Especially for those on the national team, their pride and ego took a severe hit. Hera and Dave didn’t even seem to consider them aspetition.


    As the two sped past, neck, and neck, finishing the firstp and approaching again, the national team racers felt the sting of being utterly ignored, realizing what it meant to be truly outssed.


    Before they knew it, Dave and Hera were already halfway through the secondp, still locked in a fierce back-and-forth, overtaking each other and clearly enjoying the thrill ofpetition.


    But as they approached the final stretch, just a few meters from the finish line, the tension heightened.


    Hera and Dave shifted gears, both turning serious as they prepared to outdo each other. What Dave didn’t realize was that he should have been trying to beat her from the start, instead of wasting time ying around.


    Hera had been trying to get Dave to lower his guard the whole time, showing weakness and baring her neck, waiting for him to take the bait. Once he did, she would stop pretending and leave him behind.


    When she suddenly sped up around the corner and overtook Dave in an instant, he thought he could catch her at the next turn. But that chance never came—Hera kept pulling farther and farther ahead.


    It wasn’t until he could no longer close the gap that Dave realized what had happened.


    "Fuck! I remember who she is now!" The man in the VIP room shot to his feet, eyes wide as the realization hit him.


    ’<i>That’s why she looked so familiar the first time I saw her!’</i> he thought, blinking in disbelief as he watched Hera effortlessly take the turn, leaving even Dave in the dust.


    "Y-You know her?" the sickly guy asked, his eyes glued to the monitor. He was just as shocked as the others, struggling to process what he was witnessing.


    The national team, supposedly the best of the best in their country—chosen and trained—was left in the dust just like that.


    He could understand if it were Dave—everyone recognized him as a genius, exceptionally talented and clearly different from the rest.


    But seeing Hera, who appeared so frail and had been treated like a beginner by many, now leading the race by a significant margin was astonishing.


    "Of course, I know her! After all, I was the one who introduced her to car racing!" the other guy eximed, his gaze fixed on Hera.


    Honestly, he hadn’t realized it was her; the Hera he remembered and the girl he had seen earlier seemed like two entirely different people.


    When Hera turned 18 and finally obtained her driver’s license, she became a driver for hire for high-profile young masters.


    The pay was significantly better, allowing her to earn a few hundred bucks in a single trip—far more than she made from deliveries or other part-time jobs.


    Her job was to be an on-call driver for those who couldn’t drive because they were drunk or simply didn’t feel like driving that night. Most of her clients came from high-end pubs.


    For her first night on the job, Hera chose the city’s most luxurious pub, where young masters and mistresses partied almost every night.


    With them burning money like there was no tomorrow, Hera realized that driving for them while they were intoxicated would earn her significantly more.


    That single night, she drove several young masters home and after driving them home, she would return to the pub multiple times by taxi which she only needed to pay just a few dors, earning her a few thousand dors in return.


    Her smooth and swift driving ensured that her passengers feltfortable, even when they were drunk, which quickly made her a favorite among them.


    One time, she found herself driving a particr young master home after a night of partying. As usual, Hera focused on driving as smoothly as possible, ensuring her passenger feltfortable.


    After all, she was behind the wheel of their expensive cars, which meant she had to be extra careful.


    Noticing her smooth driving, the young master had a sudden idea.


    The next day, he specifically waited for Hera and chose not to drink. Instead, he hired her to drive him to an illegal racing den, where other young masters were busy racing and gambling their pocket money and cars, hoping to earn more to spend on nights out at the pubs or on dates.


    The young master pretended that he needed to race against the others but suddenly imed he felt ill.


    However, he had already ced his wager and urged Hera to take his ce in the race. In return, if she won, they would split the prize money 50/50; if she lost, he would take full responsibility for the loss.


    He believed that since Hera drove so smoothly and seemed to haveplete control over the sports car, why not let her race?


    He was curious to see if she was also skilled at it. For him, it was a gamble, but it added to the intrigue he wanted to satisfy. If he turned out to be wrong, at least he would have the answer and wouldn’t have to ponder it any longer.


    But if he was right, he could earn a little extra pocket money without lifting a finger.


    Upon hearing his enticing offer, Hera felt truly tempted. After all, she had just moved into a very expensive apartment with Alexi and was struggling to cover the utilities and monthly rent. She had to be strategic in choosing part-time jobs that paid well.