The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance

Simone's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What happened?"

Just mentioning it seemed to ignite something in Sherman-his expression turned animated, even a little awestruck.

"A drove straight through the gap between the two teams' cars. Not a single scrape he never even brushed against the others! But here's what's really wild: you know Henley? He went after A, but couldn't catch up!"

Simone and Aurora were best friends; Aurora was a racer herself, so Simone knew a thing or two about the sport.

She stared at Sherman, astonished. "Isn't Henley supposed to be the top professional driver? There's actually someone he can't beat?"

Aurora jumped in to explain. "If it had been a one-on-one race, Henley might have beaten A. But team events are a whole different game. It's not just about who crosses the finish line first-the points are awarded based on team rankings. So even Henley can't just blaze ahead on his own; he's got to work with his teammates."

If you can't cooperate, you're simply not cut out for team racing.

Sherman nodded in agreement. "Aurora's right. In terms of sheer skill, A isn't Henley's match. But after the race devolved into chaos, Henley chased after him anyway. Don't underestimate Henley-he was behind, but his driving is on another level. A couldn't shake him. Just as Henley was about to catch up, A swerved into the city streets."

Simone leaned in, completely hooked. "And then?"

Sherman grinned. "A's driving may not be quite up to Henley's, but he's smart- really smart. He used the city traffic and the twists and turns to lose Henley. That's no small feat. Henley's been unbeatable for years; no one's ever taken him down. Sure, A used his environment to his advantage, but a loss is a loss, no matter the circumstances. Henley's been obsessed ever since, trying to dig up anything he can about this A."

At this point, even Sellers couldn't stay silent. "So who is this mystery racer- some hidden legend?"

He clearly agreed: for true competitors, the reasons don't matter. If you lose, you lose.

Sherman sighed. "Not a legend. From what I've heard, he was a total rookie-just got his license."

"A rookie?" Sellers and Simone exclaimed in unison.noveldrama

Sherman nodded. "The car he drove was rented. All they have in the records is the letter 'A.' That's it-no other info."

Simone frowned. "No one's ever seen A's face?"

Sherman shook his head. “The Solmaris circuit is huge-tons of people rent cars there. And seven, eight years ago, there weren't

cameras everywhere like the net

are

now. Everyone wore helmets, so you couldn't see their faces. But there's dashcam footage floating around from that day. The way A drifted around the corners to lose the others—man, it was incredible. Henley's obsessed because he thinks A has massive potential. He wanted A on his team, as his partner. But A vanished. Never

showed up at another race, never entered a competition-just disappeared without a trace."

Aurora chimed in, her eyes alight with excitement. "He may not have reached the pros, but he's definitely got

t serious skills. I'd love to race him one day."

Sellers' gaze turned steely. "Sherman, send me every scrap of information you've

got on A. I'll have my people dig into this."

Sellers was fiercely competitive, and

hearing that even Henley had been

impressed by A stirred something in him a desire to measure himself against this mysterious driver.

***

Stella had just stepped out of the auction hall and was heading to her car when

her phone rang. It was Haynes.