The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1654

Harlan had every intention of playing dirty, but Arabella's car kept picking up speed, and there was no way for him to keep up.

Arabella's convertible was red-hot, topping out at 210 miles per hour, while his own beast could hit a solid 220. But no matter how he sped up, he couldn't close the gap.

Not even neck and neck.

Perhaps it was those few seconds when he eased off the pedal on the curves earlier that had cost him the lead.

With his mind straying, he only noticed the rocks on the road when it was almost too late. Swerving to avoid a collision, he got his car skidded, which sent sparks flying as it grazed the guardrail. He corrected his path, but Arabella had already pulled further ahead.

This stretch was notorious for occasional rockfalls that could smash a windshield or litter the road - a hazard Harlan usually watched like a hawk during practice and races. But Arabella had thrown him off his game tonight.

As Arabella crossed the finish line, the Light Fleet crew erupted in cheers.

"Amazing!"

"Bella's on fire!"

"Did we just win? Light Fleet took the round!"

The crowd went wild, standing up from their seats and shouting their support. No one expected Light Fleet to bruise the rival team's ego in the first round.

Timothy clenched his fist in excitement. Yes, that was freaking awesome.

Sean watched the red convertible loop back to the starting line, and Light Fleet folks swarm Arabella in celebration. As the window rolled down, it revealed a face that was new yet stunning.

Not the same girl?

Who’s she?

As the crowd around Arabella got too thick, Sean had to head inside to check the monitors after tossing his binoculars to Steward.