CHAPTER 5: CHAPTER 5: EYES BRIMMING WITH TEARS AND DEW

The hills in the southern part of Astra City undulate, and although the slopes are not steep, the terrain is rugged and fragmented. This section of mountain road is used as a stage in the rally race.

The early autumn rain is not heavy, but like fine threads, they never seem to stop. The weather has been like this for several consecutive days, and even the sky has become a bit stifling.

The mountain road has become somewhat muddy.

As soon as Natalie Vaughn got out of the car, the earthy smell assaulted her senses, causing her to frown involuntarily. She hated rainy days and naturally despised this kind of damp mustiness. Phoebe Quinn, on the other hand, was different; it had been too long since she’d watched a race, and the excitement in her heart surged once again as she got back into it.

All around were excited people, making Natalie feel out of place.

Aaron Channing pointed to a spot.

"That’s Zane Thorne’s team."

Natalie looked in that direction. In one of those large tents, there was a flag outside one of the tents that was particularly bold. A dark red background with black patterns adorned it; she couldn’t see what it was but felt its fierce presence.

There were a lot of people here; the weather was hot, and light rain was falling, making it both stuffy and agitating. Yet, these fans’ faces remained excited. There were more men, but quite a few women too. Listening to their conversations, Natalie could always pick out one word.

ROX Team.

This was the team under Zane Thorne’s club.

And as the owner, once a god in the Cinnabar racing circuit, Zane Thorne had become a popular topic of discussion among them.

Phoebe pulled Natalie towards the tent.

"Nina, let’s see if Zane is around."

For convenience, Natalie wore casual shorts today and a pair of mountain boots. The light drizzle didn’t require an umbrella, so she simply donned a baseball cap.

Phoebe’s outfit wasn’t much different, showing off long, slender, white legs, which attracted quite a bit of attention from people all around.

Natalie noticed what Phoebe was holding.

"What’s that?"

Phoebe stopped and handed her one of the support banners.

"I didn’t expect after not watching races for a few years, they still do this kind of thing."

Natalie looked down at the item in her hand printed with the ROX Team logo and wording, pursed her lips slightly. As they reached the tent entrance, Natalie instinctively rolled up what was in her hands.

Phoebe, always bold, leaned in the doorway, peeking inside.

"Excuse me, is Zane Thorne here?"

The group was mostly men, so hearing a woman’s voice, everyone turned in unison to look at the two of them.

A man named Dean Dempsey, who had just finished inspecting his gear and was speaking with his co-pilot, turned around upon hearing this. He first saw Phoebe and raised an eyebrow.

Has Mr. Thorne been getting a lot of romantic attention lately? A girl at the bar a few days ago, and now another pretty girl at the racetrack.

They’re all quite lovely.

With this in mind, Dean walked over to the tent entrance, ready to ask if there was something they needed, but turned his head and saw Natalie beside them. Dean squinted; although Natalie was wearing a hat, he still recognized her as the girl from the bar.

Dean whistled, amused.

Aaron, who was closely following, just happened to hear that whistle, and his face darkened considerably.

Phoebe still wore her smiling eyes.

"Hey handsome, is your boss around?"

Dean noticed what Phoebe was holding and asked with a smile.

"Are you a fan of Mr. Thorne?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I’ve admired God Thorne for many years."

Hearing the term "God Thorne," Dean was a bit surprised, not expecting the young woman in front of him to know that nickname, leading him to take a few more glances at Phoebe.

Just that...

"What about you?"

Dean turned to look at Natalie. Since he came out, this girl’s expression hadn’t changed; she remained cool and silent, wearing a hat, exuding a bit of a cool vibe.

This was a far cry from the bar scene the other night, where she was asking everyone where Mr. Thorne was.

Natalie finally looked up, meeting Dean’s gaze for just a second, then turned her focus to inside the tent.

Seeing this, Dean found it more intriguing, stepping aside openly to let them look.

"Mr. Thorne hasn’t arrived yet."

At hearing this, Natalie withdrew her gaze and furrowed her brows.

She had no interest in the race; she was here purely because of Zane Thorne.

Phoebe felt a little disappointed.

"Is God Thorne not coming today?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders; he didn’t know either.

"Not sure, do you want me to pass along your stuff for him to sign?"

Phoebe immediately handed over her things to Dean, including those in Natalie’s hands.

The race was about to start, and Dean couldn’t chat with them further.

Natalie found the weather increasingly annoying, and now she finally got a good look at the pattern on that flag.

A fierce dragon.

People by the roadside started to get rowdy and agitated; as the three of them just got back to the high ground, people began cheering, and even Phoebe was shouting with her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.

Amid the sounds of exhaust and shouting, no one noticed a car stopped at the entrance to the area.

Natalie wasn’t comfortable with such a hot, noisy scene, especially the flying yellow dust when the racing car drifted past, which made her uncomfortable.

She wasn’t a germaphobe, but it was hard to suddenly embrace such wildness. Walking to the edge, where she could hardly see the race cars, she took a deep breath while facing a tree, finally feeling a bit more at ease.

Her boots were covered in wet mud, and not wanting to use her hands, she simply kicked them against the concrete a few times. Thoughts of why Zane Thorne hadn’t come flooded her mind, and her feet moved in unintentional, habitual motions.

Walking a few steps and kicking a few times, Natalie obviously underestimated the roughness of the terrain, accidentally kicked a sizable stone, stumbled, and fell abruptly to the ground.

"Thud—"

A loud noise.

Natalie groaned; she wasn’t afraid of pain, but the way she fell, landing on both knees without any cover, the pain was direct, giving her no time to react, and her eyes filled with involuntary tears.

It took a while before Natalie came back to her senses from the mental blankness.

She was lucky she was quick enough to prop herself up with her hands; otherwise, if her face had hit the ground, she would’ve surely been disfigured.

What lousy ground is this?

Natalie took a deep breath, pushed down her frustration, and tried to get up, but as soon as she moved, a stinging pain shot directly to her brain.

"Hiss—"

This time, Natalie couldn’t help but let out a cry of pain.

Natalie wasn’t afraid of pain, that’s true, but growing up pampered, her skin was tender, and the rough ground with its stones likely made her injuries shocking.

When had the Vaughn family’s young lady ever been this embarrassed?

She shouldn’t have come to this accursed place; the more she thought about it, the more she blamed Zane Thorne.

Just as Natalie was considering how to get up, a soft chuckle reached her ears, and in her view appeared a pair of black mountain boots.

Natalie:....

No worries, after all, if no one knows her, it’s not considered embarrassing.

Adjusting her emotions, Natalie looked up. The person before her was evidently very tall, and she couldn’t see his face.

"Sir, would you mind giving me a hand?"

The person didn’t respond immediately but just stood there looking down at Natalie. She frowned; she didn’t like being checked out like this, especially not in her current condition. Her lips pressed into a line, and she lowered her head, planning to get up on her own.

At that moment, the man bent down, extending his hand.

His hand was large, Natalie thought, almost enough to wrap both of hers.

Natalie raised her hand to take hold of that big hand, but as soon as she lifted it, the stinging burn of her scraped skin made her eyes well up with tears again.

A pair of brows delicately arched like those described for Little Miss Fletcher, and eyes that seemed like they’d just wept.

This poetry describes Natalie perfectly at this moment.

Zane Thorne, watching Natalie’s eyes, squinted slightly, as if understanding why his mother would say she was sweet and gentle.

The man straightforwardly hooked his arm around Natalie’s waist, lifting her up with one hand.