Chapter 167 Chapter 167

Chapter 167 Chapter 167
Carlota’s POV

Gabriel caught me off guard the following evening while we were relaxing at the manor. I was thinking about what the next line of action I was going to do was.

He leaned against the wall with that familiar cocky smile and said, “I’ve been thinking. Let’s go back to the underground track. I still believe I can take down the queen of racing.”

I raised an eyebrow and laughed softly. “You really want to lose again? Save yourself the trouble. We both know how this ends.”

Paxton, who was sitting nearby cleaning his bike helmet, looked up right away. “If you two are racing, I’m in. I haven’t had a proper run against you since everything settled down. I miss it.”

We didn’t drag it out. We picked a date for the following weekend. Word spread fast through the underground scene—texts, whispers, group chats. By race night, the racing track was fuller than I remembered. Lights strung across the place, engines rumbling, people crowding the barriers. This was a feeling I have missed in days that I haven't been able to see thanks to the occupation I had.

I stood next to my bike in full gear, black leathers, gloves, boots. My helmet stayed on, visor down. I still didn’t want strangers knowing my face or my name. The queen of racing could remain a mystery to them. But Gabriel and Paxton already knew every part of me, my past, my power, my secrets, so hiding from them felt pointless now.

We lined up at the starting line. Three bikes side by side. Mine in the middle. Gabriel on my left, Paxton on my right. Engines growled low, waiting for the signal. The crowd hushed for a second, then the flag dropped.

The race kicked off hard.

Gabriel shot forward first, trying to block my line early. Paxton stayed glued to my right side, matching every lean. The track twisted through old shipping containers and concrete barriers. We flew down the first straight, tires screaming. I tucked low, opened the throttle, and felt the bike speed under me.

It wasn’t like the old days when every race felt like life or death. This time we were laughing inside our helmets. Gabriel tried a risky pass on a tight corner, I cut him off clean. Paxton almost clipped my rear wheel on the next turn, but he backed off with a playful rev. We pushed each other, but it felt more like play than war.

The final lap came fast. My heart pounded with pure joy. I leaned into the last curve, bike almost kissing the ground, and blasted across the finish line first. A few seconds later, Gabriel crossed, then Paxton right behind him. The crowd lost it—cheers, whistles, horns blaring. People jumped up and down, shouting for the three of us.

I rolled to a stop, killed the engine, and pulled off my helmet. Sweat stuck my hair to my neck. I shook it out and grinned wide. Winning never felt this good before, especially when I was doing it with the people that I loved and it was something that we were doing to have fun, not kill each other this time around.

As I walked through the cheering crowd to grab some water, I accidentally bumped shoulders with someone.

I didn't need anyone to tell me who it was. Tiana.

She turned, recognized me even with the helmet off, and her lips curled into that same old smug smile. “Well, well. Look who decided to show her face. Still think you’re untouchable?”

I tried to step past her. I really did. But she moved in front of me, voice loud enough for people nearby to hear. “What, one little win and you think you’re better than everyone? You’re still the same nobody from before.”

Something hot flared in my chest. I was tired of biting my tongue. I was tired of pretending to be weaker than her. I was hiding my identity in the first place when I let her bully me as much as she wanted, but now there was no need to do that anymore.

I looked her straight in the eyes and slapped her hard. The crack echoed. Her head jerked to the side. A red mark bloomed on her cheek instantly.

The people around us froze. Most especially because she was known and I wasn't someone who will dare to do something like this to her. Some students in school were also around, so they knew that she was always bothering me, but now that I was old enough to slap her, it meant that I could do more than to her.

“Don’t come near me again,” I said, voice low but clear. “Ever. Next time I won’t use my hand. You’ll be dead.”

Tiana touched her face, eyes wide with shock. For the first time, real fear flashed across her expression. She finally saw it—I had been holding back my strength the whole time. All those years of pretending to be weak, gone in one slap.

She swallowed hard, turned, and pushed through the crowd without saying another word. No matter how much she tries to bother me anymore, she should remember this humiliation for a long time and she wouldn't dare to come near me again.

I stood there breathing steady. My palm stung a little, but the rest of me felt light. It was a good feeling because I knew I had finally shaken off the last bit of old weight.

I walked outside to the cooler night air. Gabriel and Paxton were already there, leaning against their bikes, helmets hanging from the handlebars. They saw me coming and straightened up.

Gabriel reached me first. He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me close. “You good?”

I leaned into him. “Better than good. I just dealt with someone annoying and I've never felt more better in my life than now.”

Paxton stepped up on my other side. His hand settled warm on my lower back. “We saw what happened with Tiana. You didn’t hold anything back this time.”

“No,” I said. “I’m finished pretending. I was trying to avoid trouble before and hide my identity but I don't think I need to do that anymore.”

Gabriel pressed a soft kiss to my temple. “It’s about time. You never had to hide from anyone, not really.”

Paxton smiled; he looked genuinely happy. “The race was fun. But watching you put her in her place? That was the real show.”

“I don't think she would be able to bother me for a long time,” I said to them. “I just know she would be too humiliated to come back to school for now. At least it will save me the trouble.”

I finally dealt with the last person who was the most annoying one for me. She was always bothering me and boiling me, finding a way to separate me and Gabriel. Could she have anticipated that the moon would choose him for me?

I feel like there's still a lot to do after this waste and I need to get some rest, so I grabbed their hands.

“Now that we have made our points with this race, I think we should go home now. I really feel tired,” I said to them again.

“Of course,” Gabriel smiled. “You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to going home.”

I tapped his head lightly. “Stop thinking about things like that. Your mind is always dirty.”

He shrugged. “I can't help myself.”

I just shook my head and laughed with them as we made our way home.