Chapter 3

The next few weeks were a quiet battle.

Charlotte, stung by the public embarrassment, pushed Maverick harder than ever. She was desperate to prove he was the superior horse.

During a public training session, her overconfidence got the best of her. She forced Maverick into a difficult jump combination he wasn't ready for.

He stumbled on the landing.

A sharp cry of pain echoed across the training grounds. He had pulled a tendon in his front leg. It wasn't a career-ending injury, but it was serious. His explosive speed, his greatest asset, was compromised.

He was no longer in prime condition for the derby season.

Charlotte' s reaction was immediate and cruel.

"Useless animal!" she shrieked, yanking on his reins. "You did that on purpose!"

She refused to spend her own resources on his recovery, blaming him for her own mistake.

Maverick looked over at me, his eyes wide with pain and pleading. He remembered how I had cared for him, how I had healed him before.

I met his gaze for a second, then turned my back and walked away with Ash.

My father was furious, but not at Charlotte. He stormed over to Maverick's stall, his face red with anger.

"You were supposed to be a champion!" he yelled at the injured horse. "You're a disappointment! Your value is plummeting!"

He saw the horse not as a living creature, but as a stock that had just crashed. His loyalty was purely transactional.

I watched from a distance, stroking Ash's neck. The colt stood calmly beside me, his presence a solid, reassuring weight.

My father's hypocrisy was laid bare for me to see. He had preached about noble sacrifice when he wanted me to give up Maverick. Now that Maverick was "damaged goods," he was worthless.

I finally understood. In their world, loyalty was a currency, and value was everything.

And I, with my mother's true legacy at my side, was about to upend their entire market.