Chapter 24: The Match

After checking the time, the way the crowd looked at Amanda Vance began to change. They couldn’t tell if her timing was a coincidence or if she had planned it with pinpoint accuracy. If it was the latter...

Shirley Vance, noticing nothing, chided her, "Amanda, this is such an important day. How could you cut it so close? That’s incredibly rude."

Amanda Vance couldn’t be bothered to speak to her. Her gaze fixed on the man who had been staring at her the whole time, and she asked, "Mr. Ford said ten o’clock, did he not?"

True, the email he’d sent had specified ten o’clock, but she was the only one who had actually dared to cut it that close.

His gaze fell to the car she was driving. A flash of resentment crossed Shawn Ford’s eyes. ’This whole scene feels like she’s stolen my girl, and now she’s brazenly showing up on my doorstep with her arm around her, just to rub it in my face. So arrogant... It’s enough to make my teeth ache.’

He gritted his teeth and said, "Since you’re here, I take it you’ve agreed to the race. And a race is only interesting if there’s a prize on the line."

Amanda Vance played along. "What do you want?"

"If you lose, you give me Little Red."

"Oh." Amanda Vance’s gaze flickered over his red hair. ’He really has a thing for the color red.’ "And what if you lose?"

The moment she spoke, the crowd gasped. Then, someone laughed. "Mr. Ford, you hear that? This woman says she’s going to beat you."

"She’s got some nerve. No one’s ever dared to talk to Mr. Ford like that."

"Nerve? More like stupidity. Does she really think she’s hot stuff just because she knows how to drive? This is *racing*. It’s a whole different ball game from driving on the street."

Shirley Vance pursed her lips into a smirk. ’Amanda really doesn’t know what’s good for her, daring to say something like that. Her, win? As if.’

Shawn Ford clearly thought the same. He scoffed, "Me? Lose?"

As if she hadn’t caught his meaning, Amanda let the mountain wind blow through her hair. She took off her sunglasses, pushed them up onto her head, and turned to look at him. "That’s right. What happens if you lose?"

There was a surprising seriousness in her eyes, not a hint of a joke. The movement revealed her whole face.

’She has a small face. Pretty, even without any makeup.’

Realizing what he was thinking, Shawn Ford snapped back to his senses, cursing himself internally. ’Get a grip. I’m not about to start liking some woman. Cars are the only love of my life. My Little Red is all I need.’

The thought of Little Red immediately diminished the impact of her beauty. Annoyed, he said, "If I lose, you can have my car. It’s every bit as good as your Little Red."

Not only was it just as good, but it was also known as the "King" of the racing world—clad in deep black, exuding an understated luxury. The "Little Red" she was driving, on the other hand, was called the "Queen," a car of peerless, ravishing beauty.

Amanda Vance had actually wanted to buy the King herself, but someone had snatched it up before she had the chance. She never expected to meet its owner today. To be honest, he wasn’t what she’d pictured.

She didn’t dwell on it, simply shifting her gaze away. The corners of her lips curved into an arc of pure confidence; this was exactly what she’d been waiting for. "How do we do this?"

"Tch. All that nerve and you don’t even know the rules. Fifth, you tell her."

The man called "Fifth" stepped forward. His hair was dyed like a painter’s palette, and his clothes were covered in gaudy chains—a textbook try-hard. Called upon, he shot her a dissatisfied glare and grudgingly explained the rules.

He doubted she even understood what a real race was. It wasn’t just about speed—well, not entirely. Speed was a factor, yes, but this was a mountain course. It was the most treacherous racetrack in all of Aethelburg, famous for its danger throughout the country. The track ran alongside sheer cliffs; one careless move meant a fatal plunge. The course was also packed with sharp turns. If you didn’t control your speed, you’d fly right off the edge. But if you hit the brakes, you were guaranteed to lose.

It was a test of both driving skill and nerves, demanding a perfect balance of boldness and precision.

"...Each driver can have a co-pilot to help navigate."

The moment he finished, everyone took a collective step back. Even though they knew this track like the back of their hands, not one of them was willing to be her co-pilot.

’Are you kidding me? This woman popped up out of nowhere and immediately picked a fight with Mr. Ford. Anyone could guess how this would end for her. Who’d be stupid enough to get involved?’

"I don’t..."

Before she could finish, a car suddenly pulled up beside her. A voice drifted out. "I’m not too late, am I?"

Seeing who it was, everyone’s expression changed, and they instinctively glanced at Shawn Ford. The two were arch-rivals: Mr. Grant from the Grant Family, and Mr. Ford from the Ford Family. Both were known for their heaven-shaking tempers.

Shawn Ford’s expression turned foul, just as expected. His tone was hostile. "What are you doing here?"

Hayden Grant gave him a once-over, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes filled with disdain. "Relax. I’m not here for you."

He strolled over and slid into Amanda Vance’s passenger seat. His tone was intimate, but the words were forced through gritted teeth. "Babe, I want you to wipe the floor with him."

"You two have beef?" Amanda asked casually.

"Hmph. He’s the second son of his family, and I’m the second son of mine. We’re natural-born rivals; it’s our destiny to see who comes out on top."

’What kind of reason is that? You just can’t stand the guy, can you.’

Shawn Ford hadn’t expected this guy to show up for Amanda Vance. ’Looks like they’re pretty close.’ His opinion of Amanda soured even further. Hearing Hayden’s taunt, he snorted loudly. "Then we’ll just have to see if she has what it takes."

"We’ll know once we try, won’t we?" Hayden Grant said nonchalantly as he buckled his seatbelt. His casual tone only fanned the flames of Shawn Ford’s anger.

His arrival instantly cranked the already tense atmosphere up to a breaking point. The air itself felt charged with hostility.

Shawn Ford took a deep breath. ’I’m going to teach that Mr. Grant a lesson he won’t forget. How dare he act so smug in front of me? Wipe the floor with me? We’ll see who’s on their knees calling me ’Daddy’ when this is over!’

The referee walked to the center of the track. The instant his flag dropped, both cars shot forward.

This was a winding mountain road, full of hairpin turns. Hayden Grant knew it like the back of his hand and began casually pointing out the features of each section.

"Turn coming up."

Amanda Vance kept her foot steady on the accelerator. As the sharp turn loomed, the speedometer showed she was still speeding up. Hayden Grant glanced at her, saying nothing. A smile played on his lips as he checked the rearview mirror. ’Hah. What a wuss. He’s actually hitting the brakes.’

Shawn Ford gritted his teeth. ’Those two are insane!’

He watched as she took the turn without flying off the cliff, and he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. The next second, he realized he’d been worried about his opponent, and his expression soured once more.

He slammed on the accelerator and gave chase. ’This is just the beginning,’ he thought. ’There’s still a long way to go.’

What he didn’t realize, however, was that for Amanda Vance, this was also just the warm-up. As the race went on, he discovered she wasn’t being reckless at all—she was a true expert. She pushed the car to its absolute breaking point, hitting every apex perfectly at the limit without ever harming the vehicle.

Clearly, she was a seasoned pro.

She was a speed demon, just like Hayden Grant—the kind of driver who gambled with their own life.

He tried to steady his breathing as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He stayed glued to her tail, refusing to fall back, constantly looking for a chance to overtake her.

But every attempt ended in failure. All he could do was watch as the gap between them slowly widened.

’Damn it,’ he thought. ’At this rate, my older brother is probably the only one who could give her a real race.’

’Where the hell did this woman come from!?’