Chapter 746

The McCoy family's banquet was nothing short of a lavish spectacle.

Past the mountains of food and endless drinks, there were games, contests, and amusements at every turn.

Nikolas shared a quick look with a few others before his eyes landed on Cedric's injured leg.

A sly grin curled at Nikolas' mouth as he called out, "The weather's perfect today. How about a little horse race?"

Everyone caught on right away. That jab was aimed straight at Cedric.

After the explosion, Cedric's leg had never fully healed. Even though it looked better now, he was still nowhere near strong enough to ride a horse, let alone race one.

The horses in the stables were known for their fiery tempers, loyal only to their own riders.

It was clear as day that Nikolas was setting Cedric up to be humiliated.

Nikolas spoke loud enough to turn every head at the banquet. Even a few reporters started drifting closer,sniffing out a scene.

Daniela, swirling the wine in her glass, gave Hamilton a sideways glance. "Mr. McCoy, your son is already making a fool of himself. Should I step in and remind him how to behave?"

With a faint smile, Hamilton answered, "Go ahead.I won't stop you."

Daniela gave a light nod. "Fine then. I'll do you a favor and teach your son some manners."

Without waiting, she walked toward the center of the gathering.

As she moved, she caught Nikolas speaking into the microphone, his voice bouncing off the walls.′′My father said Cedric is one of us now. Cedric, come race with us!"

Nikolas clutched the mic like he was holding a trophy, making sure nobody missed the show. He wanted everyone to see Cedric's bad leg. He wanted the shame to stick.

Right when the crowd's eyes began sliding toward Cedric's leg, Daniela stepped up beside Nikolas.

She reached for the microphone with a bright, easy smile. "My husband's a modest man. He doesn't like showing off. He believes it's better to spare the McCoy family too much embarrassment, and I happen to agree. But I wouldn't want to spoil everyone's fun either. Since Cedric was the one who taught me to ride, I'll be racing with you all instead."

Nikolas looked down at Daniela. She barely reached his shoulder.

"You?" he sneered. "Just make sure you don't start bawling when you lose."

Kohen jumped in with a sneer of his own. "There's no glory in beating a woman. Let Cedric race!"

Charles kept his lips pressed tight, not saying a word.

Damon shouted from the side, "Daniela, don't run off crying later and say we bullied you if you lose. That would just be pathetic!"

Duran threw his head back and burst out laughing.

The crowd followed, eager for the drama about to unfold.

Someone leaned closer to Daniela and whispered, "Maybe you should sit this one out. These men practically live at the stables. They know what they're doing. You're small. You're not built like them. If you get thrown off that wild horse, you could break something-or worse. It's not worth it just to prove a point."

Another voice chimed in, low and wary, "Yeah. Think about it. If something terrible happens, it's not just personal. It'll drag down the McCoy family's stock prices too."

Right then, someone hollered toward Nikolas. "Alright, that's enough! Come back and eat. If anything bad happens, your father won't let you off easy."

Nikolas curled his lip in a cold sneer. "My father's been quiet so far. That means he's fine with it. It's just a horse ride. What could go wrong? If you're scared, Daniela, go ahead and pick the tamest horse you can find," he said, voice dripping with contempt. Daniela only smiled, refusing to waste her breath on an argument.

Every McCoy family member had their own horse, but Nikolas didn't even pretend to give her a fair shot.He led out a massive, wild stallion straight from the area where they kept the fiercest, untamed horse. This one had never been broken by anyone.

The ground trembled under the stallion's hooves, and the beast's nostrils flared as it snorted heavy, angry breaths.

To everyone watching, it felt like the opening move of a dangerous duel.

One reporter with a sharp eye pointed and said, "Look at its eyes! They're red!"

A horse with red eyes meant trouble. It meant only a true professional had any hope of staying on its back.

The crowd instinctively stepped away, murmuring under their breath. "The McCoy brothers are vicious.Even they can't control that monster, and they expect her to?"

"I heard it took more than fifty people just to catch that horse in the wild," someone said.

"Look at those cuts on its legs. It's at its most dangerous now. Even expert trainers would keep their distance or risk being thrown clear across the field," another voice warned.

Across the yard, the McCoy brothers exchanged sly,cruel smiles.

Nikolas stared down at Daniela and asked, his voice thick with arrogance, "Well, Daniela, still want to give it a try?"