Chapter 96

Colin's eyes were fixed on the racetrack, landing right on Brinley as she leaned from the window of the white race car, speaking intently with a technician. The bright lights caught her profile, her expression sharp and focused.

He looked away after a moment, giving a small shake of his head before replying to Milly, "No need. We'll stay here and watch."

Milly stiffened, unease rising inside her.

She knew Colin all too well. Outwardly he carried a gentle demeanor, but deep down he admired strength and daring. If he truly saw Brinley's performance on the track...

Just then, a wave of cheers swept through the stands.

Brinley had already climbed back into her car, securing her helmet and snapping the visor down in one smooth,determined motion.

Colin's eyes remained on the white vehicle, his curiosity clearly piqued.

The sight made Milly's chest tighten with discomfort, her smile freezing, barely holding together.

An announcement boomed over the speakers. "Attention racers, the final is about to begin. Please proceed to the starting grid."

Side by side, the black and white cars rolled into place.

Through the window, Austin's reflective visor caught the light, hidinghis expression.

Brinley gazed straight ahead, her fingertips tapping lightly against the steering wheel, as if measuring timing and angles in her head.

In the stands, the betting frenzy doubled again. Some fans believed Nightblade would win, while others had switched sides, shouting Brinley's name instead.

And then the final began.

A dozen cars exploded off the line like arrowNs from taut strings.

At the very first corner, two cars collided in their fight for the inner lane, sparks flying and drawing gasps from the crowd.

Brinley jerked the wheel sharply, slipping past the wreck with inches to spare.

But Ballard seized the chaos to his advantage, swerving aggressively into her path.

Her white car lurched violently, swaying so close to the safety wall it nearly clipped it.

Colin shot up from his seat, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles whitened. His chest tightened at the sight of Brinley struggling within the chaos.

Never before had he seen her like this-not the quiet, submissive woman who had once stood at his side,but someone fierce, wild, and untamed.

"Why is she forcing herself like this..." he muttered hoarsely, the words dragging out of him unbidden.

Milly heard, and her nails dug deep into her palm, though her face carried feigned concern. "Racing is too dangerous, Colin. Look at this madness. Maybe we should leave before something happens?"

But Colin ignored her completely, his eyes locked on the track.

Memories from the past flooded his mind.

He recalled Brinley once smiling and telling him, "Let's have a baby." And yet, at that very time,he had been wrapped up in Milly's softness, turning cold and dismissive toward Brinley. The sting of that realization cut into him now.

He had pushed away the one-of-a-kind Brinley. Meanwhile,the race raged on. Dominik intentionally blocked Brinley's line on a slow corner, trying to run her wide.

But Brinley downshifted hard, the car skidding at a razor-sharp angle across the asphalt before hugging the inside lane and shooting past him cleanly.

"Beautiful move!" The crowd erupted into their cheers.

Up in the lead pack, Austin's black car held position. In his mirror, he saw the white blur cutting closer and closer.

When Ballard had cut her off earlier, Austin's foot had hovered over the accelerator, ready to break formation and shield her. But then she countered with a flawless rear-wheel drift, fending for herself.

And when Dominik tried to trap her again, he had been about to slow down and intervene, but Brinley's perfectly timed downshift had been smoother than even he'd expected.

Austin's fingers froze on the wheel, his eyes narrowing behind the visor. That fearless cornering angle,that split-second timing on the gear shift, even the precision of her grip...

There was no mistaking it. She moved with the unmistakable flair of Rosara, the racer who had once set the track ablaze.

There was no doubt now-Brinley was Rosara.

With that realization, Austin slammed the accelerator. The black shot ahead-not to win, but to test her limits.

The final entered its last three laps. Only five cars remained on the track.

Brinley had climbed into second, pressing hard at Austin's tail.

Ballard, blinded by rage, veered recklessly on the straight, swiping toward her with the intent of knocking her off.

"Careful!" Colin shouted, his voice hoarse, betraying his concern for Brinley.

Brinley's eyes flew wide, her reaction kicking in almost automatically. She yanked the handbrake, spun the wheel, and sent her car into a perfect sideways drift.

Using the car's inertia, she threaded through the tiny gap between Ballard and the wall.

The movement was so swift it was almost impossible to track. By the time the crowd caught up, Brinley's white car had already slipped past Ballard, now just half a length behind Austin's black car.

"Insane! She's even wilder than Rosara ever was!" Nicolas whooped in the monitoring room, slapping the table with excitement.

Austin felt the pressure mounting from behind and, for the first time that day, smiled faintly.

He pressed harder on the accelerator but deliberately left a sliver of space at the corner.

Not as a mercy, but as a challenge.A chance.

Brinley caught it instantly, seizing the opening without hesitation. Side by side, the black car and the white car tore into the bend together.