Chapter 101
James sneered at the staff member who had just arrived. "You admitted to cheating! Take them away now. And don't expect any leniency in the punishment. Forget about the twenty million dollars; I'll figure out what to do with you later."
Among the staff was the race official, who, apart from Charles, knew that the mysterious Number 8 was actually Daniel. The official glanced cautiously at Daniel, whose eyes conveyed a clear warning. The official understood—Daniel's identity had to stay hidden. But with Daniel clearly protecting Number 7, he couldn't follow James's order to apprehend her.
"What are you waiting for? Didn't you hear me? Or do you not recognize me?" James taunted Emily, surprised that the staff hadn't moved. His expression stiffened, and he started cursing at the official.
The official kept his cool and explained, "Mr. Smith, I know who you are. But even knowing that, I can't break the rules. The race is about fairness and justice. Causing trouble on the race grounds, even for you, could get you escorted out and banned from future events."
"You dare!" James's face turned red with anger, his veins bulging. "Aren't you afraid I'll shut this place down? Do you know what happens when you cross the Smith family?"
The official stood firm, replying, "Mr. Smith, you don't represent the entire Smith family. And we can't break the rules over threats, or the race's credibility would be ruined."
"Mr. Smith, stop embarrassing yourself. Didn't you hear? Your threats don't work here!" Byron had been waiting by the lounge door for Emily to come out, but when she didn't, he heard the commotion and decided to step in. Seeing James hassle Emily and the official standing up to him was too satisfying to stay quiet.
Byron's words emboldened others to speak up.
"Mr. Smith, maybe you should let it go. It's about the rules, after all."
"Exactly, why bother? You don't need the twenty million dollars, right?"
The comments made it seem like James was fighting over the money.
"It's not about the money; it's about the cheating!" James shouted in frustration.
Byron stoked the fire, "If it's not about the money, what are you fighting for? Did you see the final turn? You couldn't pull that off. Even I couldn't, so stop embarrassing yourself."
Though others didn't openly agree, their expressions showed they sided with Byron.
Bianca, who had considered stepping in, now decided against it, seeing James make a fool of himself. She realized that despite his high status, he was ultimately useless, not a true heir but someone brought in from outside.
"Fine, I won't forget this," James spat before storming off. Bianca hurried after him, despite her disdain, driven by her ambition for the Smith family's status. She knew this was the perfect time to win James over.
Emily exchanged a glance with Daniel and thanked him, "Thanks for standing up for me. I'm heading out now."
As Emily tried to leave, those impressed by her skills couldn't help but try to stop her. "Are you QS? Your moves looked familiar, like QS from a year ago."
"QS, can we get to know you? Exchange contact info? I'd love to discuss racing techniques."
Charles, who had previously been arrogant towards Emily, now smiled warmly and took out his phone. Emily, appreciating Charles's earlier support, decided to let bygones be bygones. She couldn't refuse a genuine racing enthusiast's request.
"I'll add you later," Emily said, explaining that her phone wasn't with her.
Charles's request prompted others to want Emily's contact as well. She promised to add Charles first and let him share her contact info, avoiding unwanted attention.
As Emily left, Daniel's gaze followed her until she was out of sight. Many wanted to approach Daniel, but his intimidating presence kept them at bay, especially with Charles mediating. Once Emily was gone, Daniel also departed.
Back in the lounge, Emily quickly changed. Byron, excitedly, said, "Ms. Johnson, I'll take you to all the races. We'll be unbeatable!"
Emily shook her head, "I'm too busy. I needed to get back into the groove. Besides, didn't you notice Number 8 was even better?"
"He was good, but you're definitely better, Ms. Johnson!"
Emily shook her head again, "No, he let me win. I wonder who he is."
"No way! I didn't even notice. Could it be...?" Byron suddenly thought of YJ, a retired legend in the racing world, and became excited.
Emily and YJ were racing legends. Byron regretted not asking for YJ's contact earlier.
Curious, Emily asked, "Who's YJ?"
"YJ is a racing legend, the only one who could rival you, Ms. Johnson. I can't believe I didn't think to get his contact."
Byron, frustrated, slapped his forehead.
Emily had never heard of YJ, as she had raced for money and hadn't paid attention to the racing world. Byron, seeing her confusion, searched for old news articles and showed them to Emily.
"This is him. Like you, he's mysterious and keeps his identity hidden. That's all the info we have on YJ."
Emily was intrigued by this mysterious racer and felt a strange connection, as if he knew her. She decided to investigate his identity later.
She was about to ask Byron to transfer the twenty million dollars to her, as he had helped with the registration, when there was a knock at the door. Byron opened it to find the race official, who smiled politely at Byron before heading straight to Emily.