Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Mr. Bynes, no sign of her.”
“I can’t find her over here either.”
“Maybe she hit the restroom?”
“With only two cars in the race tonight, maybe she left early? Not enough action?””Mr. Bynes, we’ve combed through the stands and there’s no sign of that lady.”
Anxiety gripped Timothy, “Who was it that said they saw her at Kowloon Bay? Bring them to me.”
Soon, one of his men approached, “Mr. Bynes, it’s my day off, and I was just here to enjoy the race when I saw someone who looked like her getting into a red sports car.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Timothy snapped, annoyed at the fruitless search.
“I was about to tell you on the phone when you hung up,” the man felt equally aggrieved.
“Where’s the red race car?”
Before Timothy could finish, one of his men pointed towards the starting line, “Mr. Bynes, could it be that one?”
In the red sports car, a girl sat at the wheel, her window already rolled up, headlights on, but even through the windshield, Timothy could still make out her features.
Despite the distance, he could feel her cool, noble aura. It was the same feeling that had hit him the night before.
Her hair was up in the same bun, and without the mask, her face seemed quite pretty.
Timothy was mesmerized; the overall beauty of her face took him by surprise. Last night, he had thought that even if her face was ordinary beneath the mask, he was keen to meet her.
Now, he was utterly smitten. The crowd in front was thick, and Timothy could only stand on the steps, watching her from afar.
Which team was she with?”Which teams are facing off tonight?” Timothy asked one of his men.
“It’s a showdown between the Light Fleet and the local Drift Kings, with Harlan, the deputy captain of the drifters, seated in the pearly-white sports car. As for the driver of the fiery red race car, the identity is a mystery. We don’t know her name. Light Fleet have had many matches before, but I’ve never seen her. No idea if she’s a fresh face or someone they’ve taken as an ace up their sleeve.”
Some teams have a knack for secretly training exceptional drivers, unveiling them at critical moments to catch their rivals off-guard. It could also be that this girl was a recent recruit.
“She’s a racer,” Timothy’s impression of her growing more favorable by the second; his heart was utterly captivated.
He was taken aback that she was not only skillful and beautiful but also a race car driver. Although he couldn’t quite make out her features, the mysterious allure exceeded his expectations.
“Mr. Bynes, she shares your passion for racing.”
While Timothy was no professional race car driver, he enjoyed the thrill of the race and had gone head-
to-head with more than a few rich kids in high stakes street races. Now, they had something in common to talk about.
The tall, leggy starter positioned herself between the two cars, counting down from three. With a flourish of her flag, the crowd roared in unison, “Three!”
As the flag descended once more, the audience shouted, “Two!”
The starter sent a flirtatious wink towards Harlan and, with another wave of the flag accompanied by a sharp whistle, signaled, “One!”
Both race cars shot off the line. Harlan flashed a confident grin, certain of his victory in this race.The gust of wind from the cars caused many in the crowd to hold down their skirts and hair.
Meanwhile, in a chic two-story building behind the stands, Sean climbed up to the stand, taking a pair of binoculars from Steward to get a better look at the red race car.
He’d arrived late and missed the earlier drama. All he knew was that at the sound of the whistle, the lady in the red car and Harlan had bolted forward, but she quickly outpaced him, leading the way.
She was driving like there was no tomorrow. Harlan hadn’t expected Mirabella to be such a formidable driver, managing to get ahead of him right from the start. He tried to accelerate to catch up, but Mirabella seemed to anticipate his every move, giving him no chance.
The whole Light Fleet crew watched, eyes wide and disbelieving, as the race unfolded on the giant screen.
“Bella said she’d never raced before, right?”
“I thought she claimed to have no experience in official or underground races. How can she dare to go so fast and still drive so well?”
“No wonder Ms. Almond insisted on her joining. There must have been a reason!”
“To think she could leave Harlan in the dust right from the start, even Ms. Almond would be no match for her.”
“How’s Harlan gonna save face? I can just picture him fuming in that white race car.”
“Harlan’s bound to play dirty.”
The audience, perhaps not expecting someone from the Light Fleet to overtake Harlan so swiftly, began to root enthusiastically for the underdog.Despite several attempts, Harlan couldn’t overtake Mirabella. It was her first time on the Kowloon Bay track, yet she drove with such mastery. Had she bribed someone for a sneak preview, or done her homework beforehand.
Timothy was stunned; the girl he fancied was outperforming Harlan, a racer with a solid reputation.
Beating him was no easy feat, let alone to surpass him so quickly and leave him trailing.
“Mr. Bynes, you’ve certainly got an eye for talent, picking a girl this impressive,” the flattery began from his entourage.
Timothy’s gaze was glued to the red race car on the big screen. As much as he was happy for her, he couldn’t shake the worry that her speed was reckless. Silently, he concerned about her safety.
Harlan had every intention of playing dirty, but Mirabella’s car kept picking up speed, and there was no way for him to keep up.
Mirabella’s convertible was red-hot, topping out at 210 miles per hour, while his own beast could hit a solid 220. But no matter how he sped up, he couldn’t close the gap.
Not even neck and neck.
Perhaps it was those few seconds when he eased off the pedal on the curves earlier that had cost him the lead.
With his mind straying, he only noticed the rocks on the road when it was almost too late. Swerving to avoid a collision, he got his car skidded, which sent sparks flying as it grazed the guardrail. He corrected his path, but Mirabella had already pulled further ahead.
This stretch was notorious for occasional rockfalls that could smash a windshield or litter the road – a hazard Harlan usually watched like a hawk during practice and races. But Mirabella had thrown him off his game tonight.
As Mirabella crossed the finish line, the Light Fleet crew erupted in cheers.
“Amazing!”
“Bella’s on fire!”
“Did we just win? Light Fleet took the round!”
The crowd went wild, standing up from their seats and shouting their support. No one expected Light Fleet to bruise the rival team’s ego in the first round.Timothy clenched his fist in excitement. Yes, that was freaking awesome.
Sean watched the red convertible loop back to the starting line, and Light Fleet folks swarm Mirabella in celebration. As the window rolled down, it revealed a face that was new yet stunning.
Not the same girl?
Who’s she?
As the crowd around Mirabella got too thick, Sean had to head inside to check the monitors after tossing his binoculars to Steward.
“Zoom in.”
Steward, knowing who Sean wanted to see, quickly tapped the smart screen on the wall and enlarged the image of the red car. Someone handed the driver a bottle of water, and both Steward and Sean got a clear view of the girl’s face.
With sharp features, she gave off an air of cool detachment – that wasn’t Light Fleet’s captain Ophelia!
She looked more like the girl who’d crashed their party last night?!
Same bun, same icy stare, same aloof demeanor.
If it wasn’t her, who else could it be?
“How could it be her?” Steward was taken aback. Sean came especially to watch the race, yet Ophelia was nowhere to be seen. Where was she? Didn’t she covet the Kowloon Bay track?
“I’ll have her picked up right away.” Steward had been unable to track down the girl, yet here she was, served up on a silver platter.
“Let’s wait a bit.” Sean turned to enter the elevator, “I want to meet her first.”Was Sean planning to race her himself?
It was widely known that Sean had founded the team, and although he had been the team captain, he’d never led his team to race. It’s.Harlan, his second-in-command, who typically led the team into games.
This girl’s driving must have caught Sean’s interest. Even though he hadn’t led his team to race, Sean had himself competed in plenty of international events. He had another persona: a top-tier professional racer.
“Bella, you’re incredible,” they praised her. “To drive that fast and that well on your first race.”
“You even left Harlan in the dust. I can’t believe my eyes, you know? No one’s ever outrun Harlan by that much, except for their big boss, Sean.”
Sean??
Mirabella arched an eyebrow. Why did she keep hearing about “Sean” over and over again ever since she’d come to Belloria?
Was it the same person, or was it different people coincidentally sharing a common name??
“No wonder Ms. Almond sent you to save the day – you’re like a dark horse!”
“Moments ago, you were playing all humble, claiming you only knew the basics – forward, reverse, braking. But you drive like a pro!”
“You’ve been flying under the radar, haven’t you?”
“Tonight, we’re definitely taking down Kowloon Bay!”