Chapter 157
Chapter 157:
“This is amazing,” she said with genuine delight, her eyes lighting up.
Watching her enjoyment, Austin’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “Have more if you like it p>
They ate in companionable silence, sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows and bathing the table in golden warmth.
The quiet ease of it all left Brinley faintly spellbound, as though they were an ordinary couple sharing a simple, contented life.
𝖱ea𝖽 𝘁𝗁е l𝗮𝘁еѕ𝘵 t𝗋е𝘯𝖽𝗌 оn
Once lunch ended, Austin left to handle company affairs, while Brinley returned to her room to rest.
With her back against the headboard, she picked up her unfinished book, Racetrack Engineering Analysis, but her eyes drifted over the page without taking in a single word.
Her thoughts kept circling back to Austin—his smile, his quiet tenderness, the firm decisiveness he carried, and the closeness they had shared in the hospital room that morning.
Frustrated, Brinley dragged her fingers through her hair, then flung the book aside with a sharp thud.
To distract herself, she reached for her phone, intending to scroll through the news, and was startled to find the tide had shifted.
The smear pieces about her had thinned out, replaced by headlines about Palmer Group projects facing regulatory probes.
Austin’s counterattack was clearly beginning to take effect.
Milly and Colin seemed tangled in their own mess, leaving Brinley a rare moment of ease.
A soft sigh slipped from her—relief that she didn’t have to fend off their schemes for now.
Switching apps, she opened a racing forum for updates on the exhibition race. To her surprise, the threads were buzzing with her name alongside the elusive Nightblade.
“I have news about Brinley. She’s been hurt—and it appears to have been deliberate sabotage p>
“That poor girl. Just stepping into the race took guts, and now someone’s already targeting her p>
“Still, do you think she can really race? She’s just a rookie p>
“Who knows? But I respect her for trying. At least she’s brave enough to race p>
“I wonder whether Nightblade will actually show up. People are saying his spot’s already secured p>
“No way! If that’s true, this race is going to be incredible. Nightblade was unbeatable in his prime p>
“Imagine if he and Brinley go head-to-head. I’d pay good money to see that p>
Showdown.
The moment Nightblade was mentioned, a sharp glint flared in Brinley’s eyes.
Could he really be making a comeback on the track?
Would the day come when they finally stood as rivals on the same ground?
Could she rewrite the regrets that had haunted her for years?
Resolve surged through her chest, hardening her gaze with newfound fire.
Whether Austin was Nightblade or not, she had to claim victory in this race—not only to prove her worth to the world, but to honor the part of herself she’d once left behind.