Chapter 65

The white horse bucked, sending the crowd scattering. Alexis barely dodged its hooves, shouting, "What did you do to it?"

The horse thrashed, its neighs filled with distress. Paisley shrugged. "I just patted it. Everyone saw!" She gestured to the onlookers. "A light tap on its rump."

Normally, a frightened horse might kick, but these were trained animals. One woman couldn't provoke this reaction. As the horse calmed, Paisley approached it.

"Stop!" Dominick rose, ready to intervene. Marissa grabbed his arm, whispering, "Don't go, Dom. I'm scared."

Ignoring them, Paisley reached the horse, gently stroking its neck. "When injecting horses," she explained, her hand moving to its chest, "this is safest. Then the pectoral muscles. Finally," she moved to its hindquarters, "here, the semi-tendinosus and semi-membranosus muscles. This area's near its powerful legs, and in its blind spot. Injecting here easily startles a horse."

The crowd listened, captivated. Dominick watched, his anger softening. Even Grayson's frown faded. Marissa's face darkened. A flicker of malice crossed her features before she coughed, snapping everyone back to reality.

Alexis shook her head, then hardened her expression. "What's the point of this anatomy lesson? Does it prove you didn't cause Marissa to fall?"

Paisley scoffed. "You bunch of idiots." She corrected herself silently. They weren't idiots, just biased. Marissa, Dominick's future wife, held far more weight than she did. They weren't interested in truth, only in pleasing the future matriarch. Even if she had caused the fall, they'd defend Marissa. Paisley simply saw them as clowns.

"Of course, I can prove it," Paisley said.