As Dave was busy texting, Cindy stepped out of the penthouse, holding a small ID wallet.


    When she saw the group gathered by the door, she paused, surprised.


    The tension in the air was palpable, and she felt her presence there might be unnecessary.


    Not wanting to get caught in the middle, she quickly nced at Leo, the closest person, and handed him the wallet.


    "Mr. Hendrix, this is Young Miss Hera’s ID wallet. Her IDs and passport are inside. Please pass it to her, as Mr. Montague is carrying Young Miss and will have trouble handling everything."


    Cindy handed the wallet to Leo, then quickly retreated back into the penthouse, almost as if she were escaping something.


    She made sure only to leave the wallet with him before disappearing inside.


    Leo nced at Xavier with a smirk. "You heard her. I need to go with Hera too and make sure her IDs are with her..."


    Realizing things were about to take a petty turn, Luke stopped Cindy, who was almost fleeing back into the penthouse, and asked, "Where is Hera flying to, and what’s the reason?"


    Only then did Leo, Xavier, and Dave turn their attention to Cindy, all unaware of where Hera was going or why she needed to leave the country.


    "Young Miss Hera needs to go to Barcelona with the National Race Team topete in the international race there," Cindy exined.


    "Oh..." Leo murmured, almost recalling something.


    The reason he had arrived so early that morning was because he’d heard about the trouble brewing with Hera’s trip.


    The PGA Tour was making things difficult for the National Race Team, blocking them from booking flights to Barcelona—direct or connecting—in an attempt to prevent her from participating.


    Their interference didn’t stop there; they were set on hindering her involvement in any race unless the National Race Team agreed to sign another contract with the PGA Tour and BMW.


    The two entities, embarrassed by the oue of the recent race and the incident involving Michael, were working together to corner Hera.


    It wasn’t the first time they’d used sponsorships to manipte teams, aiming solely to promote their own brands.


    They simply couldn’t ept the humiliation and mockery they faced after beingbeled as arrogant and out of touch.


    Their decision to distance themselves from Hera and side with the wrong party had backfired spectacrly, leaving them as the butt of countless jokes.


    To salvage their tarnished reputation, they now sought to sign a new contract with Hera and the National Race Team, hoping to mitigate the embarrassment.


    Meanwhile, Michael found himself cornered as well; his petty instigations had contributed to the fiasco.


    Not only was he facingwsuits from Larry Wickman and the National Race Team for damages, but he had also lost the race and failed to secure his team’s spot on the leaderboard.


    Michael’s racing career seemed all but over, as he faced bacsh from every direction.


    The PGA Tour, BMW, and other sponsors he had rallied against Hera and the National Race Team were now turning on him.


    On top of that, he was burdened with the prospect of paying a massivepensation he had no means to afford.


    The turmoil spread to his team, which descended into infighting as they grappled with their shared predicament.


    Their anger and frustration ultimately turned toward Milly, who had been the catalyst for the entire fiasco.


    As they found themselves in deep trouble, their bottom lines and characters were put to the test.


    Even Milly’s brother, Michael, refused to stand up for her. In just two days, Michael had be almost unrecognizable.


    He hadn’t showered or shaved his growing stubble, and he had turned to drinking heavily.


    His frustration boiled over, and he even raised a hand against Milly, his voice slurring as he repeated the same bitter words: "You’re such a jinx! This is all your fault!"


    Michael beat Milly ck and blue, but that wasn’t the worst of it.


    His teammates, also ming Milly for their predicament, decided to take out their frustrations on her as well.


    While they resented Michael, they knew they couldn’t overpower him to settle the score.


    Instead, they channeled their anger toward Milly, making her the target of their collective wrath.


    Since receiving a subpoena for the court hearing and the staggeringpensation demanded by the sponsors and his new team, along with thepensation asked by Larry Wickman for the damages, Michael had shut himself away.


    Refusing to face reality, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol and stayed locked in his ce.


    He relied on Milly to handle everything—groceries, meals, and taking care of him—justifying it in his mind as her obligation after, in his view, she had ruined his life with her jealousy and pettiness.


    Meanwhile, Milly, weighed down by guilt and pain, cared for her brother despite her own suffering.


    Yet, her burden didn’t end there—Michael’s teammates would corner her whenever they could, subjecting her to beatings or worse forms of abuse.


    Hera had no idea about any of this.


    Larry refused to let Gerald share the information with her, and even Gerald, who managed intelligence for the Averys, kept it from her willingly.


    They both knew Hera’s softhearted nature and feared how she might react—especially toward someone like Milly.


    It was true that Milly and Michael hadn’t seeded in hurting Hera physically or emotionally, but that wasrgely because Hera was the Avery heiress and had the means to protect herself.


    If she hadn’t held that position, if she were just a regr racer, Michael’s fanbase would have crushed her under relentless attacks.


    Public scorn alone could have drowned her in their spit, and if she had been the slightest bit fragile, she might have been driven to despair—or worse, suicide.


    Michael’s vindictive nature was dangerous enough that he had already tried to block Hera’s path and sabotage her career using his influence.


    Even the sponsors who chose to side with Michael didn’t escape notice.


    While Larry and Gerald understood that this was just how business operated, they couldn’t stand by and let anyone bully their Young Miss.


    Determined to protect Hera, Larry didn’t hesitate to take decisive action against Michael and his team, while Gerald focused on countering the sponsors who had unfairly targeted her.