"Mr. Augus, please don't be angry. It's my sister's first time at a place like this. She doesn't know the rules." Isabella chimed in, putting on a sickeningly fake display of defending Serena. "After all, she just moved here from the countryside. She hasn't seen much of the world."
She then turned her gaze to Serena, acting as if she had her best interests at heart. "Serena, Mr. Augus has a lot of power in the United Realmon States and works closely with the Vinton family. Why don't you just pretend to agree? Obviously, you don't know how to race, and we won't force you onto the track. I'll beg him for a favor in a bit, and you can just sit in the stands and watch them drive..."
"Who said she doesn't know how to race?!"
Suddenly, a few gearheads in the crowd couldn't help but shout out. "When she pulled up in Anna's supercar just now, the way she drifted into that corner was smoother than most veterans here. How the hell could she not know how to race?"
"Exactly! That drift just now took years of experience. A rookie couldn't pull that off!"
"..."
Hearing the punks vouch for her, Anna's face darkened. "She knows how to race? What a joke! She's from the country. The only thing she knows how to drive is a tractor."
"What drift? It was completely blind luck!"
There was absolutely no way she'd believe that a country bumpkin like Serena knew anything about professional racing.
Racing was a rich man's game.
Augus threw his arm around Anna, pulling her flush against his chest, and flashed a wildly arrogant grin at Serena. "Alright then. If everyone thinks you can drive, why don't we hit the track and play?"
"Augus, your track is members-only.
It costs an entry fee just to get on the asphalt. Look at her cheap
clothes. Do you think someone
Do you think someone like
her could afford that?" Anna leaned into Augus's embrace, her face twisted in a mocking sneer. "It's a
million dollars."
Augus burst out laughing.
Behind him, his entire crew doubled over in raucous laughter.
Isabella acted as if she had just remembered the entry fee, quickly pulling a card from her designer bag. "Serena, if you really want to play, there's a little money on this card. I can cover it for you..."
She then turned back to Augus. "Mr. Augus, we're all friends here. Could you do me a favor and let this go for tonight?"
"How generous of you, Miss Lancaster!" Augus scoffed coldly. "Fine. As a favor to you, if she doesn't want to play... she doesn't have to!"
He pointed a finger straight at Serena. "You. Get your ass over here, drop to the ground, and apologize to Anna. Then lick her car clean, and we'll call it even!"
"This..." Isabella put on a deeply conflicted expression, lowering her voice as she 'pleaded' with Serena "Serena, took... Mr. Augus is being very generous. It's just an apology and washing a car. For the sake of the partnership between our
families so you dont cause
trouble for our grandparents... just swallow your pride..."
Serena slowly lifted her eyelids, her arms crossed as she watched the group perform their little synchronized routine with a half-smile. She thought this entire charade...
Was completely laughable.
Her lips curled into a smirk, a disdainful gaze locking onto Isabella's hopelessly hypocritical face. "Swallow my pride?"
She arched an eyebrow, her voice lazy as she delivered every word with deadly precision. "If you're so desperate to protect the families partnership and love playing the saint... why don't you get down on the ground and apologize for me? You go lick the car. You're always bowing down and flapping your gums, so this job is perfectly suited for you."