Vanessa wiped the sweat off her brow, her pulse still sky-high.

    "It feels damn good," she said breathlessly, her voice slightly hoarse from the adrenaline. "This wasn''t an easy race. The competition was brutal, and there were a few moments where I thought I might not make it. But I knew what I came here to do — win — and I wasn''t about to back down."

    The crowd erupted again, chanting her name.

    "Did you expect such an aggressive pushback from Rafaelle?" the reporter asked.

    Vanessa let out a short laugh, shaking her head.

    "Of course. Rafaelle doesn''t like losing, and neither do I. We both fought hard for it, but at the end of the day..." She gestured to the 1st place ranking still flashing above them. "I wanted it more."

    More cheers.

    Another reporter stepped forward.

    "You''ve won a hundred thousand dollars with this victory," they said. "Do you have any immediate plans?"

    Vanessa exhaled, rolling her shoulders.

    "Right now? I just want to breathe," she admitted with a chuckle. "But after that? We''ll see."

    The reporters laughed, and she gave them a quick nod before stepping away, letting her team pull her into a celebratory huddle.

    Cameras flashed, the entire world watching.

    Hours later, Vanessa finally had a moment to herself.

    She sat in the racer''s lounge, her trophy sitting beside her, as she scrolled through her phone.

    Her name was everywhere on the internet.

    Clips of the race were trending.

    People were analyzing her moves, debating whether her final overtake had been too aggressive.

    Others were praising her skill, calling it one of the best racing performances of the year.

    But Vanessa wasn''t focusing on any of that.

    Her fingers hovered over the message screen.

    Ethan.

    She bit her lip, debating for a second before typing out a message.

    [So... did you watch?]

    She stared at the screen for a moment.

    Then, before she could second-guess herself, she hit send.

    Now, she just had to wait.

    Vanessa stared at her phone screen, waiting.

    She had sent the text almost ten minutes ago. No response.

    Her fingers tapped against the counter as she debated whether to send another one.

    Maybe he hadn''t seen it yet. Maybe he was busy.

    But before she could overthink it any further, her phone buzzed in her hand — not with a text, but a call.

    Her brow furrowed. Ethan.

    She swiped to answer.

    "Hello?"

    A faint sizzling sound crackled through the speaker, followed by a low grunt.

    She blinked. "Uh... what are you doing?"

    There was a bit of shuffling on the other end before Ethan''s voice came through, slightly strained.

    "Hang on."

    A second later, the call switched to video.

    "Thanks," she said, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You were watching, huh?"

    Ethan raised a brow. "Did you doubt it?"

    She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I don''t know. You didn''t text back."

    Ethan smirked slightly, shaking his head.

    "I figured a call would be better," he admitted.

    Vanessa hummed in response, her gaze lingering on the screen.

    She could see the flicker of the kitchen lights, the faint steam rising from the pan. But more than that, she could see him.

    Relaxed. At ease.

    Different from how he usually was.

    She bit her lip, choosing her next words carefully.

    "So... what''d you think?"

    Ethan turned off the stove before facing the screen again.

    "You were ruthless," he said simply.

    Vanessa raised a brow. "That''s a good thing, right?"

    Ethan''s lips twitched into something resembling a smile.

    "You won, didn''t you?"

    Vanessa exhaled a laugh, shaking her head.

    "Yeah," she murmured. "I did."

    For a moment, neither of them spoke.

    The video call remained open, the distant hum of the mansion''s kitchen the only sound between them.

    Then, Ethan''s voice cut through the quiet.

    "You deserve it."

    It wasn''t just a statement. It was conviction.

    Vanessa felt something warm settle in her chest.

    She swallowed, shifting slightly on the couch.

    "...Thanks," she murmured, almost softer than she intended.

    Ethan nodded once before reaching for something offscreen.

    "I should probably eat before this gets cold," he said, the moment easing back into something more casual.

    Vanessa chuckled. "Yeah. Wouldn''t want those gourmet night pancakes to go to waste."

    Ethan gave her a dry look but didn''t respond.

    Instead, he leaned slightly toward the screen.

    "...Get some rest, Vanessa."

    Vanessa blinked, slightly caught off guard.

    Then, a small smile tugged at her lips.

    "You too, Ethan."

    And with that, the call ended.

    Vanessa sat there for a moment, staring at the now black screen.

    Then, slowly, she leaned her head back against the couch, exhaling.

    Her trophy sat beside her, the echoes of the cheering crowd still fresh in her mind.

    But all she could think about was the sound of sizzling pancakes and Ethan''s voice congratulating her.