Chapter 216
Athena watched Matthew fume with rage as a faint smile played on her lips.
"This is just the beginning, and he’s already losing it?" Athena thought, a hint of mockery in her mind.
She shot Natasha a meaningful look. Natasha caught on instantly and gave Athena a quick, knowing nod in response before charging ahead to take the lead.
Matthew, mistaking Natasha’s charge as a direct challenge, instinctively tightened the reins, wheeled his horse around, and gave chase.
His teammates were stunned as they collectively wondered, “Wasn’t this supposed to be polo?
“How did it turn into a frantic game of cat and mouse?”
The ball was completely forgotten.
At that very moment, Athena swung her mallet and snatched up the ball. With swift precision, she galloped down the field toward the goal, the ball firmly in her control.
By the time Matthew even realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Athena had just netted another goal.
The two goals came in rapid succession, with barely a moment apart.
The entire field burst into cheers. Even the noble ladies, who had once dismissed Athena, now watched her with intense interest, barely restraining themselves from shouting encouragement.
Athena’s figure on the field burned like a blazing torch, igniting passion in every spectator’s eye.
From the moment Athena took the field, Michael’s gaze never left her.
Michael watched as Athena galloped freely across the field, her mallet swinging with bold determination.
And in her eyes, he saw that spark, a light he hadn’t seen in ages.
“Turns out, Athena doesn’t hate smiling. She just never smiles at me.
“Whenever she looks at me now, all I see in her eyes is pure revulsion and contempt.
“My heart aches so much I can barely breathe. I’m supposed to be the one in Athena’s heart.
“But when did I disappear from her eyes?” Michael thought bitterly.
Athena had already scored two goals in quick succession, while Matthew hadn’t even managed to touch the ball since the match began.
Matthew, the so-called Polo Champion, felt his face burn with humiliation as Athena delivered a brutal slap in the face.
“Matthew,” Willow’s voice edged with urgency. ” If this keeps up, we’re doomed to lose!”
The match was already past halftime, and their team still hadn’t scored a single goal.
Matthew clenched his jaw, a vicious scowl twisting his face. In a low, menacing voice, he growled, “Don’t worry, Willow, I will definitely win this match for you.”
Before, he had wanted to outshine Athena to avenge Willow.
But after conceding two back-to-back goals, Matthew finally realized that Athena’s polo skills were incredible.
Chapter 216
Matthew wheeled his horse around, his dark gaze fixed on Athena as a flash of malice gleamed in his eyes.
The gun sounded again. This time, Matthew ignored both Natasha and Athena and locked his gaze solely on the ball.
After all, Matthew was a seasoned pro on the polo field. Once he got serious, he was truly a force to be reckoned with.
In a flash, the ball was under Matthew’s control.
Matthew seemed to be on fire, his horse surging ahead in a breathtaking burst of speed that left everyone else in the dust.
But just as Matthew was about to drive the ball into the goal, Natasha cut him off with a swift interception. As her horse charged forward, Willow suddenly lost control of her mount and let out a terrified scream.
That scream jolted Matthew, shattering his focus.
By the time he snapped back to reality, a blur flashed past, and Athena had already snatched the ball right from under him.
Furious beyond reason, Matthew wheeled his horse around and charged after Athena. Not to be outdone, Willow quickly regained control of her steed, picked up speed, and raced after them.
Though Willow was terrible at polo, the horse beneath her was outstanding, and it surpassed Matthew’s in both speed and endurance.
Of course, Athena knew why.
Matthew had given his prized steed to Willow, arrogantly believing himself to be unbeatable on the polo field. He trusted that he would not need such a fine horse, and this arrogance became his downfall.
From the very start of the match, Athena and Natasha were in flawless sync, and their coordination was seamless.
Willow caught up but had no idea how to properly intercept. In a moment of desperation, she actually yanked the hairpin from her hair and viciously stabbed it toward Athena’s horse.
“Athena!” Natasha shouted urgently, spurring her horse forward in pursuit.
Her face had gone deathly pale with terror as she thought, ‘If Athena’s horse spooked and bucked her off, the horses thundering behind would have nowhere to go.
“If that happens, only one grim outcome awaits her – to be trampled to death.
Just as Willow’s hairpin was about to plunge into Athena’s horse’s hindquarters…
The spectators below couldn’t make out the details of what was happening above.
All they saw was Willow riding dangerously close to Athena.
As the crowd was puzzling over what was happening, Athena’s horse suddenly lashed out with a powerful backward kick.
Willow’s horse took a brutal kick to its flank, and it let out a pained scream as it reared up and began bucking wildly across the field.
Willow, who was panic-stricken, instinctively yanked the reins, her hairpin slipping from her trembling fingers as it clattered to the ground.
Unable to shake her off, the horse suddenly reared up and bolted wildly across the field.
Flung halfway off the saddle, Willow was dragged in wild circles until she was violently thrown to the ground.
A hoof came crashing down on her leg, drawing an agonized scream from her lips.
Everyone stared wide-eyed in horror at the scene. The more timid young noblewoman shrieked uncontrollably.
Chapter 216
Some even covered their eyes, too terrified to watch.
Only Athena remained perfectly calm; she expertly guided the ball and scored a goal.
With the final strike, Athena sealed a flawless 3-0 victory.
Matthew stared at the scoreboard with his eyes bulging like saucers.
He hadn’t scored a single point in the entire match.
Willow’s agonized screams still echoed across the field when, just then, a figure streaked in like lightning.
The newcomer was none other than Michael.
Michael spurred his horse onto the field, racing toward Willow.
Seeing Michael leave the field, Natasha–like a leopard who’d been waiting for this moment–suddenly spurred her horse straight at him, aiming to run into him.
But Michael was far too battle-hardened to fall for Natasha’s maneuver.
Not only did Michael not slow his horse, he charged straight at Natasha with reckless abandon.
If their horses collided, Natasha would surely be the one to suffer.
When Athena saw this happening, she had no time to think.
A concealed dart shot from Athena’s sleeve, streaking straight toward Michael’s horse.
Michael was a seasoned general whose warhorses had been raised and trained by his side since foalhood. His horses had fought alongside him through numerous battles, proving to be his lifelines in critical moments.
Athena’s hidden dart shot toward Michael’s horse, aiming to strike it down. When Michael realized this, he yanked the reins hard, bringing his steed to an abrupt halt.
The hidden dart plunged into the dirt, mere inches in front of the horse’s hooves.
Natasha and Michael swept past each other, their horses narrowly avoiding a collision.
All of this happened within a split second. Michael spotted the hidden dart on the ground, and his gaze instinctively snapped toward Athena, only to find her staring back at him with an icy expression.
The murderous intent radiating from her eyes felt utterly foreign to him.
Michael couldn’t believe his eyes as he thought, ‘Athena has actually turned on me, all for Natasha’s sake.
But before Michael could even gather his thoughts, Willow’s agonized scream rang out in his ears.
“Willow!” Michael cried out as he bolted to her side, his face darkening as he saw her lower leg twisted at a grotesque angle, his brow furrowed in a tight knot.
Willow was in such excruciating pain that she was on the verge of passing out. Her body trembling uncontrollably, she clutched desperately at Michael’s sleeve, sobbing, “Michael, please help me… It hurts so much…”
“Alright, I’ll get you to a doctor,” he reassured without hesitation. Michael scooped Willow up in his arms and rushed her off the field.
But as Michael was leaving, he shot Athena one last, loaded glance, a silent warning burning in his eyes.
Athena understood the warning in Michael’s eyes as he was certain she was behind all of this.
Chapter 216
To him, it was her fault that Willow had been thrown from her horse, leaving her with a shattered leg.
He did not even stop and wonder if that was the case.
The moment Natasha saw Michael, her hackles rose.
She spat contemptuously at Michael’s retreating figure, cursing, “I must have been blind and foolish!”
Athena shot Natasha a puzzled look, wondering about her reaction. Just as she was trying to make sense of it, Matthew suddenly blocked her path and snarled. “You two think you can just walk away after what you did to Willow?”