Chrisâ heart was pounding like crazy. He couldnât take his hands off the steering wheel and wasnât in the position to answer Leoâs call.
It was Perez who answered the phone in his stead. He had to relay the message a few times before Chris finally understood what was happening.
âTell him that the competition has already begun! It wonât stop even if I force them to!â Chris roared, though most of it was muffled due to the deafening wind.
Still, it was still loud enough for Leo to catch what he said.
He gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He never knew that Amelie would be this insane!
After what felt like ages, he finally turned his eyes back on the screen.
What he witnessed made him freeze!
He couldnât tear his eyes off the sight.
The car that had been swerving left and right in a precarious manner flew up at the very last turn!
âWhat?!â
âOh, no!â
The audience had their eyes peeled on the screen and began exclaiming in shock when they saw the car lifting off the ground.
They could already imagine just how severe the crash would be when the car landed.
Judging from the velocity alone, it would surely be a fatal impact!
Amelie and Julia were doomed!
Someone even started calling the police as this scene appeared before their eyes.
âWhat the hell?! What the f*ck?!â
The footage soon captured Chris and Perez, who had been desperately trying to catch up to them.
Both of them cursed at the same time when they saw that theyâd failed to stop the impending accident.
T-Theyâve been overtaken!â Perez abruptly yelled in agitation as he pointed toward the front.
The video stream didnât cut to where his hands were wildly gesturing toward, so everyone could only stare at the two menâs expressions in utter confusion.
âQuick! Cut back to the other camera!â One of the onlookers was so frazzled that he shoved his colleague as though he was a bus and was trying to run the dawdling obstacle over!
At last, the footage on the screen changed.
To their immense surprise, they only saw Elyseâs car. Plus, it was the only one racing down the track.
âWhat about Amelie and Julia?â
âDid they crash?â
âIs there any sign of the wreckage?â
âWhat a pity.â
Leoâs eyes remained fixated on the screen.
All he could see was Elyseâs car.
His hand clenched even tighter as his muscles tensed!
Even though he loathed Amelie with every fiber of his being, he never wanted her deadâ¦
He never thought that he would one day lose control because of Amelie. His heart was about to jump out of his chest. He had never reacted this way before!
âLook! Theyâre fine! Theyâre up ahead!â
The engineerâs voice rang out with sheer relief and excitement.
He had been switching through the cameras, hoping this wouldnât end in a tragedy.
After he had switched through all three different viewpoints of the track and still couldnât see a single sign of Amelie and Juliaâs car, he had slowly begun to lose all hope.
He never wouldâve thought their car would finally show up on the fourth camera he chose!
âOh, my goodness! Amelie and Julia are alive!â
âThey overtook the other car!â
âTheyâre so far ahead too!â
Everyone began clapping so hard that their palms were red, though it was uncertain what they were truly feeling.
Some were even so overjoyed that they teared up.
There was no way of describing what the crowd was feeling at this moment.
Some of them were in awe of Amelie and Juliaâs excellent skills.
A few in the crowd closed their eyes as they exhaled in relief, wholly glad that they werenât about to witness a double death.
The tension slowly seeped out of Leoâs body as he slowly relaxed.
He didnât know what had gotten into him.
âI canât believe it. No one has ever raced blindfolded before.â
âAnd to have achieved such an excellent result too!â
âIâm willing to bet that sheâs Dash!â
Leo caught all the praises and cheers from the surrounding crowd. Then, he clenched his fists again.
Amelie is Dash?
He wouldnât even bother to entertain this possibility in the past.
However, after he had a front-row seat in witnessing her ability, he couldnât dismiss that thought any longer.
His confusion began to cloud his eyes.
âGreat job, Amelie!â Julia cheered loudly in the car.
It was better to drive blindfolded when racing down an off-road circuit.
Off-road tracks were a lot more complex and relied heavily on the co-driverâs navigational skills.
One didnât really need the driverâs sight.
At times, it might even affect the racerâs judgment.
Naturally, the two knew full well that even though the twists and turns were alarming, they were never in any real danger.
Amelie didnât respond as she was entirely focused on driving.
Nevertheless, her lips curved into the smile that only Dash would have.
A brilliant, confident smile that was combined with a racerâs fearlessness and a womanâs grace.
She shone brightly like a dazzling diamond! Even though she blindfolded her eyes, even in the darkness of the night.
âThatâs amazing! Sheâs cool!â
Behind them, Chris screamed his head off in excitement when he saw that Amelieâs car had overtaken Elyseâs.
With Perezâs help, the two men overtook Elyse and hurled down the track.
They were so ecstatic that they didnât see the drain in front of them.
Chrisâ car flew straight⦠into the drain.
Amelie and Julia waited at the finish line for quite some time before Elyseâs car finally approached.
Julia had lost all patience and had already fallen asleep inside the car.
Amelie was the only one standing outside the car. She had her head lowered as her foot leisurely drew circles in the ground.
Elyse stopped the car and slammed the door behind her before stomping over.
Tina, who was still sitting inside the car, secretly checked the time.
They were ten whole minutes slower than Amelie!
To a racer, ten minutes was longer than a lifetime! It was utter humiliation!
Elyse marched over to Amelie and snapped icily, âYou wiped the floor with me. Are you finally happy now?â
Amelieâs expression remained aloof, and she merely glanced at Elyse without responding.
In contrast to Elyseâs fury, Amelie was as calm as a cucumber.
Elyse no longer attempted to hide what she truly felt.
Amelieâs lack of response made Elyse feel as if she was being disregarded and secretly mocked.
She balled her fists as if she wanted to choke Amelie to death.
Nonetheless, at the very next moment, she forced herself to smile.
âSo what if you won? Leoâs mine. Heâs the one who asked me to go out with him. Weâll be getting married, too. He wonât be getting back with you for the rest of your life, no matter how accomplished you are!â
Amelie slowly straightened her posture in the face of Elyseâs words.
Her gaze became glacial as she stared straight into Elyseâs eyes. âLeo Alston isnât the reason why I competed against you today. I donât care whether you will be engaged or married to that man. As for getting back with him⦠Iâm sorry to say youâre so delusional I donât even know where to start, Miss Clayton.â
âAm I the one overthinking things, or are you the one whoâs just putting on an act, huh?â Elyse didnât believe a word of what Amelie said. âYou say you didnât compete against me because of Leo, but what else is there between us, apart from him?â
âWhat else is there, you ask.â Amelie tapped the edge of the car and looked into the distance. âHave you forgotten already, Miss Clayton? Four years ago, you nearly killed both my child and me!â
âW-What are you talking about?â Elyseâs heart jolted as she stared tersely at Amelie.
She wasnât as confident as she acted.
Amelie turned around and stared right into Elyseâs eyes. âFour years ago, you heard from Ashton that Leo and I were going to visit the cemetery, so you purposely timed it just right and called Leo for help while we were on the way there. You claimed you were being kidnapped. Because of this, Leo ditched my unborn child and me to rescue you. Did you forget about this?â
Twas in trouble!â Elyseâs expression turned stiff briefly as she tried to defend herself. âYouâre the one who wasnât important enough to him! How can you blame me for that? If I were you, I wouldâve accepted reality back then and left Leo!â
âHah!â Amelie snorted coldly, but she wasnât in a rush to respond.
Elyse froze as she finally saw Amelie for who she was.
She couldnât deny that she had always thought of Amelie as someone who was beneath her, but Amelieâs snort felt like a slap in the face.
The color began draining out of her face as she realized she had bitten more than she could chew.
Amelieâs gaze was piercing enough to rip her pretense to shreds!
âYou faked your kidnapping, and Leo had to run around in exhaustion for several days just for you. You didnât feel bad about making him go through all that.â
âF-Faked?â Elyseâs mind went blank.
She stared at Amelie in disbelief.
I made sure no one would ever find out about it! Even Leo didnât notice anything amiss. How does she know?
âWhat kind of nonsense are you babbling about?!â Elyse tried to defend herself against Amelie.
Amelie held up her phone and showed her the screen. âIâve already located the person who was the mastermind behind that incident. That person is currently in the city of Chattelay in Flaronia, and the address isâ¦
She easily listed the personâs details, including address and phone number.
âI have proof if you want it.â
Elyse was rendered mute as she felt her house of cards crumbling beneath her.
âThatâs impossible Did Amelie not only one up her when it came to racing but even unearthed the truth about the incident years ago?
Elyseâs expression morphed into one of fear and panic. Even her hands began to tremble as she thought of the potential consequences.
Amelie couldnât be bothered to waste any more time on Elyse, so she got back into the car without a backward glance.
Then, she started the engine and drove off, leaving Elyse staring helplessly as she departed.
Elyseâs hands and feet had gone clammy, and she cautiously glanced behind her.
Tina was in the car, but it was quite a distance away, so she wouldnât have heard anything. Julia was also asleep. Thus, no one saw her losing her composure.
Itâs fine. I just have to get this sorted out later. Everything will be fine. With this thought in mind, Elyse gathered her emotions and returned to the car.
Yet, she stopped dead in her tracks after only a few steps.
A figure was standing quietly, not too far away from her.