Quentin Sterling walked over, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Clarissa Morgan.
Clarissa Morgan smiled and politely declined, "I’m not thirsty right now."
Quentin took a sip from the bottle himself, looked over at Audrey Sutton, and chuckled, "Audrey learns pretty fast. She’s already got the hang of it in just a short ti."
Clarissa smiled but didn’t say anything, unwilling to acknowledge Audrey Sutton’s excellence.
Because in her heart, she always felt that she was the only woman worthy of Shane Warner.
Audrey Sutton, after barely grasping a few tricks, started the competition.
They ford pairs for the contest. Before it started, Shane briefly explained the rules to Audrey, but she was confused by them.
The competition lasted longer than she expected, starting a bit after nine and going until twelve-thirty—even when driving. If they had walked, it would’ve probably gone into the afternoon.
Audrey didn’t really exert much effort the whole ti. All she did was hit the balls, but being in Shane’s group, they sohow won effortlessly.
It was quite interesting, but it would have been even better without Clarissa Morgan.
After the match, they packed up and headed to dine at the restaurant.
"Shane’s skills are still as great as before. I thought he’d be rusty after not playing for a while, but he even managed to win with Audrey, who’s a complete novice."
Audrey knew Clarissa’s remark wasn’t due to low emotional intelligence; it was deliberate to get under her skin, praising Shane while putting her down.
Shane held Audrey’s hand, glanced at her with a smile, and said, "It’s not about leading or not. The competition is a team effort, and Audrey played really well."
Hearing Shane’s words made Audrey feel instantly relieved. Whether he praised her or not didn’t matter; hearing him call her "Audrey" made her feel delighted inside.
Quentin nodded in agreent with a smile and said, "For Audrey’s first ti playing, she did wonderfully."
Clarissa: "That must be thanks to Audrey having an excellent teacher."
Quentin: "Shane’s skills are indeed impressive. We should get together and learn from you more often in the future."
Shane responded with a light smile, then leaned down to ask Audrey, "Did you have fun?"
Audrey nodded, "It was okay, but it was a bit too long."
Actually, she felt it was fun because she was with Shane; otherwise, she might never have tried this sport in her life.
It was enjoyable because she was playing with him.
Inside the restaurant.
"Audrey, do you know how to ride a horse?" Clarissa asked her during the al.
Even though Audrey didn’t want to engage with Clarissa, seeing her smiling and amicable, she forced herself to respond appropriately, "We used to have a stable at ho. I rode when I was little."
"Then let’s go horseback riding this afternoon. There’s a stable nearby, quite close." Without waiting for Audrey to answer, Clarissa turned to Shane. "Shane, I rember seeing photos of you in riding attire at Miles’ place. You must know how to ride, right? Can you teach later?"
Audrey inwardly scoffed, realizing what Clarissa was up to.
Pretending to be surprised, Audrey smiled and said, "Honey, you’re a pro? My dad used to teach when I was a kid. I haven’t ridden by myself. Maybe you can teach later too?"
Throughout the conversation, Quentin didn’t catch onto Clarissa’s intentions, gently offering, "Clarissa, I can teach you. I’ve tried horseback riding before; while I’m not professional, I can ride around with you."
This was clearly not the outco Clarissa wanted, but she had no choice but to nod and say with a smile, "You know how to ride, Quentin? Alright, you can take for a ride later."
Audrey continued eating while internally grumbling about Clarissa’s brazen intentions, amazed at her audacity to make moves on soone else’s husband right in front of her own.
Quentin seed oblivious, whether genuinely or deliberately so, failing to realize Clarissa was rely using him.
Perhaps it was unfair to call Quentin foolish; maybe Clarissa just had a knack for wrapping n around her finger.
Considering how Clarissa used to pursue Shane relentlessly, it’s fortunate Shane never fell for her trap.
After lunch, they sat in the restaurant for a while to rest.
During their chat, the topic of children surprisingly ca up.
After all, Shane and Quentin married around the sa ti, with Quentin being slightly older.
Quentin: "I’m planning to have a child, but with Clarissa’s several upcoming tours, it might not be possible this year. Shane, are you and Audrey planning for a baby?"
Shane replied, "Audrey and I aren’t rushing things regarding children. If it happens, it happens. Besides, Audrey is still young, so I’m not worried."
"Audrey’s job isn’t heavily impacted by pregnancy, but if Clarissa were to get pregnant, she’d have to pause her career, and it would take a long ti to return after childbirth. Having a baby would be a considerable sacrifice for her."
Clarissa: "Let’s consider it next year; the schedule’s too packed this year."
Quentin held her hand gently and laughed, "No worries, I respect your decisions. Just don’t overwork yourself; take care of your health."
Audrey couldn’t understand how Clarissa could pretend to be affectionate with a man she didn’t love. She figured Clarissa used work as an excuse to avoid the topic of children because she didn’t want to have any with Quentin.
Hearing Shane and Audrey’s plan for children made Clarissa anxious. She felt ti was slipping away, and she needed to devise a plan quickly. While she might not be able to drive Shane and Audrey to divorce imdiately, she definitely couldn’t let them have a child smoothly.
Having a child would be a lifelong threat to her.
Arriving at the stable after two in the afternoon, they all changed into riding outfits.
Audrey had never seen Shane in riding gear, and she was trying one on for the first ti, feeling intrigued. Once out of the changing room, she insisted on taking a photo with Shane.
Shane obliged, and as they took a couple of pictures, Audrey seed dissatisfied, telling him, "Can you smile a bit?"
Shane glanced at her, clearly not in the mood.
Audrey pouted and handed him the phone, "You take the picture. I’ll stand a bit behind you, so my face doesn’t look too big."
With a sigh, Shane took the phone, aid the front cara at them, made sure Audrey’s head was peeking over his shoulder, and took the shot.
Shane stared at the picture he’d just taken for a couple of seconds; she really looked adorable, smiling beautifully.
When Audrey ca over to check the photo, she pointed out a flaw, "The cara’s too close, making our faces look huge. Try pulling back a bit when you shoot."
Shane: "..."
After saying that, she’d already posed again with the sa gesture and expression, so Shane had no choice but to adjust the cara angle and take another picture.
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