The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1653

“It’s a showdown between the Light Fleet and the local Drift Kings, with Harlan, the deputy captain of the drifters, seated in the pearly-white sports car. As for the driver of the fiery red race car, the identity is a mystery. We don’t know her name. Light Fleet have had many matches before, but I’ve never seen her. No idea if she’s a fresh face or someone they’ve taken as an ace up their sleeve.”

Some teams have a knack for secretly training exceptional drivers, unveiling them at critical moments to catch their rivals off-guard. It could also be that this girl was a recent recruit.

"She's a racer," Timothy's impression of her growing more favorable by the second; his heart was utterly captivated.

He was taken aback that she was not only skillful and beautiful but also a race car driver. Although he couldn't quite make out her features, the mysterious allure exceeded his expectations.

"Mr. Bynes, she shares your passion for racing."

While Timothy was no professional race car driver, he enjoyed the thrill of the race and had gone head-to-head with more than a few rich kids in high stakes street races. Now, they had something in common to talk about.

The tall, leggy starter positioned herself between the two cars, counting down from three. With a flourish of her flag, the crowd roared in unison, "Three!"

As the flag descended once more, the audience shouted, "Two!"

The starter sent a flirtatious wink towards Harlan and, with another wave of the flag accompanied by a sharp whistle, signaled, "One!"

Both race cars shot off the line. Harlan flashed a confident grin, certain of his victory in this race.

The gust of wind from the cars caused many in the crowd to hold down their skirts and hair.

Meanwhile, in a chic two-story building behind the stands, Sean climbed up to the stand, taking a pair of binoculars from Steward to get a better look at the red race car.

He'd arrived late and missed the earlier drama. All he knew was that at the sound of the whistle, the lady in the red car and Harlan had bolted forward, but she quickly outpaced him, leading the way.