“Her future husband." Shanley stood before Melvin, a good half a head taller, his deep voiceced with a chilling authority.


    "Future husband?" Melvin couldn''t suppress augh. "Does the littledy''s family know about this?"


    If he remembered correctly, she was only eighteen, not even in college yet. And this man..... he looked to be pushing thirty. As the saying goes, every three years is a generation gap. There were at least three of those between them. Would her family really approve? If Ms. Payne were his sister, he certainly wouldn''t.


    At his words, Shanley''s expression turned frigid, a cold light glinting in his deep


    eyes.


    "Heh," Melvin chuckled, realizing he''d hit a nerve. "You''re overthinking things. I only admire Ms. Payne''s talent; I have no other intentions."


    "See that you don''t," Shanley retorted, his gaze icier than a winter storm. With that, he left.


    Melvin had hoped to learn about Juniper''s family through Shanley, but seeing the man looked ready to pounce and rip his throat out, he decided against it. He''d have to find another way to investigate privately.


    He nced over at the car where the girl was contentedly sipping her milkshake. The feeling of familiarity was overwhelming. Was he just desperate to find his sister, or was it something more?


    Melvin pulled out his phone and called his assistant. "Kane, I need you to run a background check on Juniper."


    ...


    Four days of training came to an end. Kurt''s speed and technique had improved dramatically. Barring any unforeseen incidents, he was a lock for a top-five finish tomorrow.


    Watching the footage of the confident, skilled driver on the screen, a smile yed on Melvin''s lips. The girl really was something special.


    "Melvin, we have a problem," his assistant, Kane, burst in, his face pale. "Cybeic Shadows... canceled the job."


    "Canceled?" Melvin frowned in confusion. Of the two top hacking groups in the world, Binary Oracle wasn''t taking new clients, and now Cybeic Shadows had backed out Could it be that had powerful connections?


    “Let''s put the search for J on hold for now," Melvin said with a calm shrug. “Kurt is more than enough."


    As long as Kurt secured Orient Country''s spot for next year''spetition, they could deal with the J situationter.


    "Right,” Kane nodded, then added, "There''s been aplication with your nationality transfer. Moralia Country has stipted that if you leave, you must forfeit all your past records and achievements."


    Kane''s expression soured. “Essentially, if you renounce your Moralia Country citizenship and leave their racing team, you''ll have to start your entire racing career over from scratch."


    He had spent years climbing to the top of the international circuit. Starting over meant his points would be wiped clean. He''d be back at the bottom with the rookies. And Melvin was almost thirty, his prime as a racer was nearly over.


    "It doesn''t matter,” Melvin said, a faint smile on his lips, his voice steady. "Nothing is more important than my sister."


    Starting over was a small price to pay. He had the skill, and it was a gamble he was willing to take.


    Friday was race day, scheduled to start at 9:30 AM. With less than an hour to go, Juniper walked into her ssroom to find her ssmates buzzing with excitement.


    "This race is huge! So many champions arepeting, especially Melvin. I''m a massive fan."


    "His technique is incredible, and he''s so handsome... too bad he''s from Moralia Country."


    If he were from Orient Country, the student would have skipped ss to cheer for him in person.


    "I heard he''s been trying toe back to the country for a while," another boy chimed in. "My uncle works in immigration, and he said they received Melvin''s application for a nationality transfer ages ago."