Chapter 83
Chapter 83:
The footage was from her final race before retirement—and in the corner of the crowd, a hooded figure looked unsettlingly like Austin.
She clenched the cushion, her eyes flicking to him despite herself.
Austin was quietly peeling an orange, his face softened by the glow of the screen, seemingly unaware of her unease.
“That racer was incredible,” Brinley remarked, forcing lightness into her voice. “Her last race was unforgettable p>
Austin held a slice of orange to her lips and replied evenly, “She was good p>
“You watched it?” she asked.
“I saw a replay with a client,” he said smoothly, his fingertips brushing her lips as he offered the fruit. “Is it sweet p>
Pulled back into the moment, Brinley felt her cheeks heat. She bit into the orange and muttered, “Yeah p>
The broadcast droned on, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Up𝖽𝖺𝘁𝗲𝗌 е𝘷е𝗿у 𝗐𝘦𝘦𝗄 𝗈ո
She studied Austin’s profile, thinking he was like a book written in a code she couldn’t crack, every page hiding something just out of reach.
She decided to test him.
Leaving a racetrack design where he would easily notice it, she waited.
He glanced at it once before commenting casually, “That curve is drawn the wrong way. It’s dangerous and could cause accidents p>
“How do you know that?” Brinley asked, forcing her voice to stay steady.
Austin paused with his glass in hand and answered without hesitation, “From virtual racing simulations. Angles like that, when reversed, always cause skids p>
Brinley frowned slightly. Virtual racing?
His expression was so open and matter-of-fact that she suddenly felt foolish for doubting him.
Maybe she really was reading too much into it. Perhaps his knowledge came only from old hobbies and simulation games.
Choosing not to press further, she turned her focus back to work.
They had been notified that the CloudVista Estates project would be suspended for quite some time. It had originally been designed as a major undertaking that demanded the combined effort of the entire company. But with such a long delay ahead, waiting it out simply wasn’t practical.
She decided they should shift their focus and take on other projects.
When news broke that the government had announced a tender for a racing-themed real estate project, Brinley was in the middle of a project kickoff meeting.
All the key staff had been called in.
On the conference room screen, the post-mortem analysis of their last failed commercial complex was still displayed, while Brinley absently rolled the stylus between her fingers, her brow drawn tight.
“Brinley, take a look at this!” Corbin rushed in, holding up his phone. “The government just posted a tender for a racing-themed real estate project. It’s a huge opportunity. Should we go after it p>