She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 223

The day before the race.

The plane slowly touched down on the tarmac.

The Ford household was bustling that day because Agnes Townsend had just flown in from abroad. A highly respected professor emeritus at a top American university, she had dedicated half her life to academia and had students all over the globe. She carried an undeniable aura of intellectual elegance, honed by decades of experience. She had made the trip specifically to watch Jasmine's race, but more importantly, to evaluate her future grandson-in-law.

The next morning, Jasmine arrived at the track bright and early. She had an absolute passion for racing, and this time, she was determined to take home the championship.

Meanwhile, Lyra had pulled out of the race, using a sudden bout of a stomach bug as her excuse.

When the Ford family heard that Lyra was a no-show, they were genuinely stunned.

When they first heard Lyra had signed up, they hadn't said much but were privately worried. They had assumed she was hiding some secret skill and planning to pull off a massive upset on race day.

They never expected that she wouldn't even show up to the starting line!

"Where is Lyra? Why is it just Jasmine and the other drivers?" Grandma Ford, who was hard of hearing and out of the loop, squinted at the track with a critical gaze.

Leaning into the wind, Elara Townsend raised her voice. "Lyra came down with a stomach bug, so she didn't show up!"

Tabitha eagerly chimed in, her face brimming with smug satisfaction. "She might have signed up, but she probably realized she couldn't hold a candle to our Jasmine and chickened out at the last second."

Elara gloated openly. "When Jasmine goes to the bookstore, she goes to the bookstore. When Jasmine races, she decides to race too. That useless brat is just relying on her status as a rich heiress to stay relevant. Her motive was obvious—she wanted to show off in front of Rowan and prove she wasn't worse than Jasmine! But at the end of the day, a loser is a loser. When the actual race day arrived, she lost her nerve. Doesn't she know that running away at the last minute makes her look even more pathetic?"

Tabitha sighed dramatically. "It's just a shame Rowan had to go on a last-minute business trip today. Otherwise, he would have seen Lyra's cowardice for himself."

Listening to their conversation, Grandma Townsend gave a slow, approving nod.

"Alright, enough gossip," she said.

Just then, Jasmine made her entrance. Dressed in a sleek, skin-tight black leather racing suit that perfectly accentuated her striking curves, she stood leaning against a blazing red supercar.

Jasmine pulled off her helmet, revealing a strikingly flawless and radiant complexion.

Seeing her on the giant broadcast screen, the grandstands erupted into absolute madness.

It was a live broadcast, meaning the frenzy wasn't confined to the stadium; the live chat on the streams was scrolling at breakneck speed.

During the interview, the reporter congratulated her on fighting through an injury to secure the championship.

Then, the reporter inevitably brought up Lyra. "Lyra didn't show up today. We heard the two of you are friends. Did Miss Fairchild get cold feet, or was there another reason she was absent? What are your thoughts, Miss Ford?"

Cradling her helmet, Jasmine flashed a brilliant, confident smile at the cameras. "A woman's life shouldn't be defined by limits. Men aren't the center of the universe, and marriage isn't a mandatory finish line. Treating other women as imaginary rivals just to win over a man, and forcing yourself into a field you know nothing about... that's only going to end in you getting hurt."

The reporter instantly caught the underlying shade.

The implication was crystal clear: Miss Fairchild had zero racing skills and only signed up out of petty jealousy toward Jasmine, ultimately backing out because she was terrified.