Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 114: Chapter 114

Zoe met Charlie's harsh scolding with nothing but icy indifference.
Everyone turned to Charlie, curiosity written all over their faces. One said, "Wait, Charlie, that girl who just pulled strings to get into our racing club is your sister?"
Charlie nodded and said, "Yeah, that's Zoe. She's the sister we just brought back from outside."
One said, "No wonder she looked so familiar. She's that small-town heiress everyone's been gossiping about in Jelonsburg lately, right?"
Another said, "Charlie, don't take this the wrong way, but the stuff people are saying about your sister online isn't great. They call her a faker, a copycat, and ruthless to others. How did someone like that even get into our club?"
Someone chimed in, "If you ask me, we should just kick her out."
One said, "Exactly!"
The crowd was buzzing with complaints, all echoing Charlie's attitude. Off to the side, Henry's face grew darker and darker.
Charlie felt humiliated. He felt Zoe was making a complete fool of him. He stormed right up to Zoe, reaching out to grab her and drag her away.
He said, "I don't know what you said to Henry to get into this club, but you're listening to me now. Go home. Right now."
"I refuse," Zoe replied coolly. She wasn't anyone's puppet, and she wasn't about to take orders from Charlie. Besides, she'd already taken the money. Once one was paid, one should finish the job. That was the mercenary code, and she wasn't about to break it.
Zoe's refusal made Charlie's face grow even more sour. He remembered his last phone call with the family. Herbert and Jacob had been furious, ranting about Zoe's behavior.
Back then, Charlie thought his brothers were exaggerating, but seeing Zoe now, he felt Herbert and Jacob had gone easy on her.
Charlie glared at Zoe. He assumed that Zoe was just some nobody who'd used shady connections to sneak into the racing club, rather than having any real skills.
He scowled and threatened, "If you won't quit the club, fine. I'll give you one shot. Come race me on the track. If you lose, you're going home, no arguments. If you win, I'll stay out of your business.
"Otherwise, I'll call home right now and let Mom and the rest deal with you."
The people around them started jeering and egging Charlie on. None of them thought Zoe belonged here. They all figured she was just some nobody who got in through connections.
They thought, 'She's just a teenage girl. She's never even raced in any big competitions, let alone won one. What makes her qualified to join the racing association?'
Even when Charlie offered to race Zoe himself, some people still weren't convinced. One said, "Charlie, you can't be the only one racing her. She's your sister, what if you go easy on her?"
Another chimed in, "Yeah, what if you two are in on it together and rig the whole thing?"
Hearing all the chatter, Charlie's face darkened, but he didn't bother arguing. He just pointed at someone and said, "Mark, you're racing with us."
Mark was a club veteran, just as skilled as Charlie. More importantly, he was known for being honest to a fault. He'd never throw a race or play favorites. He always called it like he saw it.
That finally satisfied the crowd. Now, all eyes were on Zoe, waiting to see if she had the guts to accept the challenge or not.
Seeing how fired up everyone was, Henry walked over to Zoe and said, "Don't mind these guys. They can be a bit much. If you don't want to race, I'll send them all packing and tell them to mind their own business."
Zoe answered, "If everyone doubts me, then I'll prove myself on the track. Since they want a race, I'll give them one. Better to settle it now than have people coming after me again and again."
The onlookers had expected Zoe to be scared. After all, Charlie was a world-ranked racer. An ordinary person could never beat him. But seeing Zoe accept the challenge with total composure, people were surprised.
Someone in the crowd remarked, "She is fearless. Guess that's what happens when you're young and haven't been knocked around by life yet."
"In that case, you should just race on the club's private track," Henry said with a smile. Honestly, he was eager to see Zoe's driving skills for himself.
The aerial footage from that day hadn't been very clear; all Henry could make out was a blue Lamborghini tearing down the Twilight Ridge track on the blurry monitor.
Now, he finally had the chance to witness Zoe's skills in person. This way, he could decide if Zoe was Fox. But he wasn't planning to share with anyone that suspicion.
Everyone was moved over to the track for the race.
Zoe glanced at the track, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. It wasn't world-class, but it was close enough to the top international circuits to reignite her adrenaline and reminded her of the wild thrill she used to chase.
Charlie walked up to Zoe and said, "These cars were all serviced today. Pick whichever you like. Racing suits are over there."
He didn't care for Zoe's reckless, arrogant attitude. But blood was blood, he didn't want anything to happen to Zoe.
Zoe shot Charlie a quick look, then picked the flashiest car from the lineup. Then she changed into a racing suit and got in the car. Her movements were clean and decisive, with no hesitation.
Charlie and Mark were ready too. The three cars rolled slowly onto the track.
Charlie rolled down his window and said, "Zoe, you can still back out. Once you're on the track, anything can happen. Are you not afraid for your life?"
All he got was a cold, indifferent look from Zoe, and he knew there was no changing her mind.
The track here wasn't some tricky mountain course like Twilight Ridge. It had no winding roads, no climbs or drops, no blind spots. It was a wide, simple loop, just circling, but big enough to make things interesting.
When racers practiced or competed, they'd just go around this loop. Standard races were ten laps, winner takes all.
The referee stepped up to the starting line and raised his gun. With a single shot, the three cars shot forward like rockets, engines roaring as the crowd erupted. The showdown with Clusia's top racers had officially begun.