The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 22

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Olivia had planned to put Natalie in her place by acting like she was really close with Ryan. Olivia hadn’t expected Ryan to completely shut her down, even calling out her little scheme right in front of everyone and humiliating her in public.

The murmurs around them noticeably died down, and more than a few people turned to watch the drama unfold.

Olivia had never been humiliated and scolded so ruthlessly like this, especially not in front of Ryan, the man she’d always had her eye on.

Samuel noticed the tension and quickly tried to smooth things over. “Mr. Mitchell, Olivia was joking. Don’t be

mad.”

Olivia gave a stiff smile. “Mr. Mitchell, I’m Olivia Shaw. We met at a party before.”

“Yeah, Mr. Mitchell. Let’s go hang out,” Samuel said.

Ryan ignored Olivia. Just then, another guy walked over.

“Hey, Mr. Mitchell. Since you’re here, why not go for a round?” Max scratched the back of his head, putting on a deliberately familiar smile, but a calculating gleam flickered in his eyes.

Max was flanked by a few equally flashy guys, loosely boxing Ryan and Natalie in.

“Mr. Mitchell, I heard the boys talking this afternoon. You were tearing up Harbor City in the Phantom. We’ve all been dying to get a look,” Max said.

He stepped closer, his greedy eyes glued to the silver sports car. He reached out to pat the hood. “This thing? Fucking insane. There are only ten in the world, right? And there’s only one in Harbor City. Mr. Mitchell, you’re so swag.”

Ryan’s expression darkened. He raised his hand and blocked Max’s arm, his voice cold. “Watch your hands. If you break it, you won’t be able to pay for it.”

Max’s hand got pushed away, but he didn’t get mad. He let out a chuckle and rubbed his palms together. “That’s right. No way I could afford that. But Mr. Mitchell, just looking’s no fun, right?

“The guys are in a good mood tonight. How about we follow the Blackridge Mountain tradition and take it for a spin?”

Max shot a look at his buddies behind him. “Mr. Mitchell, I hear you’ve got skills. Let us see what you can do. Let everyone see if this Phantom lives up to the hype or if it’s all show and no go.”

The provocation in his words was obvious, and the crowd gathered around started egging Ryan on.

“Yeah, Mr. Mitchell, take it for a lap.”

“Let us hear that Phantom engine roar.”

19:52 Tue, Apr 28

Chapter 22

“Make it a bet. If you win, Max’s brand–new Venom is yours.”

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Max went along with it, his tone coaxing and taunting all at once. “What do you say, Mr. Mitchell? Nothing too crazy. Only some stakes. If I lose, my Venom is yours. I just bought it. Barely even broken in. But if you lose…”

He dragged out the words, his eyes sliding back to the Phantom, his grin turning sly. “I’m not greedy. Let me borrow the Phantom for a month and have a little fun. Sound fair?”

As soon as those words came out, the surroundings went quiet for a beat, then erupted into even louder noise.

“No way. Borrow it for a month? Max’s clearly up to no good.”

“Exactly. Lending it to Max for a month? Might as well give the car to him. With the way he burns through things, what will be left of that car after a month?”

“Mr. Mitchell, don’t do it. It’s clearly a trap.”

Anyone with eyes could see Max had set a trap and was waiting for Ryan to walk into it.

That was why Max and his crew felt so free to goad Ryan. They were banking on the fact that the Mitchell family wouldn’t step in over a car or a street race.

19:52 Tue, Apr 28

uneasy.

“Natalie?” Ryan’s chest tightened, and he instinctively tried to pull her back.

He thought, ‘Natalie has no idea how things work around here. Racing is way too dangerous, especially at night on a mountain road full of traps and schemes.‘

Natalie glanced sideways at him, her look meant to reassure him. There was a calmness in her eyes that oddly settled the anxiety clawing at Ryan.

She turned back to Max, who looked thrown off by her sudden acceptance.

“But this car is mine, so I’ll be the one racing you.” Natalie’s voice was steady, without a trace of emotion.

Her words caught everyone off guard, including Max and his lackeys.

“Your car?” Max echoed in suspicion. But then he looked like he realized something and gave a mocking smirk.

He looked Natalie up and down. Her clothes were simple. While she had a unique presence, she didn’t exactly look like someone who could casually own a sports car of this caliber.

Max naturally assumed it was Ryan’s way of protecting his “date” by claiming the car was hers.

Max drew out his words, his gaze turning cocky and brazen. “Whoa. Sweetheart, big talk for such a pretty face. This car is yours? What, Mr. Mitchell put it in your name to keep you happy? Or…”

He paused on purpose, a sleazy grin spreading across his face. “You and Mr. Mitchell are so close that there’s no ‘yours‘ and ‘his‘ anymore?”

The lackeys behind Max burst into crude laughter. They hadn’t even noticed how Ryan had addressed Natalie earlier. They mistook their closeness and thought they were lovers. It didn’t occur to them to think anything else.

After all, everyone knew the Mitchell family only had five male heirs. Sure, they’d been looking for their lost heiress all these years, but it had been so long that people had moved on from the things they didn’t care much about.