Chapter 138: Is She Victoria?
Isabella's training time was already limited, and after glancing at her watch, she realized they'd wasted far too much time arguing at the entrance. Her expression darkened.
She lost patience with continuing this argument and said irritably, "Move aside, don't waste our training time!"
Before any competition, everyone fought for every second of practice time, afraid their opponents might get even one second more training and improvement.
This was especially true for Isabella, who felt she wasn't at peak form and needed extra practice to regain her former state.
But when Nathan saw Isabella's serious demeanor, he actually started laughing again.
"Training? Come on, Mom, you can fool other people if you want, but don't fool yourself! Everyone training at this track right now is among the country's top race car drivers. If you're going to put on an act, at least find a believable excuse!"
Nathan looked at Isabella with nothing but mockery in his eyes.
Joseph was furious, rolling up his sleeves, ready to teach Nathan a lesson.
Isabella pressed down on Joseph's hand.
Better to avoid trouble. With William's status here, if things escalated, they definitely wouldn't have the advantage.
"Let's just go train."
They walked around Nathan and Laura into the training facility. While changing clothes, Joseph was still indignant.
"Isabella, don't take this the wrong way, but these are both your kids—how can Nathan and Olivia be so different?"
One was an angel, the other a demon. After meeting both children, Joseph was even more convinced that Isabella's choice to divorce was absolutely right!
If this continued, who knew when Olivia might also have her thinking corrupted.
Isabella put on her helmet and laughed softly. "It's all about different external influences."
As for where exactly the problem lay, Isabella didn't elaborate.
The cars on the training track were all standard models. Isabella chose the same one she'd driven last time.
Having already gotten tired of the Canvia circuit last time, Isabella decided to challenge a new track this time.
"I'm going to run Canvia first, get a feel for it, or Samantha will definitely give me grief when I get back!" Joseph also got into a race car and left the starting line with Isabella, heading to different tracks.
After them, three figures entered, and following the earlier confrontation, Nathan was eagerly anticipating watching Isabella embarrass herself, waiting to see her performance on the track.
How could Mom possibly know how to race? She'd never even driven to pick them up! Nathan thought to himself, then saw the pure white race car shoot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
In an instant, Nathan was stunned, thinking he'd seen it wrong, so he rubbed his eyes.
Isabella had already rushed toward the first turn. Nathan instinctively grabbed Laura's hand tighter.
She showed no signs of slowing down. Nathan could even imagine how horrible it would look when that race car slammed into the barrier and shattered into pieces.
Though he didn't like his mother, he didn't want to watch her have an accident either.
Just as Nathan's tension reached its peak, the white race car's rear end shifted slightly as it approached the turn, executing a beautiful drift that hugged the innermost edge of the track as it swept around.
Then it quickly readjusted direction and continued racing toward the distance.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Nathan stared at the track, forgetting to breathe.
It was absolutely spectacular!
His mouth hung open as he excitedly patted William's hand. "Dad, isn't that the same move Victoria used in competitions before?"
Taking a turn at full speed with a drift—even today's top drivers rarely dared to take such risks.
After all, the slightest mistake could mean a fatal crash, and compared to life, shaving a few seconds off a record didn't seem that important.
William's eyes narrowed slightly. Nathan's reminder brought back memories of a video he'd once seen.
Even though he didn't want to admit it, Isabella was the one who had climbed out of that driver's seat.
This wasn't some move Isabella had learned by chance. The video clearly showed her driving skills were extremely advanced.
Even Snake Team's main drivers in the Aetheria region couldn't match Isabella.
Racing, like any extreme sport, required massive amounts of training and experience to achieve improvement.
This couldn't be explained by talent alone.
In the male-dominated world of racing, Victoria, despite being a woman, had earned her place in the highest echelons of motorsport through pure ability.
At her peak, more than half the spectators at any race were there just to see Victoria compete.
A-list celebrity magazines that stars fought to appear in were willing to offer their covers just for a single photograph of Victoria.
But after extensive negotiations, they still only got photos of Victoria wearing her helmet.
It was precisely this combination of incredible skill and low profile that elevated Victoria to legendary status, making her a milestone in the racing world.
Under her influence and inspiration, more and more female drivers stepped onto racing circuits.
After learning about racing, Nathan had quickly become a Victoria fan too.
Hearing Nathan's commentary, William's suspicions became increasingly clear. He desperately wanted to find a way to verify his theory.
But Isabella's records had been completely wiped clean, and Victoria had never shown her face. There was absolutely no way for William to confirm anything right now.
Seeing both of them focused intently on the track, Laura sat to the side, feeling more and more unable to fit in.
She had zero interest in racing. If it weren't for trying to please Nathan, she wouldn't have come with them at all.
Especially after seeing Isabella's performance on the track, Laura's anxiety became increasingly obvious, gradually escalating to restless agitation.
She anxiously scratched at her fingers, bit her lip, and walked over to Nathan's side.
"Nathan, racing is an extremely dangerous sport. Just to put your father and me at ease, you absolutely cannot get involved in racing. Do you hear me?"
Laura softened her voice, trying to appear gentle as she grabbed Nathan's hand, attempting to change his mind.
However, what Laura hadn't expected was that Nathan, who usually obeyed her every word, couldn't hear what she was saying at all right now.
His attention was completely focused on that white race car, and his face wore an unconscious expression of shock and excitement.
Laura had to change tactics, moving to William's side instead. She placed one hand on William's arm. "I'm so scared. What if Nathan falls in love with such a dangerous sport? It's so easy to get hurt. Let's leave."
William didn't even register what she was saying, just responding absent-mindedly while watching the track situation as intently as Nathan.
Laura realized both of them had been completely captivated. She bit her lower lip with her upper teeth, almost hard enough to draw blood.