If Victoria ever had a bright idea, Ailie would never let it slip by unnoticed.


    Whenever Victoria made money on the stock market, Ailie caught wind of it. If Victoria programmed a new game and it didn''t turn a profit, Ailie would be on her case until her head spun.


    "How about I talk to Mr. Garcia for you?" Ailie suggested one day. "Once the game goes live, maybe he could set up a bonus for you. That way, you won''t have to work for him forever."


    Around noon, Victoria''s phone rang again-Gwh calling. She wanted fried chicken, and imed she hadn''t been to the amusement park in ages, insisting Victoria take her for some fun.


    Victoria smiled to herself. She knew her daughter well enough to guess the real reason for the call: Gwh wanted to ask about the game''s progress, but didn''t want to nag outright.


    Five years old, and already scheming.


    Not that Victoria minded. After all, Gwh was her own flesh and blood-and McNeil''s, too. If she could go back in time and remake her choices, she never would have had a child with McNeil.


    "Sweetheart, I can take you, no problem," Victoria replied. “But isn''t your dad picking you up after school?"


    She worried that McNeil or Violet might have made other ns.


    "No, he''s sending the driver for me," Gwh said. "Daddy and Violet haven''t really checked in for days. And you, Mom, you''ve been gone for a whole month. Violet''s busy, too. There''s no one to y with me."


    Victoria''s heart squeezed at that. As soon as she hung up, a message popped up on her phone-this time from Marcus.


    "When do you have time to take a look at my car?"


    In truth, Marcus just wanted an excuse to see her again. He had already used Max''s dinner invitation as a reason once before.


    Marcus had always assumed that, between his looks and his family background, few women would be able to resist him. Yet after that dinner, Victoria had practically vanished, leaving him with nothing but silence.


    He wasn''t ready to give up on the one woman who had caught his attention. So, he decided to find another way to meet up.


    Reading his message, Victoria''s thoughts unexpectedly drifted to Osborn. He wasing to Starfall City for the rally, and she''d need to call her old team together there. Helping Marcus with his car could be the perfect opportunity.


    "Pick a time," she replied to Marcus, then immediately dialed Lyndon, who was all the way over in Evermore City.


    The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up.


    A cold voice answered, "Who is this?"


    Victoria hesitated, then said quietly, "It''s me. Victoria."


    There was silence on the other end, so long that Victoria wondered if he''d hung up.


    "Hello?" she ventured, trying not to sound too anxious.


    "What do you want?" His tone was curt.


    Victoria took a breath and gathered her courage. "I want you to bring the team to Starfall City."


    A humorlessugh came through the line. "Ms. Turner, are you kidding me?" "I''m serious," Victoria insisted.


    "You disappeared six years ago, left us all behind without a word. Do you have any idea how much that hurt the team? Last time you came to Echo City, asking the guys to help fix Osborn rk''s car, we did it as a favor. But now you expect us to just drop everything ande to Starfall City for you? Why should we listen to you?"


    With that, Lyndon hung up.


    Victoria stared at her phone, silent. She knew she was at fault for what happened six years ago, but she didn''t have the nerve to call again.


    If they refused toe, she''d just have to try her luck on the forums-there had


    to be enough car enthusiasts in a city as big as Starfall. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could pull together a new team.


    That evening, Victoria picked Gwh up from school. She took her out for fried chicken, her daughter''s favorite, and then they spent hours at the amusement park.


    Gwh was having so much fun, she forgot all about asking about the game. Later that night, Victoria bought fireworks, nning to take her to the smallke to set them off.


    As they neared thekeshore, the sky exploded into brilliant color overhead. Gwh tore ahead, chasing after the bursts of light. But just as she reached the spot where people were setting off fireworks, she stopped short and shouted, her voice full of surprise-


    "Daddy! Violet!"