"Do you think you''re even worthy to bet your car and your arms against mine?" Ragnar barked, anger twisting his face.
He had never met anyone bold-or stupid-enough to challenge him like this.
“I am the son of a duke!” he roared. “And you? A half-ve! A thousand of you wouldn''t equal one of my fingers. Our value isn''t evenparable!"
"You''re right,” Alex said with a slow yawn, as if bored.
"So don''t bet. If you''re that scared of losing to my car, just walk away. No one''s forcing you. Honestly, I''m toozy to waste time pampering a guy like you."
Ragnar froze stunned. No one had ever spoken to him like that. Then he exploded.
“You damn bastard! You think mouthing off makes you my equal? You''re a shadow, Alex. A man no lineage would im."
Alex smiles faintly. "Funny. Every time you open your mouth, your bloodline looks cheaper."
Ragnar''s hand twitches. "Say that again."
Alex steps forward, "You''re terrified I might be better than you without a title so terrified you need the whole world watching to convince yourself."
Ragnar''s bravado flickers. "I fear nothing."
Alex scoffs. "Then prove it. Not with cars. Not with insults. Prove you''re something without your father''s name stamped on your spine."
Ragnar lunges but stops just inches from Alex, breathing hard.
"You want to know who I am?" Ragnar snarls. "I''m the man who decides your fate."
Alex whispers back: "Then decide your own for once."
His friends immediately jumped in.
"Ragnar, he''s provoking you. This loser knows he''ll lose. There''s no way he can win with that first-generation V?XEN. He''s just trying to get into your head!"
"Yeah, Ragnar. Your V?XEN Gen-6 against his Gen-1? Why would you even hesitate?"
Ragnar still feared losing but the belief that he could crush Alex was stronger.
"Fine," he snarled. "Let me add one more condition. If you lose, you must divorce Sofina."
Alex went silent.
Sofina and Renata stepped forward instantly.
"Alex, don''t respond to this idiot," Sofina snapped.
"Yeah, he''s not worth it," Renata added sharply.
Ragnar smirked, sensing weakness.
"What? Scared now? If you''re afraid, go wear a woman''s skirt. Why are you even here?"
"Me? Afraid?" Alexughed, low and sharp. "In a bet, both sides must offer something equal. Cars..... arms..... fine. But now you''re asking me to put Sofina on the line. She''s my heart. So if you really want equal stakes-then you put yours in. Your actual heart. Bet your heart organ. Are you willing?"
Sofina''s face flushed red, stunned and flustered.
Everyone else went wide-eyed at Alex''s bluntness.
Ragnar erupted again, his rage boiling over.
"You want my heart? You want my life? Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you ask me that!"
Alex shook his head, disgust twisting across his face.
"Talking to you makes me feel like my brain is rotting," he said. "You''re the one who asked for the race. You''re the one who set the bet. I''m just matching your terms. If you don''t want to do it, then don''t. Why do you always have to be such an asshole?"
He turned and walked away from Ragnar, muttering loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Talking to this idiot is a waste of brain cells... no-he actually kills brain cells."
As Alex walked off, people around them stared at Ragnar.
"Ragnar, this is a race you always win. What are you scared of?"
"Yeah, Ragnar! Don''t you want to prove yourself in front of Sofina and Renata? This is your shot!"
"What''s wrong with you, man? Take Sofina, take his car-hell, take his arms too!"
“What? I''m not afraid of anyone,” Ragnar snapped, puffing up his chest so he wouldn''t look weak in front of his entourage. "I just feel bad he''s going to lose everything!"
Then he raised his voice for everyone to hear.
"Let''s make the bet official. A government-certified contract. Once it''s signed, no one can back out."
"Fine by me," Alex replied. “But I warn you think twice before you sign it. You''re going to lose badly."
To Alex, the oue wasn''t even a question.
The V?XEN Seraphine wasn''t just a car. It was a monster. Only ten existed in the entire country-maybe the entire world. Its grade sat at the highest ss V?XEN had ever engineered.
Compared to that, Ragnar''s V?XEN Gen-6-built for public use and impressive only by normal standards was nothing.
If the V?XEN 6 was an airne, the Seraphine wasn''t even in the same category.
It wasn''t built to fly-it was built to break limits.
A rocket.
A spacecraft engineered for raw, merciless speed.
"Me? Lose to you?" Ragnarughed so hard his shoulders shook.
He tapped his bracelet, and a three-dimensional contract red to life beside him.
"Watch closely," he sneered, signing his name with a flourish.
"I''ll be taking your arm and your wife soon. Just wait."
Since Ragnar already signed, Alex shrugged, stepped forward, and signed as well. Then he added calmly:
"I''m fine with the bet. But I''ll give you
a way out. If you refuse to hand over your arm or your heart, then
whatever you give in exchange must match the value-appraised by a third party, and it has to passmy approval."
"Whatever," Ragnar burst into loud, mockingughter. "I''m not going to lose. Enough talking-let''s race already!"
"Alright,” Alex said with a calm nod. "How do you want to start?"
Ragnar jabbed a finger toward the stadium and answered with a cocky grin.
"We start together. Tenps around the entire stadium. First one across the finish line wins. What do you say?"
Alex smiled, cool and confident.
"No problem."
"I already got permission to use the stadium," Ragnar bragged. "The tournament doesn''t start for another forty minutes, so hell yeah we''re using it."
His friends erupted in cheers. They were thrilled. Racing in the biggest stadium in Winchester guaranteed a huge crowd-and they believed Ragnar would steal the show.
Sofina hurried to Alex, "Alex, he''s doing this on purpose. Don''t let him provoke you. Let''s not race."
Alex gave her a warm, steady smile.
"Don''t worry, my dear. Your husband will handle this."
Sofina stared at him, wide-eyed. "Are you sure you''re okay with this?"
"I''m more than okay," Alex replied. "Actually, I was just thinking... Eden Group is sponsoring the Winchester Mobile Suit Tournament, right? What if we call Countess Modena von Adler and ask her to open the betting? If we wager everything we have, we could make a fortune.”
Sofina looked at him like he''d grown ten extra heads.
"Alex... you do realize this is a race between a first-generation V?XEN and a
V?XEN Gen-6?"
Alex smirked.
"Yeah. But the previous owner of my car was aplete V?XEN fanatic. He swapped the entire interior with VOXEN Seraphineponents What he modified the inside too-boosting the speed to match the real Seraphine?"
Sofina''s eyes narrowed. "Are you sure about this?"
"I am,” Alex said. "Judging from the speed-I''m convinced he upgraded it. We''re winning this race. One hundred percent. So why not let people bet and let the money roll in?"
Sofina grabbed Alex''s wrist, voice trembling.
"Alex... I know you''re confident. But this this feels reckless. What if the Seraphine
mods aren''t real? What if he crushes you out there?"
Alex softened instantly. "Sofina. Look at me."
She did-eyes full of dread.
"I''m not racing because of pride,” Alex said quietly. "I''m racing because he used you
as a bargaining chip. I can''t let that slide."
Alex shook his head, voice low and steady.
"No. It''s about reminding him you''re not something he can toy with. I''ll always stand
between you and anyone who tries. What kind of man would I be if I couldn''t protect the woman I love?"
Her expression faltered-not from fear, but from an emotion far heavier.
"Alex... I didn''t know you felt that strongly."
Behind them, Ragnar''s voice cut through the tension.
"Aww, how romantic. Will you two kiss before he loses?"
Sofina spun around, fury zing in her eyes. "Ragnar, shut up."
Ragnar actually froze-stunned that Sofina had spoken to him like that.
Then his face twisted with outrage.
"How dare you," he spat. "A mere woman telling the son of a Duke to shut up?"
Before anyone could react, Ragnar lunged toward Sofina, lifting his arm- ready to p her across the face.