Leland lifted his head without thinking when Kaelyn slid off her helmet. The face he remembered—usually soft, almost serene—now burned with a wild, unrestrained edge that hit him square in the chest. His pulse kicked hard, completely out of his control.
Kaelyn let her gaze drift across Davina and Leland, cold and unbothered.
"Some people keep squeezing into circles that don't want them," she said, her voice smooth but cutting. "Forcing it only makes everyone uncomfortable."
She tossed their own line back at them with a razor-sharp twist, delivering it like a slap.
Between two elegant fingers, she flicked the two-hundred-million check as if it were nothing more than a scrap of paper. "I've actually got plans tonight. I appreciate the financial support, Mr. Morgan."
She slipped the check into her leather jacket with an easy flick of her wrist, pulled on her helmet, and swung onto the motorcycle. The engine thundered to life before she shot down the road in a streak of steel and smoke.
Far up on the ridge, Caleb stood in his hiking gear, peering through a high-end telescope as the scene unraveled below.
A crooked, amused smile crept across his face.
"She's hardly fragile," he murmured, the words drifting out with a low chuckle. "That timid routine of hers is just a mask. This is about to get very interesting."
Meanwhile, chatter buzzed through the racing team as everyone gushed about the elusive racing legend, Moon.
Even losing to someone like Moon, they said, felt like bragging rights.
Amid the excitement, not a single person paid attention to the way Davina's expression kept tightening, a storm gathering behind her eyes.
Then a rich lady jolted upright, waving her phone with breathless urgency. "My cousin just messaged me. That motorcycle she drove? It's the real deal—a racing model worth tens of millions. Someone actually bought that monster for her. Who do you think it was? Mr. Morgan?"
A voice from the crowd cut in, sharp with gossip. "Davina, the team Mr. Morgan built for you isn't even worth Kaelyn's motorcycle."
The jab landed hard. Humiliation burned through Davina until she trembled, one hand pressed to her chest as her tear-rimmed eyes clung to Leland like she'd been wronged beyond repair.
Leland faltered at the sight of her.
Pushing down the emotion stirred by Kaelyn, he folded Davina against him, murmuring rushed promises meant to steady her shaking breath.
In the midst of his attempts to soothe her, his phone suddenly vibrated, splitting the moment in two.
The call turned out to be from his assistant, Richard Quimby.
"Mr. Morgan, we've hit a snag with the Cradle Project," Richard reported, voice tight with urgency. "The hidden owner of Fletcher Group wants to take direct control. They just tripled their investment, but they're not satisfied with our current proposal. They're giving us three days to overhaul everything, or they'll pass the project to another team. But Kaelyn already resigned…"
Leland barely spared the warning a thought.
In his mind, Kaelyn's outburst earlier was nothing more than a jealous spectacle—a dramatic stunt for attention.
Whenever he crooked a finger, she always came back. He saw no reason today would be any different.
He cut the call short and dialed Kaelyn without hesitation.
News of Fletcher Group's expanded backing still pulsed through his veins—an organization so powerful and opaque it could go toe-to-toe with an entire nation, now tripling their investment for the Cradle Project.
Landing this deal wouldn't just bring in a billion-plus windfall; it could secure a long, lucrative alliance with the elusive Fletcher Group.
That rush of ambition sparked in his eyes—right until the line answered with a flat, icy recording. "The number you're trying to reach is no longer in service…" The words droned on, metallic and indifferent.
Kaelyn had cut him off completely.
Incredulity tightened his jaw as he pulled up the chat app, only to discover her profile had vanished entirely—she had deleted him without hesitation.
The audacity of it sent heat crawling up his neck.
Davina, catching the shift in his expression, brushed her fingers lightly along his sleeve and asked in a soft, cautious voice what had happened.
Leland, barely listening, murmured a few hollow reassurances before waving the team manager over and telling him to escort her home.
Once the last person stepped out, he snatched up his phone and rang Richard again, his voice sinking to a cold, murky growl. "Track Kaelyn down. Now."
...
At midnight, Juahset's most extravagant club finally unlocked their most exclusive private room that had sat untouched for years.
The manager slipped in with a gleaming tray of rare liquor and fresh fruit, bowed quickly, and hurried out.
He understood only one thing—the figure hidden inside that room was the club's true owner.
Kaelyn rolled the crystal stem between her fingers, letting the million-dollar wine glide across her tongue in a velvety sweep.
Its sweetness lingered, warm and indulgent, yet it stirred a hollow ache beneath the surface.
A careless glance at the check lying on the table tugged a wry smile from her. She gave a small shake of her head, amusement and bitterness tangled together.
Thoughts of Cassie's breathless description of the club's remarkable man drifted back to her, hazy and reckless under the influence of alcohol. Emboldened by the burn in her veins, she pushed herself upright and wandered toward the door to request the manager to bring that man over.
Warm light pooled across the corridor as she lifted her gaze. A man lounged against the wall opposite her, phone tucked to his ear, his posture loose and confident.
The badge clipped to his chest caught the glow and threw back a sharp glint, hiding whatever name it carried.
A few undone buttons on his black shirt exposed a teasing sweep of collarbone and a firm line of chest, the faint rise and fall drawing her eye before she could stop herself.
Long legs, sheathed in impeccably cut black trousers, gave him a sleek, dangerous elegance that balanced discipline with temptation.
It was the kind of look straight out of a handbook on how a nightclub promoter was expected to dress—crafted, provocative, and designed to unsettle.
