Sofina squeezed her eyes shut—but the slap never landed.Alex’s hand shot out like lightning, catching Ragnar’s wrist mid-air.“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” Alex said, voice cold enough to freeze stone.“Do you want to finish this in the race or right here in a fight? I’m open to both. And if we fight… I’m taking this hand of yours.”“Don’t you dare touch me, you half-slave!” Ragnar roared, trying to yank his arm free.Alex tightened his grip. “I’d rather not lay hands on a man carrying five sexually transmitted diseases.”The bones in Ragnar’s wrist ground together. He screamed—high, sharp, almost like a woman shrieking.Alex could’ve crushed the entire arm without effort.But Sofina rushed forward. “Alex, don’t hurt him!”At her voice, Alex released Ragnar instantly.Ragnar stumbled back, face drained of color, humiliation burning through him.“You’ll pay for this! I’ll take your arms—and your wife! Just wait!”He spun and stormed back toward his car.Sofina turned

Ragnar roared, his voice shaking with fury.“Damn it, Alex! You screwed me over with that VÖXEN Seraphine—using camouflage to make it look like a first-generation model! That’s cheating. This round is void!”Alex Saint-Claire didn’t flinch. He only smirked. “Really? You want to crawl back on your own words now?”He tapped his bracelet, linking it to the stadium’s massive screen. The contract appeared in sharp detail for everyone to read.“This man—Ragnar Eisenwall, heir of Duke Eisenwall—says he doesn’t want to pay his bet,” Alex announced, projecting his voice across the arena. “People of Winchester, what do you think?”The reaction was instant. Jeers erupted from every corner of the stadium, rolling like thunder.Some people in the crowd—desperate to protect their bets on Ragnar—shouted for the race to be voided so they could get their money back. But their voices were instantly swallowed by the roaring stadium.Most of the audience agreed: the document was valid. Ragnar had asked f

“Oh—yes, the VÖXEN Seraphine hiding under first-generation camouflage,” Alex said with a bright, almost playful smile. “I called the previous owner to clear up the mystery.”“And…?” Renata leaned closer.“Turns out,” Alex said, trying not to laugh, “the man was obsessed with the VÖXEN Seraphine. Absolute dream car. But his wife hated the idea—said it was a waste of money, that he should buy her gold or jewelry instead of some overpriced machine.”“But he wanted it so badly that he bought it behind her back. He knew she’d explode if she found out how much he spent. So he activated the camouflage mode and disguised it as a first-generation VÖXEN. His wife never suspected a thing.”“And…?” Sofina pushed.“One day they got into a huge fight. His wife, furious, sold the ‘first-generation VÖXEN’ for a dirt-cheap price. And I happened to be the one who bought it for eighty thousand.”“Damn,” Renata muttered. “You’re insanely lucky.”“Alex,” Sofina said, worried, “this VÖXEN Seraphine is wort

Tobias was fighting the system. He searched through every circuit, every logic chain, every safety layer. Minutes passed. His brow was soaked in sweat.Everything was perfect.Every system reported normal. Every parameter was within optimal range.And yet the machine had fallen out of the sky.Ragnar laughed again, sharp and cruel. “Face it, Tobias. You won’t finish a mobile suit this year either. Same failure. Same ending.”Alex spoke casually, as if changing the subject. “Sofina, have you heard about the fake driver case in Eden Group? You should be careful about things like that.”“What?” Sofina turned to him, confused.“A driver once pretended to work for Eden Group,” Alex continued calmly.“He turned out to be a competitor’s spy. Once inside the vehicle, he installed a virus that triggered a controlled malfunction. I heard it nearly caused a fatal accident and was meant to sabotage one of Eden Group’s most important clients.”“Alright,” Sofina nodded, still unsure why Alex brough

Ragnar’s eyes snapped to Belinda. His voice dropped low, sharp as a blade. “Tell me the truth. Did you set this up with that dirty bastard just to scam me?”Belinda’s face drained of color. “No—no. I didn’t know. I swear.”“Oh, come on,” Alex said lazily. “You promised me ten percent of whatever price I managed to squeeze out of Ragnar. Now he’s on the hook for a hundred thousand. That means you owe me ten thousand, as agreed.”“Shut up,” Belinda snapped. “I don’t even know you.”She knew Alex was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between her and Ragnar.She was only a baron’s daughter. If Ragnar struck her, she had no power to fight back. All she could do was swallow the fear—and the pain.Ragnar stepped closer, his shadow swallowing her. His gaze bored into her face.“Then tell me,” he said coldly, “who do you think should pay for that ring?”Belinda swallowed hard. “R-Ragnar… according to the rules, the bidder has to pay.”His hand flashed.Slap.Pain tore across her cheek. Her