Chapter 841
Ridgeview Pass was a massive hub for motorcycle enthusiasts, and there was no shortage of street racers tearing up the mountain roads.
Xavier Vance was a regular. The moment he arrived, people recognized him.
“Hey, Xavier.”
People called out to greet him continuously as they walked toward the starting line.
Owen, on the other hand, hadn’t been here in ages, so fewer people recognized him.
Still, the crowd had a good eye; one look at Owen’s commanding presence told them he wasn’t just anybody.
“Who’s the new guy?” someone asked, curious about his identity.
As for Claire, she was standing right beside Owen, so everyone naturally assumed she was his date.
“Owen Churchill. You seriously haven’t heard of him?”
A fair number of people knew about the Churchill family.
Some had heard rumors that Owen used to be an avid racer until a bad accident made him drop off the radar completely.
Was he finally making a comeback?
“Owen used to be on the leaderboards. Look it up if you don’t believe me,” Xavier said.
Xavier didn’t mind hyping Owen up.
Owen had indeed made his mark, peaking at seventh place before newcomers inevitably broke his records.
Though he hadn’t fallen off the top hundred, he had dropped down to twenty-ninth.
Xavier’s track record had always been erratic, but his personal best was ninth, and he currently sat at twelfth.
Hearing about the records, Claire glanced at the leaderboard, finding the whole system quite fascinating.
Ranked racers could earn tips and bonuses from the audience.
People could also place bets while they raced.
If the racers agreed to an open wager, the winner would take home a cut of the betting pool.
Both men were highly skilled on a bike. With their privileged backgrounds, they might not have been academic prodigies, but they were absolute experts when it came to extreme hobbies.
“It’s been a long time, Owen. I thought you’d quit the game for good.”
One of the race organizers approached them.
He clearly knew Owen from the old days.
“It’s been two years since you set a record. Are you sure you want to race tonight?”
“If you’re in, we’ll add your name to the roster.”
“There’s an open tournament tonight. First place takes home a hefty cash prize.”
Not everyone had Churchill or Vance money.
Thousands of dollars in prize money was a massive payday for most of the crowd here.
No wonder it was so packed tonight, Claire thought to herself.
Owen was just about to decline the open tournament when Xavier beat him to the punch. “Of course we’re in.”
“Put both me and Owen on the list.”
“You got it!” the organizer agreed enthusiastically.
“I” Owen tried to refuse.
He had zero desire to enter an open race.
A private lap with Xavier was one thing, but an open tournament was a completely different beast.
The crash two years ago had happened during an open tournament.
The guy who died had been the reigning champion on the leaderboard at the time.
Even though someone else had claimed the top spot since, Owen could never forget that night.
If that crash hadn’t happened, his own rank might have climbed even higher. But what was the point?
The champion from that night had come from a struggling background. He only y entered the race to win the prize money.
Who could have predicted it would cost him his life?
Once you were dead, nothing else mattered.
Owen had anonymously donated a substantial sum to the man’s family, claiming it was the racer’s
accumulated winnings
They had been in desperate need of the money, So whether they believed
the story or hot, they a
funds.
the
Whether the family eventually learned the truth didn’t matter to Owen.
He just wanted to make life a little easier for the broken family left behind.
Money meant nothing to Owen, but for some families, the lack of it was the root of all suffering.
Ever since then, he hadn’t raced. He hadn’t even run a yellow light or gone over the speed limit.