Chapter 6

Stella POV

Seeing my appearance, a flicker of panic crossed Summer' eyes, but she quickly adopted an innocent expression.

"Stella, you're back? Leo said you might not be racing anymore, and this lounge was empty, so he let me use it as an art studio for now. You don't mind, do you?"

I ignored her provocation and walked straight to the safe, inputting the password and retrieving the hard drive filled with core data.

"Suit yourself. I don't care for this dump anymore anyway."

I turned to leave, but Leo pushed open the door just then.

Seeing me, a hint of barely perceptible surprise flashed in Leo's eyes, but he quickly composed himself, adopting a condescending air.

"So you decided to come back? I thought you were going to hide away forever."

He walked up to me, his gaze falling on my bandaged left hand, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Alright, stop being childish. Summer has given you back the lounge. Withdraw your termination email, and for tomorrow's test race, you can instruct the new drivers as co-pilot."

He arranged everything for me as if that night's slap and our breakup had never happened.

I looked at this conceited man in front of me and found him utterly ridiculous.

"Mr. Thorne, I think you've got something wrong."

I slapped a paper termination agreement and a check onto Leo's chest.

"I came here today to pay the breach of contract fee. From now on, I have absolutely no relationship with the Redline team, or with you, Leo."

Leo looked down at the enormous check, stamped with the Phantom team's official seal, his face instantly turning ashen.

"Phantom team? You actually hooked up with Vincent behind my back?!"

Leo's anger turned to a cold laugh. He grabbed my collar.

"Stella, you've really gotten bold! To get back at me, you'd even provoke a ruthless monster like him?!"

"Let go!"

I looked at him coldly.

"Who I sign with is my business."

"I don't agree!"

Leo violently tore the check to shreds, his eyes crimson.

"You're a Redline person, and you'll die a Redline ghost! Do you think Vincent truly values you? He just wants to use you to humiliate me! Once this hand of yours is completely ruined, he'll throw you away like trash!"

"That's still better than staying by your side and being a fawning dog!"

I pushed him away forcefully.

That hit a nerve, and Leo completely lost it.

"Fine! Fine then! Stella, if you dare to walk out that door today, I promise to destroy your career and reputation! I will submit evidence to the Racing Association that you deliberately underperformed and leaked team secrets, ensuring you never set foot on a racetrack again!"

He used my most cherished dream to ruthlessly threaten me.

I stopped, turning to look at him.

"Leo, you're truly pathetic."

I didn't say another word, turning decisively and walking out.

Seeing this, Summer hurriedly chased after me, grabbing my arm, her face drenched in tears.

"Stella, don't go! It's all my fault, I shouldn't have used your lounge, please don't be angry with Leo..."

In the struggle, a malicious glint flashed in Summer' eyes. Her high heel stomped hard and accurately on my cast-encased right foot, while her shoulder slammed into my comminuted fractured right arm!

Excruciating pain instantly swept through my entire body. My vision went black, and out of instinct, I forcefully pushed Summer away.

"Ah!"

Summer stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting her forehead on the doorframe, a trickle of blood appearing.

"Summer!"

Leo's eyes were bloodshot. He rushed forward and kicked me hard in the back of my knee.

Already weak, the kick sent me sprawling to my knees. My right arm hit the hard tile floor, and the bones that had just been set dislocated again, letting out a dull crunch that set my teeth on edge.

Cold sweat instantly drenched my entire body. I writhed on the floor in pain, even my breath tasting of blood.

Leo held Summer, whose forehead was bleeding, and looked down at me, writhing in pain, his eyes cold as knives.

"Stella, you're hopeless! Get out of Redline now! I never want to see you again!"

I don't know how I walked out of the Redline team's base.

The excruciating pain in my right arm almost made me lose consciousness; every step felt like dancing on the edge of a knife.

Seeing my condition, the bodyguards immediately stepped forward to support me and took me back to Vincent's private hospital.

After an emergency examination, Professor Miller looked at the X-rays, his face extremely grim.

"Secondary dislocation, bone fragments have pierced the nerve. Stella, I need to operate on you immediately, but even if the surgery is successful, your chances of returning to peak condition are... less than twenty percent."

Less than twenty percent.

Those words hit my heart like a death sentence.

I closed my eyes. "Do it. Even if it's only ten percent, I have to try."

The surgery lasted a full ten hours.

When I woke up again, my right arm was rigidly immobilized with thick metal plates and a cast.

Vincent stood by the window, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his back exuding a chilling aura.

"Leo did this?"

He turned, a bloodthirsty storm brewing in his deep eyes.

I didn't speak, just stared silently at the ceiling.

"I'll make him pay."

Vincent crushed the cigarette in his palm, his voice icy cold.

"No need," I said.

"Mr. King, this is between him and me. I'll use my achievements on the track to personally crush the Redline team."

Vincent looked at me, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

"Good. I'll be waiting."

Over the next month, I began hellish physical therapy.

Every stretch was agonizing. I bit through countless wooden sticks, sweat and tears mixing, yet I never once asked to stop.