Chapter 94: Victoria's Secret
Those harsh comments felt like needles piercing Isabella's eyes and heart.
Her finger unconsciously scrolled through the posts, desperately searching for even one supportive comment about the team.
But there was nothing but mockery and arguments that left her feeling utterly disappointed. Some individual drivers' fans were even demanding the team disband immediately.
Joseph's fans blamed Zack for dragging down the team, while Zack's fans accused Joseph of being heartless. The internet had split into opposing camps.
Now she understood why Joseph had seemed so devastated.
Isabella's heart gradually went numb. As she continued reading these posts, her initial rage slowly transformed into a cold calm.
No matter what others said, at least the racing organization hadn't officially confirmed any disbandment news. At least Zack and Joseph still wanted to keep racing.
That was enough.
Just as Isabella was about to exit the search page, her finger accidentally tapped on a post.
[Remembering Female Race Car Drivers Who Died Tragically]
[First: Diana Walsh]
The moment she saw that name, Isabella froze completely.
Her body shuddered violently, Her thoughts were uncontrollably dragged back to many years ago.
It had been just another ordinary practice session.
To prepare for the upcoming International Championship, all the team's drivers had been working overtime, practicing day and night to push their limits and achieve better times.
The Canvia Championship was practically a holy grail for every race car driver.
Diana, like Zack and Samantha, had been Isabella's friend since the team's founding—one of Romantic Racing Team's original members.
She was two years older than Isabella, more mature, and took care of everyone like a big sister.
"Victoria, win this race, and we'll be the second team in history to achieve the Grand Slam!" In her memory, Diana's golden hair swayed gently in the breeze, her eyes as clear and clean as a shimmering afternoon lake.
Isabella had been equally excited, standing on the mountain peak with her helmet, gazing at the scenery below alongside Diana.
"After this race, I'm going back home for a while to give myself a proper break!"
Diana turned to look at Isabella, gently patting her shoulder.
"If I get the chance, I'd love to come with you. I remember you saying your hometown is a beautiful city."
Isabella nodded with a smile, "Then I'll definitely treat you to all the local delicacies! Trust me, you'll love them."
Joseph drove up from below, completing a lap, and climbed out of his car looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Isabella, what are you two chatting about? Zack and Samantha have been waiting for you down there!"
Although Samantha was officially the team manager, she would join them for practice runs like this.
Isabella laughed, waving at Joseph, "I was telling Diana I'd take her home with me after we win the race!"
Joseph frowned with displeasure, "Why don't you invite me too? Didn't you say the more people, the merrier? Isabella, you're still playing favorites with Diana!"
Diana, taking advantage of her height, grabbed Joseph and ruffled his hair.
After some more playful banter, Isabella and Diana agreed that after one final lap, they'd head back.
Before getting in the car, Isabella personally checked Diana's vehicle, making sure the brake pads were functioning properly.
The mountain they were on had four major loops, plus countless small and medium turns. Completing one run demanded not only exceptional skill from the driver but also peak performance from the car.
"All the parts were replaced just yesterday—no problems!" Diana laughed heartily, seeming to tease Isabella for being overly cautious.
Isabella had always carried herself with a naturally calm, mature demeanor, something that had been evident even in her younger days.
"Then let's race to see who reaches the finish line first and meets up with Zack and Samantha!"
Joseph said this and immediately fired up his engine, not bothering to give them any warning.
Seeing Joseph's false start, Diana burst into laughter.
"We better get moving too—can't let Joseph beat us!"
If Isabella had known this would be her last conversation with Diana...
If she had known these were Diana's final words on earth...
She would have done everything in her power to make Diana say just a few more words, or delay things just a little longer.
Would things have turned out differently if the accident had happened even a minute later? Isabella had asked herself this question countless times.
But it was a question without an answer.
That afternoon at 5:30 PM, Diana was driving her race car when her brake pads overheated and failed. Unable to control her speed, she crashed straight through the mountain guardrail.
The police reportedly found only fragments of her body, with much of Diana still remaining somewhere in that mountain valley.
Isabella squeezed her eyes shut in pain, forcing herself to stop thinking about that memory.
Some memories hurt just to breathe while remembering them.
To this day, Isabella couldn't accept that on such a beautiful evening, she had lost a dear friend.
In the comments under that post, Isabella saw more people discussing how the Romantic Racing Team was clearly on the decline.
Surprisingly, she even saw someone mention her name.
[I think only Victoria in her prime could save Romantic Racing Team now. Victoria, where are you?!]
[Dream on! Victoria was so decisive when she left the team. I heard she didn't even leave contact information for her teammates—there's no way she'd ever race for Romantic again!]
Because of these news stories and discussions, Isabella spent the entire afternoon in a state of agitation.
When quitting time arrived, she grabbed her bag and walked out with somewhat numb steps.
Suddenly, she heard a coworker ahead of her let out an excited gasp.
"There's a sports car parked outside our building! And there's a guy standing next to it who looks like an international supermodel! Oh my God, is this my lucky day?"
Their first instinct was to pull out their phones and record videos.
Isabella looked up in the direction they were pointing, and the moment she saw the figure standing by the sports car, she froze.
It was Joseph.
Why was he being so conspicuous?