Two minutes before she stepped onto the stage, the room felt too still. She stood there with her arms folded, staring at the floor like she was trying to settle her thoughts before they spilled over.Jasper didn’t like the look on her face.He leaned closer. “You heard that announcement?”She nodded once.He let out a breath. “Don’t fight. Just step back and let it go.”She didn’t answer immediately. She kept her eyes on the ground, almost as if she was waiting for something to make the choice for her. But nothing did. She lifted her head.“I need to win one of the first three spots,” she said quietly.Jasper frowned. “You won’t get it if you’re injured.”“I still need to try.”“You don’t,” he said. His tone was steady, not harsh. “If you quit, you still have a chance later. They might let it slide. But if you get hurt now, you’re done. There’s nothing after that.”She shook her head. “No. I’m already here. I can’t step back now.”He exhaled again, slower this time. “You’re being stub

Dinner that night was quiet in a way that felt heavier than any argument. Everyone sat around the table, eating slowly, each of them lost in their own thoughts. No one seemed eager to speak. Even Bai Zhe, who always had something to say, kept his gaze on his bowl.Jasper sat at the end. His posture was straight, his expression unreadable. He didn’t say much either. He only observed them, and the room itself, as though he was filing everything away in his head.One of the men who had lost twice cleared his throat. “Long day,” he muttered.Bai Zhe nodded. “Very long.”The girl sat two seats away. She poked lightly at her food. Her hand was steady enough, though Jasper noticed the slight tension in her shoulders.“You should eat,” Jasper said.She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and took a small bite.Another one of the men sighed. “Tomorrow will be worse.”“It won’t be worse,” Bai Zhe said. “It’ll just be annoying.”The man huffed quietly. “Same thing.”No one laughed, though a

The arena was quiet for a moment. Everyone stared at the girl, still panting heavily, her fists trembling slightly. Sweat dripped down her face and arms, soaking the edges of her clothes. No one had expected it, not even her.She had thought herself stronger than Bai Zhe, faster, more prepared. But somehow, a fluke, a small misstep on his part, and she had managed to land a hit that gave her the win. That was all it took. Just one moment, just one mistake, and she took it.The crowd erupted, voices clashing, some cheering her name, some murmuring disbelief. Even some of the men who had doubted her now looked surprised.Bai Zhe stepped back, breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He nodded slightly toward her. “Lucky,” he said. His voice was calm, steady, but there was a hint of respect in it.She shook her head, exhaling through her nose. “Not luck,” she said. “Skill.” Her voice cracked slightly, tiredness catching up, but she tried to hold onto p

The result settled slowly.At first, no one spoke.Jasper stood where he was, chest rising and falling. His arms hung loose by his sides. There was a faint tremor in his hands, not from fear, just exhaustion. The last man had already stepped back. He didn’t argue the outcome. He didn’t need to.The referee looked between them, then raised his hand. “Winner,” he said, voice loud but careful, “Jasper.”The crowd reacted a second later.Murmurs spread. Then louder voices. Some surprised. Some impressed. A few disappointed. Most just confused. They hadn’t expected it to end that way. Jasper hadn’t dominated. He had endured.One of Jasper’s men exhaled. “That was close.”Jasper didn’t respond. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned away from the arena center. He didn’t look at the man he’d just beaten. There was no need.The girl stood off to the side. She had been watching the whole time.Her expression didn’t change much. But her shoulders were tense. Her jaw was set tig

The road narrowed just as the last light of evening dipped behind the hills.Jasper noticed the headlights first.They came from ahead, sharp and unmoving, cutting through the dim stretch of asphalt like a warning rather than an accident. Then another pair appeared behind them. And another to the side. The engines were loud enough now to make pretense pointless.The vehicles slowed in unison.The girl felt it before she understood it. That tightening in her chest. That familiar instinct that told her something was wrong, long before words could catch up.“They’re stopping,” she said quietly.Jasper didn’t answer right away. He eased his foot off the accelerator and let the car roll to a controlled halt. His hands stayed steady on the wheel. He didn’t curse. He didn’t sigh. He only looked into the rearview mirror and counted.Five vehicles.He recognized them almost immediately. Not by license plate or color, but by the way they positioned themselves. Too practiced. Too deliberate.“Th