Chapter 44

usual. They sat side by side in the living room, the television tuned to a racing broadcast.

A replay of a classic race came on, and Brinley's breath stalled when the camera panned over the stands.

The footage was from her final race before retirement, and in the corner of the crowd, a hooded figure bore an unsettling resemblance to Austin.

She clenched the cushion tightly, her eyes flicking to him despite herself.

Austin was quietly peeling an orange, his face softened by the glow of the screen, seemingly unaware of her unease.

"That racer was incredible," Brinley remarked, her voice carrying a forced lightness. "Her last race was unforgettable."

Austin held a slice of orange to her lips, answering evenly, "She was good."

"You watched it?" she asked. "I saw a replay with a client," he said smoothly,brushing her lips with his fingertips as he offered the fruit."Is it sweet?"

Pulled back into the moment, Brinley felt her cheeks grow hot. She bit into the orange and muttered,"Yeah."

The broadcast droned on, but her mind drifted elsewhere.

She studied Austin's profile, thinking he was like a book written in a code she couldn't crack, each page holding something hidden.

She decided to test him. Leaving a racetrack design where he would easily see it, she waited. He glanced once before casually commenting, "That curve's drawn the wrong way. It's dangerous and can cause accidents."

"How do you know that?" Brinley asked, forcing her voice to stay steady.

Austin paused with his glass in hand, answering without hesitation, "From virtual racing simulations.

Angles like that, when reversed, always cause skids."

Brinley frowned slightly. Virtual racing?

His expression was so straightforward that she suddenly felt foolish for doubting him.

Maybe she really was reading too much into it.Perhaps his knowledge came only from old hobbies and simulation games.

Choosing not to push further, she turned her focus back to work.

They had been notified that the CloudVista Estates project would be suspended for quite some time.

It had originally been designed as a major undertaking that demanded the combined effort of the entire company. But with such a long delay ahead, waiting it out simply wasn't practical.

She decided that they should shift their focus and take on other projects. When news broke that the government had announced a tender for a racing-themed real estate project, Brinley was right in the middle of a project kickoff meeting.

All the key staff had been called in.

On the conference room screen, the post-mortem analysis of their last failed commercial complex was still up, while Brinley absentmindedly rolled the stylus between her fingers, her brow tightly drawn.

"Brinley, take a look at this!" Corbin rushed in,holding up his phone. "The government just posted a tender for a racing-themed real estate project. It's a huge opportunity. Should we go after it?"