Chapter 68

Austin bent down, retrieved the folder from the floor,and skimmed through it. "How's the leasing for the commercial street coming along?"

Brinley forced herself to stay composed, trying to shift her focus back to business.

But the words on the page seemed to blur in her eyes,her thoughts kept circling back to Austin's earlier question and that sharp, knowing look in his eyes

He had to be suspicious.

"So far we've locked in three anchor tenants, and we're still negotiating with two others," she said, her voice betraying a slight tremor. "We should have definite outcomes by next week."

"I see." Austin gave a slow nod, fingertips brushing over the folder. "Add in that racing-themed café. It fits the overall atmosphere better."

"All right," Brinley said and nodded, but the uneasy throb in her chest wouldn't stop.

Their conversation ended quickly. Brinley scuttled out of the study, clutching the folder tightly. At the door, she glanced back. Austin was still seated at his desk, the invitation letter in hand,staring out of the window, as though lost in heavy thought.

Once outside, she leaned against the closed door and let out a long, shaky breath.

Ever since Brinley spotted that invitation in his study,she had been on edge. She resolved to train harder but with more secrecy.

In the same time, her workouts became more rigorous.Her main goal was to restore her stamina, especially her core strength. Professional racers endured g-forces up to five times their body weight in sharp corners. She couldn't afford to falter on the track.

"Need a hand?" Austin called out from the doorway,startling Brinley so much she almost tripped.

She turned and found him leaning against the door,dressed in a grey tank that revealed defined,sculpted arms.

"No, I'm fine." Brinley hit the pause button, grabbed a towel to mop her sweat, and forced a casual tone."You here to train too?"

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep," he said, walking closer, his eyes lingering on her flushed face with the faintest curve of a smile. "Your heart rate's high; you're overdoing it."

Brinley looked away and replied in a calm voice,"I can handle it. I'm used to this."

"Is that so?" He lifted a dumbbell effortlessly, his tone light. "I've been watching racing videos lately. Those racers' core strength is no joke."

His eyes flicked briefly to her waistline."How long do you think it would take the average person to build that level of strength?"

Brinley hesitated. Was he trying to test her knowledge of the racers?

"Not sure. . probably a long time," she answered,taking a sip from her water bottle. "Anyway, I'm done.Heading up."

As she walked away, she felt his stare burning into her,a heavy, unsettling weight between her shoulder blades.

From then on, he would appear without warning always armed with a probing question.

When she stayed up sketching racetrack layouts late at night, he would show up with a glass of warm milk,his eyes lingering on her drawings a moment too long

When she analyzed racing simulator data on her computer, he would casually pass the study door,asking in an offhand tone,"What's got you so focused?"

And what unnerved her most was that he had started watching replays of actual races.

One evening, she entered his study with a plate of fruit and caught him frowning at a screen showing an intense rally

"You follow this stuff?" Brinley asked, setting the plate down and trying to sound indifferent.

"Somewhat." Austin picked up a strawberry and held it out to her. "This driver's angle is risky. What do you think?”

Caught off guard, Brinley bit into the strawberry,muttering, "Looks... impressive."

"Impressive?" Austin chuckled softly, eyes flicking to her lips. "I think he could improve his throttle control He's not managing the power delivery smoothly through the corners."

Brinley fell silent. He was right. That was the biggest weakness of that racer, and that had been her exact thought when she watched the race back then.

How did Austin catch it so quickly?

"You really know a lot about racing," she remarked. "Just a little." Austin's tone was deliberately dismissive,the same way she had brushed him off once. But the amusement in his eyes had only deepened.

Their interactions shifted, becoming more nuanced and subtle.

One evening, while they were eating dinner one night,Austin set down his utensils and said almost casually,"The FIA called again today."

After a slight pause, Brinley asked, "And what did they say?"

"They doubled the appearance fee." Austin's eyes held a teasing glint. "Looks like they're desperate for me to join."

"Don't go," Brinley blurted, then quickly added," not worth risking your life for any amount of money If something happened to you, what would become of Moore Group?"

"But now I'm curious to try." Austin set a piece of fish on her plate, his tone easy. "Who knows? Maybe I'm a natural."

"Your gift lies in business," Brinley replied firmly

She lowered her head,absently stirring her food, her chest heavy with unease Was this another test? Did he already suspect something?

"Maybe." Austin didn't drag the matter on, simply watching her in silence, his gaze intense and inscrutable.

Later that night, Brinley lay in bed, restless and unable to sleep.

After a long stretch of hesitation, she finally picked up her phone and dialed a number she had deliberately kept out of reach for years.