Kaelyn had been ready to leave their petty show behind, practically done with the whole scene.
Still, the contempt in their eyes jabbed something sharp in her chest.
"You sure sound like you know what you're doing," she remarked, easing a step closer to Davina, her voice smooth and cold. "How about we test that ego on the track? One hundred million. Think you can keep up?"
"Kaelyn!" Leland's voice cut through the air, firm enough to pin anyone in place. His stare carried the harsh weight of command as he snapped out his warning. "Davina can't ride right now. She's been unwell for a long time. How could you be so cruel, dragging her into something like this?"
Cruel?
The accusation scorched through Kaelyn's patience, a spark of fury so sudden she almost swung on him.
Davina chimed in with a soft, fragile cough, her fingers curling around his arm as if she needed his support just to stand. "Leland, you shouldn't take it out on Kaelyn. She gave you three years, never earned your love, and walked away with nothing. That would push anyone over the edge."
Kaelyn refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Tilting her chin with cool defiance, she gestured toward the polished lineup of motorcycles, her fingers slicing through the air like a challenge.
"Didn't you bankroll this entire team for Davina? With fifty million poured into these motorcycles and riders, shouldn't at least one of them actually measure up? You can pick one of them to take Davina's place and race me."
Davina jolted upright, fury flushing her cheeks as she blinked through the sting of offended pride. "You don't get to insult Leland in front of me! If you're this determined to be reckless, then don't expect me to sit back quietly."
She shifted her gaze to the team manager and instructed, "Choose someone to race her. I refuse to let Leland lose."
The team manager was equally determined to ensure Leland's victory. After all, he had just negotiated with Leland for a new investment.
With future funding on the line, he barked orders without hesitation and pointed out their strongest rider.
Kaelyn tipped the helmet in her hand, ready to slip it over her head.
Davina's voice cut in, cool and self-satisfied. "If you lose, you obviously can't pay a hundred million. I want you gone from Leland's life for good—and you'll issue a public apology for causing trouble today."
A bright, almost taunting smile curved across Kaelyn's lips.
"Going for brutal terms now, huh? Alright then. Let's raise it another hundred million. Leland, hope that's not too much for you."
Kaelyn knew Morgan Group's capital was jammed in ongoing projects, their fresh returns still weeks away. At best, Leland could free up two hundred million in cash.
As expected, a flicker of unease crossed his expression.
Kaelyn let out a low, taunting whistle. "Guess Davina isn't worth two hundred million to you after all, huh?"
The jab hit him squarely. No man with an ego like his could swallow that. He snatched up the checkbook, scribbled his signature with stiff determination, and smacked the check onto the table.
"The wager stands. Once you sign this liability waiver, there'll be no turning back, Kaelyn—hope you know what you're doing," he said.
Kaelyn reached for the pen with calm, unhurried confidence and added her signature, never once bothering to glance in his direction.
Moonlight washed across the mountain road, turning every curve into a shimmering silver arc.
A sharp whistle sliced through the stillness, and the black Harley exploded forward, punching through the night with a throaty growl.
The course they'd picked twisted nine brutal times along the cliffside, a route even veteran riders hesitated to tackle at full speed.
Drone cameras tracked every daring maneuver, leaving the crowd breathless.
"She's already hitting the sixth turn without easing up. Think she'll survive the last two bends?"
"Incredible, absolutely incredible. That kind of stunt is the sort of thing only Moon, the myth of the racing world, could do."
"Could she really be Moon? Nobody knows what Moon looks like, but people say the legend's a woman."
Whispers from the crowd drifted to Leland, and a hard, rapid thrum hammered through his chest as he stared at the Harley slicing through the night like a streak of silver fire.
Moon… was that really Kaelyn?
The thought slammed into him with dizzying force.
Beside him, Davina simmered, forcing out two frail coughs as if she were moments from collapsing. When she lifted her lashes, she caught him still fixated on Kaelyn—so absorbed he might as well have forgotten Davina existed.
Nothing like this had ever happened.
Her fingers curled into a trembling fist.
Just then, Kaelyn carved through the final curve in a seamless drift, gliding across the finish line while her opponent lagged a full hundred yards behind.
The crowd broke into instinctive applause, the sound rolling across the track like a sudden wave.
Leland found his hands lifting before he even noticed, drawn in by the sight of Kaelyn's effortless control.
Davina's restraint finally snapped. She clamped onto his arm, nails digging through his sleeve as her glare sliced upward.
"Is it really that fascinating to you?" she demanded, her voice trembling with jealousy.
Only then did the slip hit him, a flicker of guilt passing over his features.
He opened his mouth, reaching for a soothing explanation—but the words stalled when a subtle, airy scent drifted close. Something light and familiar brushed past him, cool as a breeze skimming across water, pulling his attention in a new direction.
