My Vengeful-Ex

Chapter 43

Christina 

I wasn't sure how that week would pass. When Uncle Edward told me we would spend a week at Clairings, I had no idea Logan would accompany us. The last thing I wanted was to be in the same room as Logan. 

Logan wanted to speak with me; I could feel it, and I tried hard not to let him corner me. I had no idea what he wanted from me. He made me feel betrayed. Even after knowing he was the only friend I had, Logan had left me alone. 

Moreover, he lied that he came to see me, but I refused to meet him. Why on Earth would I do something like that? When I was craving for a friend every minute of the day. 

"Christina, are you coming along?" Julia, Harold's girlfriend, asked me while passing through the living room, where I was seated at the piano and playing it. 

We had only arrived at Clairings late last night, and I had settled for playing piano after breakfast. 

"I am not in the mood. You guys can carry on," I declined politely. 

Henry, Harold, and their girlfriends, who had joined us on the trip, decided to spend the hot summer day at the pool. While I was all in for swimming, I wouldn't say I liked the idea of parading in a bikini in front of my male cousins and Logan. 

"Come on, Christina, you need to loosen up a little," Julia strolled towards me in her white bikini with red polka dots. 

She had a perfectly toned body and tanned skin, adding to her sex appeal. The thought of Logan seeing her in this half-naked state didn't sit well with me. 

Why did he have to come along?

I knew he was there for the estate's renovation and would mostly be busy with my Aunt Anne. Who looked determined to change the whole place to her liking.  Clairings was still in the same state as when my grandmother was alive. Anne and Grandmother never got along well. They both were headstrong women, which only led to conflict between them. 

"Hey, Julia, aren't you coming?" Paula asked from the doorway of the living room. 

Julia was gorgeous. A perfect beauty with a brain. She and Harold studied Law at Oxford and met and began dating at the University. 

"In a minute, I was asking Christina to join us," Julia replied. 

"I don't think her Ladyship would mingle with commoners," Paula taunted, then turned and walked back outside. 

I never understood her deal. Though I had always been civil with Paula, she never let go of any chance to taunt me. It could be her inferiority complex that got the better of her. She was from a typical middle-class household and had gotten a scholarship at Oxford, where she met Henry.

Anne never forgot to remind Paula that she didn't belong to a noble bloodline, and that could be the reason which made her bitter. Henry had assured my Uncle and Aunt he wouldn't marry Paula and that their relationship was nothing serious. I sympathized with Paula, but her unnecessary rudeness kept me away.

"I am sorry," Julia murmured in an embarrassed tone. 

"It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong," I assured Julia, holding her hand. 

"I don't know why Paula gets bitter sometimes," she said.  

"Maybe because she feels she doesn't fit in our lifestyle," I answered. 

Julia belonged to a titled family and, hence, had never faced any criticism from Aunt Anne. That was the reason she would never be able to understand Paula's bitterness. 

"Maybe," she said absentmindedly, looking at the door from where Paula disappeared, "aren't you coming?" She turned to me. 

"No, I am not feeling well," I lied to avoid her insistence. 

"Oh, okay, then take a rest," her face fell in disappointment, and she walked out. 

I kept playing the piano for some more time and then walked out into the garden at the side of the house. Clairings was a vast estate with grounds and fields stretched to thousands of hectares. It was one of the largest Dukedoms in England. 

I made my way to the stables. It had been a long time since I visited Clairings and had seen my filly. When I entered the stables, I found all the stalls empty. Charlie was sweeping one of the stalls. 

"Where are the horses?" I asked Charlie, who looked up at me and grinned. 

"Good morning, My Lady," Charlie, the young stable boy, greeted in a pleasant voice. 

"Good morning, Charlie," I replied to his greeting, embarrassed. 

In my eagerness to see my horse, I had forgotten to greet him. Grandmother's soul must be cursing me from the sky at my embarrassment. 

"Have you seen Athena?" 

"George has taken them out to the paddocks," Charlie replied. 

I nodded at him, then headed to the back of the stable and towards the paddock. When I stepped outside, I saw the horses running around in the paddock. While George sat on the wooden fence that surrounded it. 

"Good morning, Lady Christina," George greeted when he saw me. 

George was the trainer of the horses and had been working at Clairings for as long as I could remember. 

"How is Athena doing?" I inquired about my filly. 

Athena was only a year old when Uncle Edward gifted her to me. George trained Athena and would often inform me of her progress. 

"Boisterous as ever," George remarked with a proud grin. 

He loved horses. It was evident from how passionately he would train them. He had won many Derby races for Williams in the past years.

"If I knew you would come here right after breakfast, I would have readied her for a ride," George said, looking at Athena warming up to a black stallion. 

"Is he new?" I asked, pointing towards the stallion. 

I didn't remember I saw him before at the stables. He was magnificent, nearly double the size of Athena, who was no less than huge herself. 

"Lord Henry bought him a couple of months ago. I am trying to train him, but he doesn't seem to accept any riders," George answered with a concerned expression. 

Henry, my elder cousin, was fond of horses and used to trade in them often. But that time, he exceeded himself. His new acquisition was stunning. I never saw a horse its size. 

"The young Lord is eager to ride the beast, but I don't think he is ready yet," creases formed on George's forehead. 

"Can I meet Athena?" 

George slid down from the fence into the paddocks and approached my filly. She neighed and stamped her foot when Goerge pulled her reins and walked in my direction. I approached the fence and stroked her head when she was near me. 

Athena neighed and nuzzled my hand, recognizing my touch, "How is my girl?" I smiled at her excitement. 

"Are you ready for a run?" 

Athena stomped her feet at my voice, eager to be free for a run. I laughed at her eagerness, "Not today, Athena, but I promise we will go on a ride tomorrow."

I loved talking to her. She never seemed to get bored of me. I kept stroking her head and neck, brushing my fingers through her mane, and Athena let me pet her. 

"You are such a good girl, Athena," I patted her head. 

"I knew I would find you here." 

Logan's voice startled me, and I turned to him with a jerk. He stood a few feet from me, wearing a white polo shirt and blue jeans, freshly showered, with his hair tousled as always. 

Fuck. 

He cornered me on the first day of our visit.

You can read up to Chapter 116 by subscribing to Patreon or Inkitt. The links are in my Bio.