I sighed. I had been expecting this
“I retired almost three years ago I had a non compete clause in my contract. Freibfit race for anyone else for three years
The young man, who had been so excited earlier, suddenly grew werkoms.
Itis eyes locked onto mine, as if he was trying to force something together.
“Wait,” he said slowly, “what’s your name?”
Thesitated
kept that part of my life buried, using a different name whenever I raced.
For a long time, I had kept that
But something about the way he looked at me made me feel like I owed him the truth.
“Lara.“I said quietly
The moment the name left my lips, the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Several people immediately recognized it.
Liza had been a rising star in the racing world–a prodigy who had taken the racing scene by storm.
The young man’s face lit up in recognition, but just as quickly, his expression turned antry.
“You’re the Liza?”
he wiked, his voice a mixture of disbelief and frustration.
“Why did you quit? You were on top of the world! You didn’t even race in the Monaco Grand Prix! You could’ve been world champion
He looked at me, his face full of hurt,
“I was your fan. I saved up everything I had to watch you race. And then, the day before, you just disappeared. You let everyone down.”
His words stung, and I didn’t know how to respond.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered, unable to meet his gaze.
“Sorry?” he snapped.
“You weren’t just irresponsible to your fans–you were irresponsible to yourself! You had a gift, and you threw it all away!”
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving me standing there, guilt and regret swirling inside me.
I stared after him, his words echoing in my mind.
Had I really thrown everything away?
Thad sacrificed so much for a life that wasn’t truly mine.
Maybe it was time to take something back
Later, as I sat in the driver’s seat, my phone buzzed with a new message
It’s from my old fleet manager.
I glanced at the screen and saw a picture attached.
I was a shot of me, taken by the crowd when I won that street race not long ago.
Reneath the picture, à simple message followed,
“Miss Champion, I heard you’ve been street racing Intely? So, are you considering making & comebački“.
I hesitated for a moment, fingers hovering over my phone before I finally typed out a response.
“No. I’m just helping a friend with something small”
The reply came almusst immediately, accompanied by a disappointed emoji.
“Alright, but if you ever want in return, please let me kumy. Ever since you left, our racing team’s performance has been declining. We havent was a championship in three years.”
My breath caught in my throat as I read the message.
The Sparco Racing Team–or a powerhouse in the racing world, a team that had gathered the top drivers from around the globe, consistently ranking at the top of every competition–had fallen from grace
I couldn’t help but ask, fingers trembling slightly. What happened?
The answer came swiftly, and it stunt
“After you retired, a new team emerged–Hash Lighter Racing. They offered exorbitant amounts to hure away our drivers and crew. Now, Sparco Racing Team is what it used to be. Only a few old friends who truly love the team remain. We all miss you, Cheryl
The weight of the words hung heavily in the air, wrapping around my heart like a vice
I had once been at the center of that world, my life intertwined with the roar of engines and the thrill of victory.
But that was three years ago, before everything changed..
“I’ll think about it.” I finally replied.
I closed my phone and let out a long, shaky breath, leaning back against the cool leather of my car seat
The street race earlier had been a rush of adrenaline, a flashback to the days when I was unstoppable
But it was also a harsh reminder of how much time had passed since I’d last raced seriously.
The victory I had snatched tonight had been by the thinnest of margins–three years ago, it wouldn’t have even been a contest.
Can I really return to that world?
I wondered, staring at the ceiling of my car
Just then, my phone brazzed again.
1 expected it to be another message from the racing manager, perhaps a plea to reconsider.
But when I glanced at the screen, the name that flashed up made my heart skip a beat
His voice was low and controlled when I answered, but I could sense the underlying tension.
“Where did you rush off earlier?”
