Chapter 159: Returning to Its Rightful Owner
[Victoria Announces Comeback]
[Canvia Championship Prestige]
[Victoria's Career Highlights Compilation]
...
The moment Joseph announced Victoria's comeback, these three hashtags instantly dominated Twitter's trending topics.
Even people who didn't follow motorsports started searching for Romantic Racing Team.
Isabella watched the livestream in real-time, watching her inactive private account suddenly blow up with traffic, swamped with comments and DMs after years of silence.
Not long after the broadcast ended, another bombshell hit Twitter: Victoria's race car from her club days was being shipped back to the country.
As soon as the news broke, the internet exploded.
Isabella was stunned when she saw it. She was exasperated, but seeing Romantic Racing Team slowly regaining its former glory was satisfying.
Joseph quickly called to explain.
"I had this idea before coming back home—I wanted to ship the car back anyway. But I have no clue how those people got wind of it. Isabella, I'm so sorry!"
Joseph was quick to apologize. The leaked information wasn't even his fault, but after hearing his explanation, Isabella couldn't bring herself to blame him.
Everything they were doing was for the team's benefit anyway.
"You actually shipped the car back?" Isabella asked in amazement.
Joseph chuckled. "Your racecar's been sitting in our club garage, and rookies kept wanting to take it for a spin. Samantha and I thought it was becoming a hassle, so we figured it belonged back with you."
That race car wasn't just a symbol of Victoria's identity—it held sentimental value. Better to leave it with Isabella as a keepsake.
Isabella thought about the sports car Richard had given her.
She lived in a modest middle-class neighborhood where even one luxury car drew enough attention. Now she'd have another race car to worry about.
She could barely imagine how conspicuous things would get!
Isabella felt a headache coming on. She'd probably need to buy another parking space.
The car had arrived at the port, and the next day Joseph specifically drove over to pick up Isabella so they could collect it together.
What they hadn't anticipated was the crowd already gathered at the port, holding up photos from social media posts, searching for traces of the race car.
Many carried Victoria fan support banners—clearly devoted followers.
Isabella instantly felt her headache intensify, pressing her palm to her forehead as she sighed at the masked Joseph.
"Are you sure we want to haul this car home under these circumstances?"
With such an eye-catching race car and these stalking fans, both of them had no doubt that by tomorrow, even their home addresses would be plastered online.
Joseph hadn't expected this level of commotion either. He immediately called a towing company, then quickly dragged Isabella away before anyone could recognize him.
They completely failed to notice a tall figure and a small one pushing desperately through the crowd.
Nathan clutched William's hand tightly, surrounded by adults much taller than him. Mixed in with the crowd, he risked getting stepped on if he wasn't careful.
William had been dragged here by Nathan to see the race car, and in this packed environment, his brow furrowed deeply with irritation.
He pulled Nathan out of the crowd and had his secretary contact the port officials.
Besides helping Nathan chase his idol, there was another important reason for this visit.
If they could track down Victoria and successfully sign her before the racing season began, it would be incredibly valuable for their upcoming business ventures.
"No point waiting—Victoria's car was already towed away," William said, gently ruffling Nathan's hair before speaking calmly.
With all the shipping containers, it was impossible to spot individual cars, which explained why they'd searched fruitlessly.
Nathan's face fell instantly with disappointment. William scooped him up and headed to the car, consoling him: "It just left a few minutes ago. We can still catch up."
Shortly after leaving the port, they spotted the flatbed truck carrying the race car.
Through the car window, Nathan's breathing quickened with excitement.
Just the thought of possibly meeting his idol today had Nathan absolutely thrilled.
He pulled the photo from his small backpack, already imagining the autograph session when he met his hero.
The flatbed truck led the way while they followed at a distance. After about half an hour, the truck began slowing down.
But William's frown deepened.
He glanced outside and found the scenery strikingly familiar—he'd been here before.
Seeing the recognizable neighborhood entrance, William suddenly remembered: this was where Isabella and Olivia lived after she'd moved out!
William's breathing grew slightly heavier. He pressed down on Nathan, who was about to leap out in excitement, and followed the truck to the roadside, lowering his window slightly as they waited for Victoria's arrival.
When the truck driver called, Joseph unsuspectingly brought Isabella downstairs.
Seeing the race car that had once been her intimate companion—practically a comrade-in-arms—after six years, Isabella's nose stung as her eyes began to well up.
The car was impeccably maintained, every component looking brand new. Someone had clearly been caring for it with dedication, performing regular maintenance.
"Samantha said this was always your favorite car, and if you ever came back, you'd definitely want to drive it. So she's been having it professionally serviced this whole time."
Joseph stood behind the flatbed truck, equally moved.
Ever since Isabella left the team, whenever he missed her, he'd visit the garage just to look at this car.
"Before I came, Samantha said she installed a new engine system—much better performance than before."
Even though Isabella was no longer with the team, they still thought of Isabella's old friend when upgrading parts.
Tears blurring her vision, Isabella couldn't find words to express her overwhelming emotions.
"Thank you both." All her emotions came down to simple gratitude.
Joseph was equally touched by the scene, sniffling slightly.
"We're all family. As long as you're happy, everything we do is worth it!"
With that, Joseph pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them to Isabella.
The car keys flew through the air and landed in Isabella's palm
"Go ahead and take a look. After all these years, it's finally returning to its rightful owner."
Isabella gripped the cool metal keys, her emotions running deep.