Chapter 8

The crowd erupted in murmurs. Eliot rushed over as soon as he heard what was happening. Zane held his cheek, staring at Taryn with an unreadable expression. Bernice, meanwhile, stepped in front of Zane and glared at Taryn. She shouted, "How dare you hit Zane?" Taryn rolled her wrist. Her wound wasn't fully healed, and because of the two of them, her chest ached with anger. Nonetheless, her expression remained unchanged. She said, "It's my car. I was involved in every part of the assembly and tuning. My name is literally engraved on the steering wheel. How do you two have the nerve to claim it as yours?" Bernice's eyes burned with fury. When she noticed Zane staring at Taryn, she completely lost it and stepped toward Taryn, ready to slap her. She snapped, "Don't think I don't know that Zane already gave you 50 million dollars. He already bought your car!" Taryn didn't just stand there. She caught Bernice's hand, then let out a mocking laugh. "50 million dollars was just compensation for the car you crashed. You can't buy this one for 50 million dollars!" As a rookie, Bernice had no idea how expensive a customized race car could be. She ignored everything and kept shouting insults until the argument escalated to the point where Eliot had to step between them. Taryn was Redline Motorsports' star racer and their best shot at winning championships. Zane, on the other hand, was the team's owner, and every investment came from the Wilder family. Eliot couldn't afford to offend either of them. Just weeks ago, Taryn and Zane had seemed fairly close. Now, they were tearing each other apart over Bernice. Eliot wanted to cry. Taryn had been with Redline Motorsports for a long time, and her colleagues had all heard the truth. They were on her side, and their expressions were full of disapproval toward Bernice. Unable to take the pressure, Bernice grabbed Zane's arm and looked at him pitifully. "Zane, you promised me that you would give me anything I want. Today was supposed to be your confession. That race car means something special to me. I want it." Zane gently patted her head and replied, "Don't worry. Whatever you want, I'll make sure you have it." Seeing that, Taryn couldn't help but clench her fists. Her heart had been hurt so deeply that it no longer ached, yet it still twitched out of reflex. She swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat and forced herself to stay composed. She had a competition coming up. She couldn't give up that car. When their eyes met, Zane's voice cut into Taryn like a blade. "Name your price. 80 million dollars should be enough to buy the car. Stop using these tricks to get my attention." Taryn let out a mocking laugh. She hadn't expected Zane to be this self-absorbed. She stared at him and said, "Zane, don't flatter yourself. Who do you think you are? Why would I want your attention? And no matter how much you offer, I'm not selling it." For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. Looking at Taryn now, Zane found her unfamiliar. She used to look at him with a warmth he couldn't describe, but now her gaze was cold. Panic rose in him, but he clearly liked Bernice. So, why would he have such feelings for Taryn? Zane pinched his palm and forced himself to calm down. Bernice was the person who mattered most to him. He would give her whatever she wanted. Looking at Taryn, Zane made up his mind. "If you don't hand over the car today, get out of Redline Motorsports. Don't forget that it belongs to my family now." The crowd gasped. No one knew better than Zane how much racing meant to Taryn. He smirked smugly, confident she would hand over the car. After all, this was the only team in the country with top-level facilities and a dedicated racetrack. However, Taryn's next words stunned him. "Sure. I'll leave. But everything that belongs to me—including my cars—goes with me. I'm not leaving a single thing behind." The crowd gasped again. Everyone tried to talk Taryn out of it, but she had already weighed her options. Redline Motorsports had changed completely. Ever since Zane let Bernice join the team despite her lack of qualifications, Taryn had been thinking about leaving. And now was the perfect time. Eliot wanted to persuade Taryn, but when he saw how aggressively Bernice was behaving, he let out a sigh. "It looks like I'm getting old. If Taryn is leaving, there's no reason for me to stay either. I'm leaving as well."