The host lifted the microphone, a mischievous glint in her eye.
“So, who is it?”
The crowd buzzed, energy rising as she worked them up.
“Come on, tell us already!”
Preston Winslow was practically bouncing in his seat, barely able to contain himself.
Marina felt her own curiosity piqued.
Only Jonathan remained impassive, his expression unchanged. Whoever it was, it
didn’t concern him.
“Alright, how about a hint…”
The host lowered the mic, letting the anticipation build.
“This racer… is a woman.”
The Pegasus Cup was an individual competition–gender meant nothing here. All that mattered was your drifting skills and raw speed. So, the hint didn’t exactly narrow things down.
“This lady racer… made her debut at fourteen, and in her very first race, she won the Jaguar Sprint Cup with a record–breaking performance…”
As the host’s clues grew more specific, the shock on Preston’s face became more and more pronounced.
“No way. Seriously?”
“Three years ago, at the DDS Track Day, she shattered the Drift.ng’s record with a lap time of 1:14.887… That’s right! After three years away, the one and only Speed Queen, Katarina Quinn, is back!”
The whole stadium erupted.
“Oh my god! Katarina! It really is her!”
Seeing Preston’s excitement, Marina felt a sourness in her chest. She never liked it when another woman stole the spotlight.
“She’s got ‘Rina‘ in her name, just like you,” Jonathan remarked quietly.
1/3
14:02
Chapter 20
Marina’s heart skipped a beat. If she’d been lucky in anything during her life, it was having ‘Rina‘ in her name.
“Yeah, Rina’s a pretty common ending,” she replied, but Jonathan just shook his
head.
“No… yours is special.”
His words were gentle, almost intimate, but somehow they didn’t make Marina’s heart flutter. Instead, there was a bittersweet ache.
“Tonight marks Katarina’s first race back on the Aldenville Pegasus Cup circuit. After three years away, who knows what surprises she has in store for us? Let’s
wait and see!”
After finishing Katarina’s introduction, the host moved on to other top contenders, but the crowd’s focus never shifted. All anyone could talk about was Katarina.
Preston, unable to find anyone in their row who wanted to discuss racing, started chatting with the diehard fans beside him.
“So, you came tonight just for Katarina?” Marina asked.
Preston waved a hand. “No, I didn’t even know she was entering.”
“Then why are you so pumped?”
“She’d already retired when I first got into racing, but the stories about her… they’re legendary. I just want to see for myself–see if she’s really as gorgeous as
everyone says.”
Jonathan shot him a look of mild disgust. “Shouldn’t you care about her driving, not her looks?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Preston grinned sheepishly.
Jonathan sighed.
As the race was about to start, something caught Marina’s eye. The Speed Queen’s car–it was identical to the one Niamh had picked up today.
A white BMW 3 Series.
Marina didn’t drive herself, but she knew enough to recognize the model. The 3 Series was rear–wheel drive, perfect for drifting–no wonder you saw them everywhere on the track.
It had to be a coincidence–there were plenty of white BMWs out there. Still…
14.02
Chapter 136
She frowned.
Katarina’s car was brand new too. She could tell–it still had a temporary license
plate.
Chapter ta
Chapter 137
