Harem Investment System: Getting Money And Women - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: International Grand Prix (Part Four) Chapter 82: International Grand Prix (Part Four) She didn’t even have time to celebrate.

Rafaelle was still there.

She stole a glance at her side mirror.

He had matched her drift perfectly.

‘Damn it.’ The gap between them was razor-thin.

Vanessa took a deep breath, steadying herself.

She had to think.

Her top speed was nearly identical to Rafaelle’s.  If she just relied on raw power, he would keep up with her.

She needed a different approach.

Her mind raced as she analyzed the track ahead.

The final three turns were coming up – one tight S-curve, a short straightaway, and the last brutal hairpin before the finish line.

That was it.

Her last chance to break away.

Vanessa adjusted her grip, readying herself.

She felt the car’s power beneath her, the engine rumbling like a wild beast waiting to be unleashed.

The S-curve came into view.

She acted instantly.

Instead of following the usual racing line, she took an unorthodox approach, throwing herself into the first curve tighter than usual, cutting into the second one at a sharper angle than any normal racer would dare.

Her tires skidded, nearly sending her off balance.

But she controlled it.

Barely.

The maneuver cost her some stability – but it saved her time.

She had pulled ahead.

Rafaelle had taken the S-curve normally, choosing safety over risk.

That small hesitation gave Vanessa the slightest lead.

But it wasn’t enough.

He was already closing in again.

The straightaway loomed ahead – the perfect place to gain maximum speed before the final turn.

Vanessa knew this was her last shot.

She slammed her foot on the pedal, pushing her car to its absolute limits.

The vehicle roared forward, speed climbing higher and higher.

Rafaelle followed suit, the distance between them shrinking once again.

Vanessa’s breath caught.

It all came down to this.

The last turn.

The final hairpin.

A death trap for hesitant drivers.

She barely had time to register anything else before she reached it.

She flicked her wrist, sending the car into the tightest drift she had ever attempted.

The back tires skidded wildly, the car nearly spinning out of control.

She felt her heart lurch.

Too fast.

For a terrifying second, she thought she had pushed it too far.

But then – The car recovered.

Vanessa shot forward, exiting the turn with perfect timing.  Her tires gripped the road at the last second, stabilizing just as the straight stretch to the finish line came into view.

Her heart pounded.

She had done it.

But Rafaelle was still there.

The Italian driver had also cleared the turn, barely a fraction of a second behind her.

Vanessa didn’t have time to hesitate.

She slammed the accelerator, pushing her car to its absolute top speed.

The finish line was in sight.

The roaring crowd blurred into white noise.

It was just her, the road, and the man at her tail, both of them hurtling forward at breakneck speeds.

Five hundred meters.

Rafaelle’s car edged closer, inch by inch.

Three hundred meters.

He was right at her side now, his engine roaring like a caged beast.

Two hundred meters.

They were neck and neck.

One hundred meters.

This was it.

Vanessa gritted her teeth.

With one last push, she leaned forward, hands tightening on the wheel, urging the car to give her just a little more speed – The finish line flashed past.

The race was over.

But who had won?

For a moment, everything was silent.

Then – The crowd erupted.

Vanessa exhaled, her grip finally loosening on the wheel.

She didn’t know if she had won.

Not yet.

She glanced toward the screens, waiting for the official results to flash up.

The tension in the air was thick, even inside her car.

She knew she had given everything.

No regrets.

No holding back.

It had been a perfect race.

Now, all she could do was wait.

Vanessa sat frozen in her seat, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Her hands remained firm on the wheel, the vibrations of the engine still buzzing through her body, but it was over.  The race was over.

But had she won?

Vanessa’s gaze shot up to the massive billboard screen towering over the racetrack.  The numbers were still shuffling, calculating the official placements.

The tension in the air was suffocating.

Then – 1st Place: Vanessa Carter.

Her heart stopped for a second.

The world seemed to freeze around her.

Then, like a tsunami, the cheers erupted.

The entire stadium roared, the crowd going absolutely wild.  Confetti shot into the air, golden and red, swirling in the floodlights.  The deafening chant of her name spread through the stands, shaking the very ground beneath her.

Vanessa’s fingers trembled on the wheel, her breath hitching.

She had done it.

She had won.

A sharp, uncontrollable rush of excitement exploded in her chest, and before she could stop herself, she threw her arms apart, letting out a half-laugh, half-scream of disbelief.

The cameras flashed, capturing every moment of her stunned triumph..

She exhaled hard, leaning back into her seat, her heart still hammering.

This was it.

This was what she had fought for.

Beating Rafaelle, breaking through every dirty trick thrown her way, proving once again why she was a name feared on the track.

And yet – Ethan.

The name slid into her mind, unbidden.

She clenched her jaw, staring up at the flashing 1st place on the board.

Had he seen this?

Was he watching her right now?

The idea made her stomach twist unexpectedly, a different kind of thrill creeping up her spine.

She shook the thought away.

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

She had a victory to celebrate.

The door to her car was yanked open, and before she knew it, her team was dragging her out, lifting her up onto their shoulders.

“VANESSA CARTER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” The announcer’s voice boomed through the stadium speakers, hyping the crowd even further.

She grinned, pumping her fist in the air, the rush of winning still coursing through her veins.

A reporter shoved a mic toward her as she was lowered back to the ground.

“Vanessa!

That was an incredible race!

You fought your way from fourth place, held off multiple aggressive attempts, and finally took down Rafaelle in the final stretch.

How does it feel to be the champion of this event?”