Darcy and Cindy exchanged a look. What? She's already playing the victim and blaming Darcy like that? Cindy had never been one to take injustice lying down. She immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready to barge in. But Darcy was even faster. She kicked the door open with her foot. Cindy's eyes widened. Jethro's expression remained unreadable. Zane felt a complex mix of emotions churning inside him the second he saw it was Darcy who had kicked the door open. At the stable, he had chosen not to save her. Seeing her now filled him with guilt. But even so, she shouldn't have kicked the door. Zane stood up, frowning. "Darcy, don't make a scene," he said. Darcy let out a sharp laugh. When people are utterly speechless, they really do laugh. Make a scene? That was always his line. But when had she ever been the one making a scene?! "Mr. Vance, I have never made a scene," Darcy replied, her voice icy. "That's a product of your overactive imagination." She lifted her chin and turned a cold gaze on Zora. "Dr. Moss, please clarify your statement. What exactly do you mean by 'Mrs. Gale doesn't know how to ride. It happens'? Someone who didn't know better might think this whole accident was my fault." Zora felt a flash of panic, but she quickly composed herself. She bit her lip. "Ms. Gale, seems you enjoy eavesdropping on private conversations?" As expected, Zane's face went even colder."Darcy," he said, his tone trying to be placating, "since neither you nor Zora is seriously hurt, let's just drop it. Who's right or wrong doesn't matter anymore." In his mind, if they dug deeper and all evidence pointed to Darcy, what would Brandon think of her? What would everyone else think? Zane believed letting the matter go was the best thing for Darcy. But hearing this, Darcy felt as sick as if she'd swallowed a fly. Zane saying this proved he actually believed Zora's version. Blind faith. She stared coldly at Zane. "I do not accept being falsely accused. Since someone is unwilling to tell the truth, I'll do it myself." Her gaze swept to Zora, and she spoke slowly and clearly, "Your horse lost control first. You failed to handle it, and your incompetence caused a chain reaction that endangered me. You are the cause of this.""What?" Cindy exclaimed, feigning shock. "Zora, didn't you say you won first place in a Royal Equestrian competition?" She, Brandon, and Zane had been far from the field when it happened, engrossed in conversation. No one saw exactly what went down in the center. They only knew something was wrong when they heard the stable hand's shouts. But now it clicked. Something was off. When choosing her horse, Zora had been so confident. She'd asked for the most spirited horse, refused a guide, and boasted about her first-place win. And this is her skill level? What a joke! A thought occurred to Cindy. She narrowed her eyes, tapping her chin. "Wait a minute. That certificate of yours... it wouldn't happen to be fake, would it?" It was entirely possible. The woman had a track record. Zora immediately flustered. "Of course not! I trained hard for that certificate!"Cindy couldn't be bothered to expose the lie right then. A lie repeated a thousand times was still a lie. The priority was clearing Darcy's name. "So, was it your horse that went out of control first?" Cindy pressed coldly. "Think carefully before you answer. The stables have surveillance cameras." Zora's heart lurched. Surveillance? She weighed her options and said in a measured tone, "It's... possible my horse panicked first. Everything happened so fast. By the time I realized, both horses were already bolting. My memory is a bit hazy." Then, she pressed hard on her injured arm, a pained expression instantly crossing her face. "Ah... it really hurts..." Just then, Brandon, having finished his call, hurried over. He apologized over and over. "Sorry—really, I'm sorry, both of you. Today's incident is not Dr. Moss' fault. The blame lies with me. To make it right, I've decided the ProsperLink Fund project will be jointly completed by SummitCore and Stratagem. You will each be responsible for a portion." Zora hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. "Thank you, Mr. Cole," she said gratefully. If Darcy pursued the matter further now, she would be openly contradicting Brandon. It was clear he wanted the issue buried, likely worried about his stable's reputation. After a moment's thought, Darcy said, "Thank you, Mr. Cole. We'll consider the matter closed. And you have our word, nothing about today will leave this group." Brandon visibly relaxed, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest. In the car leaving the stables, Cindy turned to Darcy. "Do you think Zora actually won that equestrian competition?" "I don't know," Darcy replied. A mischievous grin spread across Cindy's face. "What do you think would happen if that scumbag Zane found out his precious 'perfect one' is a complete fraud? How would he feel?" Having witnessed Zane's blind favoritism towards Zora firsthand, Darcy suspected that even if he learned about falsified papers, Zora would remain flawless in his eyes. "Probably nothing would change," she said. Cindy's shoulders slumped in disappointment, then she clenched her teeth. "Then we won't tell him yet. Let him enjoy his little fantasy a while longer. The higher you climb, the harder you fall!"