?Chapter 164:


    Know When to Yield


    Cristiano smiledcently, as though he was certain that Norah wouldn’t refuse his offer. Even Antoni’s expression rxed somewhat. Earning this much money was something people could only dream of, and yet, Norah only needed to participate in one race to acquire it all.


    Norah, sitting on the opposite sofa, let out a scoff. “And what if I say no?” The total of 30 million dors? Norah could easily make twice as much on the stock market. Racing was just a rxing pastime for her. She loved the adrenaline rush, and whenever the world blurred around her on the racetrack, it was as though all her problems had melted away.


    Cristiano chuckled, clearly not taking her words seriously. “I doubt it. After all, this is an offer you can’t turn down.”


    As soon as he said this, ten men d in ck suits suddenly stepped into the corridor, blocking the exit. “What is the meaning of this, Mr. Campbell?” Norah’s eyes flitted to the army of men behind Cristiano.


    Antoni stood up and dusted the imaginary dirt off his suit jacket. “We’ve invited you here because we admire your racing skills. There’s an old saying: the wise know when to yield.” He smiled knowingly. “Would you consider yourself wiser, Selene?”


    Norah also stood up, looking Antoni square in the eye. Despite being shorter, her presence was in no way inferior to his. In fact, it held more weight.


    “Both of you invited me here to force me to participate in some race,” she said, her tone sharp. “Is this what you consider ‘an offer I can’t refuse’?”


    The Ondish ent sent both Antoni and Cristiano into a daze for a solid second.


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    Antoni was the first toe to his senses. Clearing his throat, he rified, “Our invitation was one hundred percent sincere. Selene, the 10 million-dor reward for your participation is offered by me. If you don’t think it’s enough, I can top it off with an additional 5.”


    “Spoken like a true Ond royal,” Norah thought to herself with a sneer. But her concern wasn’t about the money. If she could participate in the race under her own nationality, she would have epted their offer in a heartbeat.


    Cristiano seemed to see right through Norah. “Is it because you don’t want to race under Ond’s banner?” After all, Norah had emphasized that she wasn’t a citizen of Ond, so her refusal must’ve had something to do with that.


    “If that’s what concerns you, I’ll make sure that your nationality is noted during the race,” Cristiano offered. Finally, Norah’s expression softened slightly.


    Seeing this, Cristiano breathed a sigh of relief, as the issue turned out to be something so minor. Antoni, on the other hand, didn’t care about things like nationalities. He only cared about the results. As long as Selene participated, the oue of the race was practically decided.


    “When’s the race?” Norah’s indifferent voice echoed in the room.


    “In five days, at the Silverstone Circuit,” Cristiano replied.


    “The Campbell family will be the main sponsors, so as long as you agree to participate, I promise you only the best treatment,” he added.


    Without haste, Norah unhurriedly pulled a business card out of her pocket and slid it across the table. “Here’s my card. I’ll be staying in Lochdeer for the foreseeable future. Do you have the race guidelines? I’d like to review them.”


    Cristiano swiftly pulled out a document from a drawer under the table and handed it to her. “Here you go. We look forward to your victory.”


    Norah took the file, and Cristiano took her business card in exchange. Printed on the lc hard-shell card was her name in bold letters, followed by a string of phone numbers.


    Tucking the race guidelines under her arm, Norah left them with onest reminder. “Don’t forget to contact me before the race starts.”


    Norah decided against rejecting their invitation now that her concern had been addressed. After all, why not seize this great opportunity? Not only would she enjoy a good race, but she would also make a nice sum of money in the process. It was like hitting two birds with one stone.


    The bodyguards blocking the corridor dispersed, and Norah went downstairs to meet up with Alice and the others. However, she didn’t stay long. Soon, she and Alice left the venue.


    When they got home, Alice kept shooting Norah expectant nces, her eyes full of unspoken questions.


    “You want to know what Cristiano wanted from me, don’t you?” Norah finally asked.


    “Yes!” Alice nodded eagerly. “I was afraid they threatened you with an NDA or something. Keeping people’s mouths shut with threats is a favorite tactic of the rich and powerful. Naturally, Alice feared that Norah might have faced something simr.”


    Such unpleasant treatment. Her impression of people like the Campbells was stereotypical.


    With a faint smile, Norah shook her head and recounted what had happened. “So, they just wanted you to participate in a race? And they’re willing to pay you millions of dors just to participate? Damn! That’s amazing!” Alice eximed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “I ced all my bets on you earlier, so I’ve won quite a bit of money. When we wrap up things tomorrow, I’ll treat you to a big meal. What do you say?”


    Norah’s smile widened. “Sounds good!”


    “Alright, let’s get some rest then. You have an important mission tomorrow, and you’ll need the energy.”


    At six in the morning, after enduring more than ten hours on a long-haul flight, Sean and his teamnded at Esterford Airport. Phillip had dark circles under his eyes by the time they disembarked.


    “Mr. Scott, I’ve gathered everyone on Freyvale. They’re just waiting for your instructions,” Phillip said.


    Everyone was somewhat weary, and Sean was no exception. He had a throbbing headache, unsure if it was because of a cold or the prolonged work stress.


    “Mr. Scott, do you want to—?” Phillip asked with concern, noticing Sean wincing in pain. “We can make them wait.”


    “No, let’s go,” Sean replied, taking a big sip of coffee from the cup Phillip offered him. Today’s issues had to be resolved today, and there was no way in hell he’d dy it. Sean could endure the difort temporarily. All that mattered was to settle this issue.


    Three hourster, the meeting was finally concluded, and everyone left the conference room.


    Sean finished thest sip of his coffee and then stood up, but he faltered slightly. Phillip immediately rushed forward to support him. “Mr. Scott, are you okay?”


    Sean leaned heavily against the table, his expression visibly pained. “Get me some cold medicine and find me a suite. I need to sleep after taking the medicine.”


    “Right away, sir.”


    Phillip promptly did as he was told. In no time, Sean found himself in a luxurious suite, ready to pass out. Phillip drew the curtains and quietly left the room. Once outside, Phillip received an international call from Susanna.


    “Phillip, where’d you and my brother go?” she asked.


    “Ma’am, Mr. Scott and I are in Esterford to deal with some issues,” Phillip responded.


    Susanna pouted, sitting alone on the couch. “Did you guys leavest night without telling me? You didn’t even say goodbye!”


    Susanna had gotten up early that morning, wanting to fill Sean in on what had happened at the Wilson family’s banquet the night before, only to find no one around. Sean and Phillip were nowhere in sight.


    “Mr. Scott didn’t want to wake you when we left,” Phillip said, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing wearily. Following Sean around non-stop, he was exhausted and hadn’t gotten any proper rest yet. “Mr. Scott isn’t feeling well, and I need to get some sleep too. Can I call you backter?” Phillip’s voice grew hoarse toward the end.


    Susanna sighed. “Alright. Go get some rest. Call me when you wake up. Goodbye, Phillip.”


    “Goodbye.”


    After hanging up, Susanna held her phone, her eyes flickering with an idea for a good lesson. She prepared to go to thepany and “throw her weight around” a bit.


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