Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 520

"Boss, Ajax is the best driver we have right now. He was our only real shot at beating Jiro Sanmoto. The only other person close to his level is you."

"Why is it always Jiro? We lost to him last time, and it was humiliating."

Vernon punched a stack of spare tires in frustration.

"Why don't you drive today, Boss?" one of the crew members suggested. His lap times were far better than the rest of the team's.

"I can't beat him! Did you forget I lost to him last time? If I go out there again and lose, he's going to laugh me off the track!"

Just thinking about the arrogant sneers Jiro had thrown his way last time made Vernon's blood boil.

Damn it. As the heir to the Lowell family, he had never been so humiliated in the racing circuit.

Curious, Stella asked, "What exactly did he say to mock you?"

"He... he called me a pathetic weakling and said Veridia's racers are absolute losers!!"

Just repeating it brought back the stinging shame and fury.

Damn him. Insulting Vernon was one thing, but insulting every driver in Veridia was entirely uncalled for!

If murder were legal, he would have strangled the guy himself.

Stella frowned slightly. "Vernon, this isn't an officially sanctioned international tournament, right? Can you make last-minute driver substitutions?"

Vernon nodded. "Yeah, we can. This is an underground club circuit. Nobody cares who's behind the wheel, they just care which club takes the trophy.

But we don't have anyone capable of beating Jiro. I hate to admit it, but the guy's got serious skills."

Stella looked at him evenly. "Do you want to beat Jiro?"

"Of course I do! I dream about it! That's why we had Ajax training like a maniac for months. But with him sick, we have no choice but to forfeit. Jiro is going to have a field day mocking us."

Stella shook her head. "I have no idea who he is, and I don't have any personal beef with him. I'm just offering to help because I despise anyone from Rubinia Country."

Whenever she had the opportunity and the means to knock a Rubinian off their high horse, she rarely passed it up.

Just like during that martial arts tournament in Mistralia Country—she had knocked the Rubinian competitor flat with a single punch. When the referee ruled it wasn't a loss unless the opponent fell out of the ring, she simply kicked the guy off the platform entirely.

"Alright. Just for that, the car is yours."

Coincidentally, he also despised anyone from Rubinia Country—especially Jiro. Just for Stella's sheer audacity, he'd accept the loss even if she didn't win.

At least she had the guts to step up when he didn't even have the courage to face Jiro himself. She was braver than he was.

"Go get prepped. The car is over there. We have a brand-new racing suit, though it might be a little big on you."

"That's fine. A little loose won't hurt. I'll go change and be right back."