Chapter 93: James Replaces Him in the Competition
"Ms. Johnson, please!"
With a bit of time left for the contestants to prepare, Byron gestured for Emily to join him in the car.
Emily's eyes were locked on the driver's seat. She stared intently. "Move."
"What?"
Byron was puzzled. "What did you say?"
He looked a bit dazed.
One of his followers chimed in, "Mr. Reyes, I think Ms. Johnson wants to drive. She probably wants to get a feel for your car!"
Colt guessed.
Emily gave Colt an approving nod. "Exactly!"
With Emily's approval, Colt happily moved to pull the bewildered Byron out of the car.
Byron shot Colt a look but got out of the car without protest.
"Ms. Johnson, you can touch it, but don't mess with anything. If you want to learn, I can find time to teach you. If you want to feel the speed and excitement, you can sit in the passenger seat and still get the experience."
Byron explained as he helped Emily into the car.
As soon as Emily touched the steering wheel, her demeanor changed. Her eyes became sharp, and she handled the wheel with a kind of excitement, as if her blood was boiling with anticipation.
"Byron, this time, I'm definitely going to beat you."
Just then, Finn arrived with a few of his followers.
It was clear that the first race was between Finn and Byron.
Seeing Byron standing by the car, Finn couldn't help but taunt him. "What's taking you so long? Bringing a girl to the race? How do you expect to win... Emily? What are you doing here?"
Finn was shocked to see Emily in the car.
He hadn't been involved in family matters lately because he had been racing abroad. He had just returned for this race against Byron and hadn't had time to catch up on family news.
He never expected the usually obedient Emily to be at such an event.
"Why are you mixed up with Byron?" Finn didn't know about the trouble Byron had gotten into with Emily.
In his eyes, Byron was insignificant.
Byron frowned. "Hey, Finn, what's your problem? Am I that bad? Watch your words, or don't blame me if our leader gets upset with you."
"Leader? Who?"
Finn was confused about who Byron was referring to.
Byron pulled Emily closer. "See? This is my leader. Be respectful to Ms. Johnson."
At that moment, Bianca and James also walked over.
James wasn't racing today, but Bianca had heard Finn was participating and came to support him.
She had also heard Byron's name announced, so she wasn't surprised to see Emily.
"Finn, I knew you'd be here. Good luck."
Bianca ran over happily, linking her arm with Finn's and casting a challenging look at Emily.
"Emily came with Byron. She probably wants to see what it's like. But when you and Byron race, who will you cheer for, Emily?"
Bianca's question was designed to put Emily in a tough spot, forcing her to choose sides and offend someone.
Finn sneered. "Who cares about her support? The Johnson family doesn't need ungrateful people like her."
Byron laughed.
Finn glared at Byron. "What's so funny? You don't know Emily. Anyone she's with ends up in trouble. She's a troublemaker. You think you're lucky to have her?"
"Shut up!"
Byron was furious. "Ms. Johnson is obviously cheering for me. You're just bitter because you can't have her. Say one more bad word about Ms. Johnson, and you'll regret it."
"Emily, Byron and Finn are fighting over you. You should say something. Or do you enjoy watching them fight? That's not a good look."
Bianca urged.
"Shut up!" Byron defended Emily, glaring at Bianca. "You troublemaker, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be fighting."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just don't want Finn and Byron to be upset. Friendship first, competition second. Fighting before the race could affect the outcome."
Bianca played the peacemaker.
Finn immediately said, "You defend Emily, but why take it out on Bianca? She means well."
He turned to Emily with a cold smile. "Emily, seeing Byron wrapped around your finger, even misunderstanding Bianca, must make you happy."
"First race drivers, five minutes to get ready..."
The announcement cut through the tension.
Finn glared at Emily. "We'll deal with this later!"
He started to leave with Bianca.
James suddenly spoke up. "Finn, let me race for you!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
James was a top racer, far better than most his age. Letting him race was almost like cheating.
He couldn't stand seeing Emily with Byron, even willing to go against Finn for Byron.
Bianca hesitated. She saw James's intense feelings for Emily. Though she didn't like it, she knew this could push Emily further away from James.
Finn was about to agree when Colt interrupted. "Mr. Smith, that's not fair. Switching drivers now is targeting Mr. Reyes."
Colt's objection only made Finn more determined.
"Alright, James, show Byron who's boss. Let's see him act tough after this."
Finn laughed.
James raised his eyebrows. "What? Scared? If you can't handle it, just admit defeat."
Byron clenched his fists, veins bulging.
He was about to speak when Emily cut in.
"Alright!"