Vivian stared at the search result on her phone.
Her pupils widened slightly.
"Leonard Blackwell really spent blood on this gift."
She looked up at Ethan, her tone carrying obvious surprise.
"This car is a one-of-one global limited edition. Worth over a hundred million. He spent endless connections to get it for his collection, and now you got it for free."
Ethan looked ahead, both hands on the steering wheel as he drove.
Hearing her words, he smiled lightly.
"I can live without this car. He can't live without his position as head of the Blackwell family."
"If I want, the Blackwell family can become the Monroe family or the Kendrick family. It makes no difference who sits there."
Vivian was quiet.
On the surface, she remained calm.
Inside, waves were rising.
A hundred-million-dollar limited supercar given away like nothing.
The life and death of the Four Families decided casually between laughs.
When Ethan said these things, his tone was light, without any intention to show off.
He was only stating facts.
Vivian had to admit that, although this man was often improper, he did make people feel extremely safe.
She looked back down at her phone and typed a message to Celeste.
Celeste, dinner can happen tonight. My boyfriend says he's free.
At some point, she had already become used to using my boyfriend to describe Ethan.
Her phone vibrated quickly.
Celeste replied:
OK.
Vivian smiled and put down the phone.
When she looked up, the car had stopped at a red light.
Roar.
The sound of an engine exploded behind them, loud enough to tremble in the chest.
Vivian looked back instinctively.
A modified car rolled up beside them, slowing until its front was level with Ethan's.
In the driver's seat sat a young man in his early twenties, wearing a tight T-shirt that showed half a tattoo sleeve.
One hand rested on the wheel.
The other lifted his sunglasses.
He whistled.
"Nice car, man. Dare to race?"
He raised his chin, the challenge obvious in his voice.
"Loser leaves the car behind. How about it?"
Ethan glanced at him.
He had just been wondering where to test max-level driving.
A lab rat had delivered itself.
"Sure," Ethan said. "How?"
The young man had not expected such an easy agreement.
After a short pause, he grinned.
"You've got guts. Follow me."
He floored the accelerator and shot forward.
Ethan turned the wheel calmly and followed.
...
Ten minutes later, the two cars entered a professional racetrack, the largest in Northbridge.
The name on the sign was in English, but Ethan only glanced at it and did not care.
There were not many customers at the moment.
The track was mostly empty, with only a few staff members maintaining equipment.
Soon, both cars lined up at the starting line.
Their engines growled low, like two beasts waiting to pounce.
Vivian got out and went to the spectator area, choosing a seat casually.
Nothing urgent was happening at the company today.
The beauty cream launch was progressing steadily.
She did not mind accompanying Ethan through a little nonsense.
She had just leaned back when a group of young women began chattering nearby.
Three girls stood by the track, dressed lightly with exposed waists, glow sticks in hand.
Clearly, they were here to cheer someone on.
"Go, Noah. You're the best."
"You can crush that arrogant guy easily."
Two girls shouted at the top of their lungs, as if afraid Noah in the car could not hear them.
After shouting, they noticed the third girl had stayed quiet.
"Lina, why aren't you cheering for Noah?"
The girl named Lina stared toward the track, eyes bright.
"Don't you think..."
She held her face with both hands, her expression dreamy.
"Noah's opponent is really handsome? Like a movie star."
The other two frowned slightly and followed her gaze.
After looking at Ethan for a few seconds, one of them answered unconsciously.
"He is really handsome..."
Then she snapped back to herself and shook her head.
"No. We're Noah's loyal supporters."
She waved the glow stick hard.
"How can we betray him just because of a face?"
"Exactly," the other agreed. "Go, Noah. Noah must win."
Lina barely moved.
Her eyes remained fixed on Ethan, shining.
"Go, go..."
Her voice was perfunctory.
Her gaze did not leave Ethan for half a second.
Vivian took all of this in.
Then the girls' conversation drifted over.
"Noah is a semi-professional racer. He's competed officially before. How could he lose?"
"Right. That man can't possibly be Noah's opponent."
"If he loses, the car belongs to Noah. I kind of want to see him look wronged after losing his beloved car. It would be beautiful."
Lina had apparently awakened some very strange preference.
Vivian frowned after hearing it.
Semi-professional racer?
She looked toward Ethan on the track and felt uncertain for the first time.
No matter how capable Ethan was, surely he had not mastered racing too.
And the opponent was semi-professional.
Thinking this, she took out her phone.
She opened the browser and searched: sports cars men like.
If Ethan lost the race, she planned to buy him a new car as comfort.
So he would not be too upset.
Vivian seriously began filtering search results and quietly remembered several models.
On the track, the two cars waited at the starting line.
Noah removed his sunglasses and looked at Ethan with a confident smile.
"Remember my name."
He turned his thumb downward.
"Noah Hunt. The man who beats you."
Ethan did not bother responding to such theatrical lines.
He simply gripped the wheel and looked ahead.
At the starting line, the digital board began counting down.
Three.
Two.
One.
The electronic horn sounded.
The race began.
Noah floored the accelerator.
His modified car shot forward like an arrow.
White smoke rose from the tires.
After the start, he glanced at the rearview mirror.
Ethan's start was clearly slower, and distance opened between them.
Noah relaxed and smiled.
"Even more amateur than I expected. No difficulty at all."
He looked forward again.
Very soon, he stopped smiling.
In the rearview mirror, the silver supercar was closing in at frightening speed.
Noah's pupils tightened.
He pressed harder on the accelerator.
Useless.
Ethan's car drew closer and closer, biting at his rear.
Sweat appeared on Noah's forehead.
He turned left, trying to block Ethan's route.
Ethan moved right.
Noah immediately moved right.
Ethan moved left again.
The two cars tangled tightly on the track like two snakes fighting.
Ahead was a large curve.
Noah felt joy.
Curves like this required braking.
This was his strength.
He tapped the brakes, preparing to drift through.
Then he saw a scene he would never forget.
Ethan's car did not slow at all.
It rushed into the curve at full speed.
The tires screamed against the track.
The body of the car slid so close to the guardrail that the gap seemed thinner than a strand of hair.
In an instant, Ethan passed him.
Noah saw only a silver shadow flash by.
By the time he reacted, Ethan's car was already ahead.
Farther.
Farther.
Then even the taillights were gone.
Noah stared at the empty track ahead, mouth open, unable to speak.
His car slowed.
The will to fight disappeared.
"Full speed through that kind of curve..."
He slapped the steering wheel.
"That guy is insane."
...
At the finish line, the silver phantom crossed first and stopped steadily.
Ethan opened the door, stepped out, and stretched.
He leaned against the car and waited patiently.
After a while, Noah finally drove across the finish line and stopped nearby.
In the spectator seats, Vivian's finger hovered above her phone.
On the screen was the payment page for a sports car.
She had already chosen the model and filled in the buyer information.
Only the final step remained.
He won?
Vivian looked at Ethan standing beside the car and could not help wondering.
What exactly can't this man do?
Author's Note:
This story will continue updating here.
If you want to read more, you can unlock it here:
/c/TYMercer
Thank you for reading.