CHAPTER 7: CHAPTER 7: GOD THORNE’S RETIREMENT MAY NOT BE SO SIMPLE

Phoebe Quinn and Aaron Channing finally realized Natalie Vaughn was missing and noticed several missed calls on their phones. But when they tried calling back, her phone was already turned off.

By the time they found the ROX tent, Natalie had already begun tending to her wounds.

Phoebe looked at the injury on her leg and raised an eyebrow.

"How did this happen?"

Natalie raised her hand to touch her nose, mumbling.

"Just stumbled."

Even though they were good friends, she really didn’t want to tell them how she fell; it was just too embarrassing.

Aaron noticed the injuries on Natalie’s hand and quickly grabbed her wrist, his brows lifting.

"You took quite a fall."

Although his words carried a hint of teasing, he promptly took out the bandages from the medical kit and started dressing Natalie’s wound. Interestingly, out of the three, it was Aaron, the manly guy, who was best at bandaging injuries.

Natalie looked at the small bow tied on the back of her hand and smiled.

"Dr. Channing’s bandaging skills are getting better and better."

Aaron snorted coldly; he may be a psychologist, but just because the two of them are such clumsy people, he has to do things like this.

"With your delicate skin, who knows how long it’ll take to heal completely. How did you manage to fall this bad?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulders, unwilling to say more.

Meanwhile, Phoebe was inspecting the tent.

"You came here by yourself?"

She didn’t think Natalie would be the type to casually wander onto someone else’s turf to find a medical kit. Given her proud nature, she’d fall, get up, and call them, waiting to be rescued right where she was.

"Someone happened to see me and brought me over."

Phoebe’s eyes widened.

"ROX member? Could it be God Thorne?"

The racer and co-driver had gone to compete, and the rest were watching the race from the roadside.

Natalie’s heart skipped a beat, thinking of the man’s deep black eyes and the warmth emanating from him, she touched her earlobe.

"Not really sure."

Then her fingers tapped her chin.

"The guy was really tall, quite well-built, and...pretty handsome."

Phoebe gasped; with all these factors combined and being someone from ROX, it was highly likely to be God Thorne!

Natalie couldn’t help but laugh at Phoebe’s reaction.

"He just went out, probably watching the race. You might still catch him if you go looking now."

Natalie harbored a bit of her own hope; Phoebe was a fan of Zane Thorne, and even if she hadn’t heard from him for several years, meeting him should confirm whether it was really him or not.

"Darling, should I head over now?"

After speaking, she felt a bit guilty looking at Natalie’s injuries.

"Go ahead, we’ll wait for you in the car."

As soon as the words were out, Phoebe was already sprinting out.

Aaron had just finished tidying up the medical kit, snorting coldly.

"A twenty-something-year-old still thinking she’s a little girl chasing idols."

Hearing this, Natalie raised an eyebrow as she looked at his somewhat displeased expression, amused.

Natalie had always been perceptive of others. Aaron’s relationship with them wasn’t as close when they were younger; it was only after high school when they grew closer, and she knew why very well.

Yana was just oblivious.

Aaron’s feelings towards racing were quite similar to Natalie’s, and neither planned to watch anymore.

Natalie extended her hand, grinning.

"Dr. Channing, please carry me."

Aaron resigned himself as he crouched in front of Natalie.

Once they were in the car, he asked about the phone. Natalie instinctively felt her pocket, feeling empty.

Oh, she remembered the phone was in that man’s pocket.

Aaron studied Natalie’s expression seriously before finally asking the question that had been on his mind for days.

"What do you think of the Thorne family?"

Natalie understood what Aaron was worried about. During high school, Yana’s obsession with racing was intense. Now, with the prospect of being brought together with Zane Thorne by family arrangement, Aaron was concerned whether Yana’s admiration for Zane could develop into something romantic.

But she knew it was merely a pure admiration and passion for an idol, nothing to do with romance, nothing to do with love affairs.

As for her thoughts on Zane Thorne...

If the man she was assuming earlier was indeed Zane Thorne, she could only say she was starting to look forward to Friday.

Thinking this, Natalie curled her lips slightly.

"Quite intriguing."

The words seemed vague, but Aaron understood.

If Natalie didn’t object to the arranged meeting with Zane Thorne, and if things were similar from Zane’s end, the union between the families shouldn’t face any hindrances.

This circle was just like that; marriages intertwined with too much, and love was the least valued element. If the couple could not find each other objectionable, they’d already reached the threshold for marriage. If they could even grow to like each other, it could truly become a celebrated story.

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief to himself, knowing such thoughts were wrong, but if Natalie were to marry Zane Thorne, it certainly would remove a thorn from his heart.

The rain seemed to have stopped. Natalie rolled down all the car windows, looking towards the race course. Besides the hills and the crowd, she couldn’t see much more nor the tall figure.

Wondering if Yana managed to find him.

Phoebe came back half an hour later; under the dim skies, during the wait, Natalie almost fell asleep.

She lifted her heavy eyelids to see Phoebe’s flushed face and the smile at the corners of her mouth, instantly becoming more alert.

"Did you see him?"

Her voice had unknowingly become hoarse. Natalie blinked and coughed lightly a few times.

"Saw him, saw him, Nina! After so many years, God Thorne is still so handsome!"

Returning to the viewing area, Phoebe had been looking for Zane Thorne. He wasn’t wearing the ROX team uniform, but he had a presence and aura that couldn’t be ignored.

She stood just meters away from Zane Thorne, staring, not out of being scared to go closer, but after so many years, seeing the idol of her youth again gave her a sudden sense of unreality.

Yet her gaze was too direct and intense, and Zane Thorne noticed her.

The man looked over with casual indifference, pausing when he saw Phoebe’s face.

His memory was good, recognizing her as the friend who came to pick up Natalie that evening.

Phoebe excitedly approached, her mind so overwhelmed with excitement that her words spilled out without thought.

"God Thorne, I’m your fan. I’ve always hoped you’ll return to the track!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Phoebe knew she had misspoken. The reason for Zane Thorne’s retirement back then was unknown, but it surely had personal intricacies.

Zane Thorne’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes grew colder.

Realizing this, Phoebe instantly calmed her demeanor.

"Nina, God Thorne’s retirement might really be quite complex."

Natalie was taken aback, instinctively drumming her fingers against her leg, not feeling pain even when touching the wound.

She thought of the yellow earth, the racing cars speeding past, splashing mud.

Zane Thorne in his youth was just as reckless and daring.

Natalie recalled the man’s pair of hands, noticing the veins on the back, which she found intensely attractive, suddenly curious about what it would be like if those hands drove.

Thus, after returning home, Natalie made a phone call.

She agreed to the arranged meeting on Friday, making a request that wasn’t really a request.

She wanted Zane Thorne to pick her up from school.