Chapter 145: Shocking Expression
Nathan tugged at William's arm, shaking it gently twice, his small face written all over with disappointment.
"Daddy, didn't you say I could definitely see Victoria today?"
Throughout his life, whenever Nathan wanted something, William had always made it happen. This was the only time—wanting to meet Victoria—that his wish remained unfulfilled.
Victoria was well-protected by her team. To this day, there wasn't a single piece of personal information about her online.
So far, the only thing they knew for certain was that Victoria was a woman.
But that was it.
William frowned as well. "I already asked the organizers. They said Victoria had agreed to attend the pre-race fan meet."
But so far, no one at the event matched their expectations of Victoria.
"Don't worry, let's keep looking. Maybe Victoria is sitting somewhere in a corner," Laura said, though she was already quite impatient. She had to keep a gentle smile on her face.
Everyone has limits to their patience. Laura had long grown tired of constantly playing house with a child every single day.
Nathan didn't notice the flash of irritation in Laura's eyes. Instead, he was energized by her words and began excitedly searching around the venue.
By the time they walked deeper into the venue, Isabella and Joseph were already heading toward the underground parking garage, surrounded by reporters.
Snake Racing Team was riding high, and with Summit Holdings Corporation's substantial investment, foreign media and major sports outlets were all declaring that this year's championship would definitely go to Snake Racing Team.
As soon as Isabella opened TikTok, she found numerous predictions about this year's Canvia Championship results.
Joseph snorted with disdain. "We'll see who gets the last laugh. Those Snake Racing Team guys are best at online marketing—they're experts at making money, but on the track, using legitimate means, do they even qualify to win?"
Even now, whenever Zack's injury came up, Joseph still felt indignant.
Those people were simply too arrogant!
Isabella directly marked it as "not interested" and blocked all hashtags related to Snake Racing Team.
Joseph was right—pre-race promotion was normal behavior that many teams engaged in. But it was rare to see a team put as much money into publicity as the Snake Racing Team did.
Just as she was about to put down her phone, Victoria's account received another message, which immediately popped up in a notification.
Isabella assumed it was Nathan again sharing his feelings, so she casually opened it. After seeing the sender's account, her eyes widened slightly.
[Hello, would it be possible to arrange a private meet-and-greet? I can pay any amount you ask. My son Nathan is your devoted fan—he really admires your performance on the track and has always wanted to meet you.]
William, using his personally verified account, had reached out to Isabella with a tone so polite it hardly seemed like him at all.
Joseph heard Isabella let out a cold laugh. During the red light, he glanced over and saw the private message, which made him laugh too.
"If William knew that the person they've been desperately seeking but never able to meet is actually the ex-wife he cast aside... I'd love to see his expression when he learns this news."
Isabella's lips curved into a pleased smile as she replied without hesitation.
[Retired. All commercial activities suspended indefinitely.]
After sending this message, Isabella felt a twinge of regret—now she wouldn't get the chance to see William's look of disbelief.
"Isabella, are you going straight home?" Joseph asked.
Isabella closed her phone and said softly, "I still need to go to work. You head to the track for training. If I have time today, I'll come find you."
She'd only taken a half-day off. When she arrived at the company, she noticed Richard's office door was open. As soon as Nina saw her, she stood up.
"Mr. Spencer was looking for you earlier. When I said you had the day off, he asked you to see him when you got back."
Nina already knew their relationship was close, so she made sure to inform Isabella.
Isabella thanked her and walked directly into Richard's office. "Did you need to see me about something, Mr. Spencer?"
"I just saw the news online. Gold truly shines wherever it goes." Richard casually pushed his tablet toward her, showing a half-played video.
It was footage of Isabella confronting the reporter this morning.
Isabella hadn't expected Richard to follow such things, and her expression showed slight surprise.
She worried that Richard might think she was neglecting her duties, abandoning her real work to attend fan meets.
"Mr. Spencer, my friend asked me to go help—"
Richard raised his hand slightly, stopping Isabella mid-explanation. "I know. I understand."
His magnanimous attitude left Isabella unsure what to say.
"Does Romantic Racing Team need funding? I heard Summit Holdings Corporation has already invested in Romantic Racing Team's main rival. If needed, perhaps I could provide assistance."
Richard hadn't yet figured out Isabella's exact relationship with Romantic Racing Team, but from her close friendship with Joseph, he could tell she cared deeply about the team.
Richard didn't mind doing a favor—this amount of money meant nothing to him anyway.
"Thank you, Mr. Spencer, but Romantic Racing Team's finances are currently stable. We won't trouble you for help."
After chatting with Richard for a few more minutes, Isabella turned and left his office.
Back at her desk, she organized files and recent experimental data, then leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples as she mentally sorted through her tasks.
Her schedule was incredibly tight—she had to keep close watch on the experiments while also finding time for training, and soon she'd need to compete in races.
It looked like she wouldn't be getting much sleep for a while.
Still rubbing her temples, she opened her phone. The social media app was still logged into Victoria's account. As soon as Isabella opened it, it automatically jumped to the homepage.
At the top was a highly liked post from this afternoon.
[My precious son's dream is to meet his favorite racer. How could a mother not make that happen? No matter what it takes, I'll help my son achieve all his dreams!]
The caption accompanied a photo of Nathan, clearly taken at home, sweetly holding a Victoria racing poster that had been signed with a gold marker.
Isabella felt her temple throb suddenly.
Laura was getting too deep into character, actually treating Nathan like her biological son.
The comments below were all marveling at how young Laura looked to have such a big son—you couldn't tell at all.
But Isabella's attention was focused on the photo itself. She noticed something that seemed off.