chapter472

Grace leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. Things aren't like they used to be for you. That engagement with the Jeffersons isn't official yet. Isn't it smart to have another powerful person looking out for you?"

Basically, why say no to a rich guy who's willing to bend over backwards for you?

Lucinda mulled it over and realized Grace had a point. Back in the capital, she'd never even glanced at any of those wealthy heirs. Her whole world revolved around Connor. She never saw Lydia coming. Lydia had swooped in and taken everything that should have been hers. Now, her whole family was obsessed with Lydia. Who cared what happened to Lucinda anymore? Maybe those loyal admirers would come in handy one day.

"Grace, you always see the bigger picture," Lucinda said, her voice thick with feeling. At this point, Grace was the only one who truly cared about her. Her parents and brothers always claimed they loved her, but in the end, the only person who had ever really been there was Grace.

That afternoon, Chris' team bulldozed their way through the competition. They made it all the way to the finals and took home the international trophy. Sure, they had the help of NO1 and Jay, but every win that afternoon was earned with grit and determination.

The Team Country D, on the other hand, fell apart once Rory got hurt. Their leader was out, and the rest of the team crumbled. Chris even handed over security footage to the officials, showing the Team Country D sabotaging their water bottles. And in the morning, Rory had tried to ram into Chris on the track. If NO1 hadn't pulled Chris away just in time, Chris might have been the one in the hospital. Country D's tactics were just dirty. Winning clearly meant more to them than playing fair.

The decision came down fast. Every member of the Team Country D was banned from international racing for good. The whole thing was so satisfying it was almost cathartic.

Chris was practically bouncing with excitement. If only it wasn't so inappropriate, he would have pulled Lydia into a huge, grateful hug just to show her how much he admired her.

Jay, you really pulled through for us this time. Thank you, Chris said, turning to Iceblade.

Iceblade just shrugged with that signature too-cool look. "I was just helping my cousin out." He shot Lydia a glance full of meaning. "Right, Lydia?"

The way he said it, though, definitely didn't sound like how a cousin should look at family.

Connor was nearly vibrating with jealousy. He grabbed Lydia's hand and fixed Iceblade with a stare The race is over now. I guess you be heading home?"

Yel

He'd been waiting for this moment all day. The sooner Iceblade left, the better. There was something odd about Jay. Connor knew Lydia well enough to know that if anyone else teased her like this, she'd have smacked them without a second thought But for some reason, Sher

let Jay get away with it. It was driving Connor up the wall.

Iceblade grinned, his tone playful. "What, you can't stand to see me with my cousin?"

Connor didn't bother pretending anymore. "Come on, don't be like that. If you haven't had enough fun today, why don't we get a drink tonight?"

Iceblade didn't buy it for a second. He laughed softly. "I've been at the track all day.

I'm wiped out. I'm heading back to get some sleep."

He turned and walked away, leaving Connor a little stunned by how quickly he made his exit. But halfway down the hall, Iceblade glanced over his shoulder at Lydia.

"Lydia, make sure you take me with you when you go home tonight."