Page 12 of A Billionaire's Secret

“I was at ‘Harry’s’ drowning in my loss,” I explained bluntly. “Don’t be a Mom, Liz. You’re still seven years younger than me, remember?”

“I’m just curious, you know. And also—living vicariously through you.” She laughed. “I can’t wait till we can go to a bar together!”

“Bless your heart!” I ruffled her hair. “It’s not as exciting as I make it out to be, trust me.”

“Love you!” Lizzie yelled behind me as I put on my boots and left the house.

Friday couldn’t come soon enough. I’d show everyone what I was made of. No more losses for me. Not even if Diana was racing too. And especially if she was.

6

Christian

Iquietlyobservedmydaughter during breakfast the following day. She went about her regular routine seemingly without a care in the world. She made her usual cup of coffee, scrolled through her phone for an eternity, and ignored me for the most part.

“Diana, what’s your plan for the rest of spring and summer?” I decided to pick her brain and interrupted her newsfeed scroll.

“Oh, I plan on hanging around here for now,” she declared nonchalantly without looking up from her phone.

“Are you signing up for any more races?”

“I’m skipping the State competition tomorrow. Desert Rose needs a break.” She informed me and took the time to look at me, bothered by my questioning. “Why do you ask? When are you going back to Nashville?”

“That’s what I’m contemplating,” I stared out the window. “I’ll probably drive over for a day or two and take care of some business, but I’ll come back and stay longer.”

“Did the horse life get to you?” Diana cracked a smile and got up to leave.

“You can say that, I guess,” I smirked.

“Alright, Daddy, you know I love to have you around.” She hugged me and pranced off.

Questions about Diana’s morals surfaced at the forefront of my mind. If she had knowingly doped her horse in order to win, any remorse was buried so deep that no one could tell it was even there.

As hard as I tried to bring up the subject, I was deathly afraid of ruining the relationship we had worked so hard on building after the divorce. We were in a good place now, and I’d have to have all the facts before I confronted her.

And then there was Vitoria, whose dedication and passion for the sport were unmatched. Knowing what I knew now, it was clear that she was the true winner of the Kentucky Club Stakes. I must have seen the pain in her eyes that day but chosen to ignore it under the false pretense that she was bitter towards Diana.

How could I ever make this right?

My phone chimed with a calendar notification—Dinner at the Barringtons, eight o’clock.

I felt a sudden tightness around my neck. What if James Barrington was to find out about my daughter’s deeds? I couldn’t risk being involved in a scandal like that now that I was finally out of the headlines for once. Not to mention how any word of this would ruin Diana’s life.

Anger rose through my veins, and I slammed my fist on the table, causing a water glass to tip over and spill. Edward came running from behind me.

“Everything alright, sir?” He stared at me with confusion.

“Yea, sorry about the mess,” I got up and jumped in my car.

When I got to the stables, I looked around for any sight of Victoria. To my relief, she wasn’t there. I didn’t want her to see me like this—disgruntled and uncomposed. Next, I stormed through the jockey quarters and into the stable hands’ unit.

“Is the vet here today?” I asked one of the stable hands.

“Yea, he should be. Check in the back.” The boy responded, pointing to a room on the left.

I took a deep breath, clenched my fist, knocked on the door, and walked in without waiting for a response.

“Mr. F—Forbes,” the vet stuttered at the sight of my grayed-out eyes. “Can I help you?”

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