Chapter 7 Wild racing

"One... two... three!"

The shout echoed through the quiet night, greeted by the thunderous roar of engines. Cars sped off, leaving trails of dust and smoke on the dark asphalt road.

A handsome man sat behind the wheel, driving his car with confidence, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The streetlights and the beams from other cars reflected off his face, which was tense yet filled with determination.

At the edge of the track, Fiona had just arrived at the scene. She observed the spectacle before her calmly, her eyes scanning the crowd cheering enthusiastically for the racers. Beside her, Maya and Adel stood with excitement, following every movement of the cars as they raced along the track.

"Wow, look at that! That car is incredibly fast," Maya exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Who’s the person inside? He’s so skilled," Adel asked curiously, pointing toward the car leading the race.

Fiona smiled faintly, enjoying the moment. "I don’t know, but he does look very professional," she replied softly.

The cars continued racing, overtaking one another with breathtaking speed and intensity. The screeching sound of tires gripping the asphalt added to the thrill of the race.

Fiona’s gaze locked on the black car leading the race, her expression filled with intrigue. "Whoever he is, he’s incredibly talented," she thought to herself.

Inside the car, the man accelerated even further, leaving his opponents far behind. The crowd’s cheers grew louder, fueling the racers' adrenaline.

Meanwhile, Maya and Adel kept their eyes glued to the action, their faces filled with fascination. The cheerful atmosphere radiated from their expressions, making the night all the more enjoyable.

For Adel and Maya, this was their first experience watching an illegal street race, thanks to Fiona who had invited them.

Moments later, the man’s car crossed the finish line at full speed, greeted by a wave of applause and cheers from the spectators.

As the man stepped out of his car, Fiona was visibly surprised, as were Adel and Maya.

"That’s... that’s Alvaro!" Maya exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

Adel covered her mouth with her hand, as if in disbelief. "Alvaro? Our student council president?" she said, equally astonished.

Fiona nodded, just as surprised. "Who would’ve thought he could race like this? Fascinating."

Alvaro glanced around, slightly surprised to see Fiona and her friends standing not far away. He merely gave a faint smile without any intention of greeting Fiona, choosing instead to approach a group of male and female friends who were completely unfamiliar to the three girls.

"Who are those people with Alvaro? They don’t seem to be from our school," Maya remarked.

"How would I know? I just transferred this afternoon," Fiona replied.

"Yeah, they don’t look like they’re from our school," Adel added.

The three of them appeared curious about Alvaro’s friends, none of whom seemed to be from their school.

Suddenly, Fiona smirked, as if a brilliant idea had just crossed her mind.

"Let’s go!" Fiona said, urging her friends toward her car to head home.

It didn’t take long for Fiona to arrive at Stefanus Thene’s residence after dropping off her two friends.

Casually, Fiona walked toward the elevator in William’s house. Beside it was another elevator, positioned side by side. Fiona entered one of them, opting for the elevator as walking up the stairs would be exhausting, especially since her room was on the upper floor.

As Fiona stood inside the elevator, the door closed with a soft sound. She pressed the button for her desired floor, but suddenly, the elevator jolted slightly before coming to a halt. Fiona’s face grew panicked as she pressed other buttons, but there was no response.

“Why did it stop?” she thought.

Fiona repeatedly pressed the emergency button, but still, there was no reaction. Her panic intensified as she began banging on the elevator walls, hoping someone outside could hear her.

“Help! Somebody, help me!” Fiona shouted, her voice trembling with fear.

She tried pressing every button inside the elevator—from floor buttons to the emergency button—but it remained motionless. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her heart raced. Fear crept into her mind as she pounded on the elevator door, desperate for someone to notice.

“Please! Anyone! Help me!” she screamed again, her voice hoarse.

Her thoughts spiraled into chaos. “What if no one finds me? What if I’m stuck here forever?” she wondered. The overwhelming fear of being trapped in a confined space consumed her.

Fiona tried to take deep breaths, attempting to calm herself.

“William? Yes... I need to call him,” Fiona muttered quickly, pulling her phone out of her bag.

She scrolled through her contacts in search of William’s number but couldn’t find it.

“Shit! I haven’t saved his number,” she cursed to herself, hastily opening her messages to find William’s number from the text he sent earlier that day.

Finally, Fiona found the number and quickly hit the call button. Several seconds passed, but William didn’t answer.

“Is he asleep? No, no, he can’t be asleep,” Fiona said, dialing again. She called multiple times, but William still didn’t pick up. At that moment, he was the only person she could think of to rely on. Tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto her phone screen.

Fiona crouched down, clutching her phone tightly. Her face bore the weight of sadness and fear, unsure of what to do to escape the elevator.

Suddenly, a memory from her childhood resurfaced in her mind. It was the first time she had been trapped in an elevator alone because of her carelessness. She had used the elevator without considering the consequences. At that time, her parents had been fighting intensely at home. Fiona left the house with her sister, intending to cheer herself up by visiting a children’s arcade with Azalea, but she ended up trapped in an elevator instead.

There were plenty of games there, and she had often gone to the mall near her house. Although she had lived a luxurious life since birth, Fiona never felt happiness in her life. Her parents’ constant arguments, driven by misunderstandings and the declining state of her father’s company, had created a tense home environment.

As sadness overwhelmed Fiona, still trapped in the elevator, several guards were stationed outside, instructed by William to rescue her as quickly as possible.