Chapter 2

Nicole carried her suitcase to the villa's entrance and let out a long sigh. Finally, she was free! Her phone rang. It was a message notification from Sue. Sue's messages continued to flood her screen like an alarm. "The bid we've been eyeing has finally made some progress! The person in charge behind it announced that whoever can win the Black Crown at Luminous Lounge will get a chance to ask for any condition from him." Luminous Lounge was the most high-end entertainment venue in Ashgard City. Its underground third floor hosted exclusive races, equestrian events, and boxing matches for high-ranking members only. It was a place about victory and defeat. The Black Crown was the highest racing award. To win it, one not only had to outpace all other cars but also break the record set by the previous champion. No one had won the Black Crown in the past three years. "Still, it's useless without you. Who else can break the record you set back then?" Nicole smiled and quickly typed a reply. "I just got divorced. See you at the Luminous Lounge in 20 minutes." She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and ignored the relentless vibrations. She then hailed a cab straight to Luminous Lounge. After hanging up the phone, Jacob remained silent. He looked at Sarah, who was standing in front of him. Sarah's heart pounded. She acted calm and asked deliberately, "I think I heard your wife on the phone just now…" Her face tensed up, and she seemed very guilty. "Did I cause a misunderstanding between you two? I'm sorry. I can explain to Ms. Barnes…" "Isn't this the result you wanted?" Jacob tossed his phone onto the table. His tone was casual, but it drained the blood out of Sarah's face. "Jacob, I didn't mean that. You misunderstood me. How could I want to ruin your marriage?" "Whatever." Jacob continued flipping through the documents in his hand. He was clearly impatient. "Get dressed and leave." Sarah gripped the edge of her towel tightly. She had practiced her carefully exposed chest and thighs, slightly damp hair, and pitiful appearance countless times, yet Jacob wouldn't even spare her a glance. She gritted her teeth and dressed herself. She stared at Jacob's back, silently vowing that one day, Jacob would be hers. After the door closed, Jacob's phone showed a new message from Tyler Graham. "Hey, a big deal is coming to the Luminous Lounge tonight!" Jacob glanced at the message but ignored it. However, Tyler seemed determined to get his attention. He bombarded Jacob with messages until he got irritated and muted his phone. That's when he noticed the top message. "It's Rosa! That genius racer who disappeared three years ago!" Jacob raised his eyebrows. He grabbed the jacket draped over the couch and walked out of the room. He didn't notice that there was someone hidden in the dark observing him. At Luminous Lounge, the receptionist was keying information into the system when a gentle female voice interrupted her. "Hello, I'd like to check in." She looked up to see a woman in a simple white T-shirt and jeans. Her long hair was tied back casually, and she was wearing thick-framed glasses beneath her long bangs. She looked entirely out of place in the lavish club. The receptionist rolled her eyes and continued typing. "Sorry, miss, but we operate on a membership basis. Our standards are very high, and we only serve the top-tier clientele. We don't handle budget hotel check-ins." As she spoke, she impatiently tapped the counter with her pack, gesturing toward the door. "There's a motel five miles to the right. You are better over there." Nicole wasn't offended by the receptionist's words. She calmly placed a black card on the counter and slid it toward her. "Does this card work?" "Maxing out your credit card won't help. I already told you it's a members-only—wait, a limited-edition black card!" The receptionist screamed and covered her mouth in disbelief as she stared at Nicole. She stammered, "Y-you… How could you…" There were only ten limited-edition black cards issued worldwide by Luminous Lounge. Those who own them are the wealthiest elites at the top of the pyramid. Nicole tilted her head and asked, "Can I check in now?" Meanwhile, in a VIP room on the second underground floor of the Luminous Lounge, a man held a glass of red wine and watched the racing cars below impatiently. He frowned. "Where is Rosa? Did you call me here just to watch these amateurs racing?" Tyler poured Jacob more wine. He assured Jacob, "Don't worry. You set the rule that whoever wins the Black Crown can make a request to lure out Rosa. We've waited three years. A little longer won't hurt." "It's not Rosa I'm interested in. You should know that." Jacob placed his wine on the table and leaned back on the sofa. His expression was grim. "I understand. You want to use Rosa to get to the mysterious doctor, Shadow Healer. But this can't be rushed. Since the accident five years ago, there's been no trace of her medical practices. "Whether she still has the skills to bring the dead back to life is yet to be confirmed…" "Grandpa can't wait any longer." Jacob took a sip of his wine. He further added coldly, "The doctor said he has at most a year." Tyler frowned. "The doctor said the same thing ten years ago. Yet your grandfather is still doing well! Didn't they say it was because of some pills your wife gave him that he regained his strength all of a sudden?" "She's not my wife," Jacob corrected. "As of two hours ago, she's officially my ex-wife." He fiddled with his pocket watch irritably. "And that so-called pill, how is it different from any other supplement? Only Grandpa believes in her. He insisted on taking it daily." The roar of the engine thundered across one end of the racetrack. A car maneuvered through the gaps between the vehicles, kicking up a vast cloud of dust that lingered over the racetrack that was as big as several football fields. Several huge flood lights lit up one after another. Their binding beams focused on a crimson car in the corner. The seasoned announcer could barely contain the tremor in his voice as he shouted, "Let's welcome today's final challenger, Rosa!" The deafening cheers made the VIP room's windows vibrate slightly. Tyler pressed himself against the glass and watched as the dust settled and the car door opened. The slim figure of a woman slowly stepped out. She was clad in racing gear. The large helmet obscured her face. Only her hair was visible through the gaps. "Oh my god, it's Rosa! Rosa is a woman?" Jacob tuned out the astonished voices around him and used a monocular to observe Rosa, who was leaning against the car door and overseeing the final checks of the car by the staff. He furrowed his brows. Why did Rosa seem so familiar to him?