—I even brought your little white horse!"

Selina did have a white horse she’d raised for about three or four years. Its name was Snowball. Once, years ago, Vivian—completely lacking self-awareness—insisted on competing in a riding match. Selina had let Snowball give Vivian and her lackeys a proper lesson.

Since then, Snowball had been kept at Luke’s riding club. It had been months since Selina last visited.

Luke beamed with pride.

"I brought Snowball over. Even if you can’t ride, you haven’t seen each other in forever. Let him come say hi—"

"No need." The woman cut him off in a hurry, flashing an awkward smile.

"I’m not exactly mobile right now, better not..."

Luke ignored her completely, excited beyond reason.

"Oh come on—there he is, there he is! Snowball, over here!"

The white horse called Snowball snorted and began walking toward the lounge area under the reins of the riding coach.

Horses weren’t allowed in the lounge—that was the rule. Not all horses were docile, and there was always the risk of scaring guests.

So when Snowball approached, a few guests instinctively turned to look at Luke.

But Luke waved them off, casual and confident.

"No worries, no worries. This one was raised by my sister-in-law. He’s as sweet and well-behaved as they come."

Everyone relaxed.

If Mrs. Reid had raised it, and with young Mr. Reid vouching for it—and with Mr. Reid himself watching nearby—it had to be fine.

Still, they were curious.

What kind of horse had Mrs. Reid raised? Was it clingy? They’d heard that horses raised closely with humans could become incredibly attached and loyal, refusing to let anyone but their owner touch them. Would Mrs. Reid’s horse be like that?

"Selina, go pet Snowball! He’s waiting for you!" Luke looked confused, almost impatient.

He was dying inside with envy. In his opinion, Snowball was both loyal and petty. Despite all the food and care Luke had lavished on him the last few months, the horse still greeted him with nothing but contempt. Forget petting—he was lucky to get a glance.

But today, when Luke said Selina was coming, the horse had followed, as if it had understood.

Luke was both jealous and itching with curiosity. "Go on, pet him. Then tell him to let me pet him too. He’ll only agree if you say so. Come on!"

The woman clenched her teeth, practically grinding them.

She flashed a strained smile, fumbling for an excuse.

"Well... this is still a lounge area. It’s better if he leaves. Don’t want to disturb the other guests."

"No worries," a voice said coolly.

It was Logan.

His tone was calm, casual.

"Everyone here is Luke’s guest. I’m sure no one minds. And since you’re not in the best shape, isn’t it convenient for Snowball to come to you?"

With Logan saying that, of course everyone chimed in.

"That’s right, Mrs. Reid—don’t worry about us."

"Actually, our event’s starting over there—we’ll head out first!"

The group shuffled out, leaving only Logan, Luke, and the woman in the lounge.

Luke’s eyes were sparkling.

"Selina, see? It’s all good. Go ahead, pet him—Snowball came all this way."

The woman’s fists clenched.

She wanted to. She really did. But everyone knew Selina’s horse only let Selina touch him. And she... wasn’t Selina.

What if the horse—

Just then, Snowball trotted over cheerfully.

It saw the face of "Selina" and, recognizing its owner’s face, became so excited that even the riding coach couldn’t hold it back. Snowball happily bounded forward, lowering its head, about to affectionately nuzzle her cheek—when it suddenly froze.

The scent was wrong.

Snowball hesitated, confusion filling its innocent horse eyes.

The face looked like its owner. The appearance was identical. But why did the scent feel so off?

This wasn’t its owner’s scent. It was foul. Unpleasant.

Snowball reared its head back and let out a sharp, panicked whinny, stepping away and lowering its body in an aggressive stance.

"What the hell, Snowball? Did you eat something weird? This is Selina!"

Luke was stunned—he knew this posture too well. Snowball did the same thing whenever he tried to pet it.

But Luke was an outsider. Selina was its owner. Why was Snowball acting this way?

He swallowed, glancing at "Selina" with growing panic.

"Did your little white horse not recognize you after all this time? Go calm it down!"

Logan nodded faintly, eyes glinting.

"Selina, this horse’s been attached to you since it was a foal. Maybe it’s holding a grudge because you ignored it for three months. Try soothing it a little."

"I’ve heard... you have a special way of calming it down. Mind showing us how it’s done?"

Luke blinked at Logan’s words—something about his tone sounded off. Like Logan wasn’t talking to Selina, but to a stranger.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. The mention of a "special horse-soothing method" immediately caught his curiosity.

"I want to see that too!"

The woman froze, a stiff smile on her face.

She hadn’t prepared for this part of the act. No one told her that pretending to be Selina meant also knowing how to handle her horse! How was she supposed to know what Selina did to calm Snowball?

But Logan and Luke were watching. If she wanted Selina’s identity—wanted the wealth, the power—she couldn’t back down now.

She forced a smile and shakily reached out.

"Snowball..."

But the moment her hand touched the white horse, Snowball snapped its head back and flung her off.

"Ah!" The woman yelped, instinctively wanting to scream, "You little bas—"

But she caught herself just in time. She was still playing Selina. Swallowing the curse, she forced a strained smile.

"Snowball, it’s me... What’s wrong?"

Luke’s expression shifted from confusion to something much heavier.

What was up with Selina?

Unless he misheard, did she just try to call Snowball a "little bastard"?

Snowball was raised by her. Even if they were mad at each other, Selina would never say something that harsh. Actually—come to think of it—Selina wouldn’t use that kind of language with anyone.

Luke hesitated for a couple seconds and instinctively looked over at Logan—

Only to find Logan watching, expressionless, not the slightest hint of surprise in his eyes.

For a fleeting second, Luke felt like he understood something.

But he wasn’t sure he wanted to believe it.

Meanwhile, the woman made another attempt to touch Snowball—only to have the horse react even more violently.

Stupid animal. One day she’d have it butchered.

"How strange..." Luke murmured, turning to the woman.

"Snowball’s a deeply affectionate horse. He’s never acted like this toward Selina. So what is it today?"

"Is Snowball just in a bad mood?"

"Or are you... not Selina at all?"