Chapter 30: The Prize Money is Yours
The Fairwinds were well aware of Adrian’s behavior: the young man was notorious for his fleeting interests in women, hence they had sterly warned him against pursuing
Cecilia
Despite the Fairwinds‘ status in Riverdale, they were no match for the Windsors, who could effortlessly erase them from Riverdale with a
mere flick of their wrist.
Freshly rebuffed by Isabella and
burning with indignation, Adrian was in no mood to heed his family’s
cautions.
Casually picking up an Latin book from a nearby shelf and flipping his hair back, he sauntered over to
Sering
Chapter 30: The Prize Mo…
where Cecilia was sitting. “Hello,
may I sit here?” he asked, his smile
charming.
Cecilia looked up to find Adrian smiling at her, and something fluttered in her heart. His stunning looks, even by the high standards of male beauty, could make any girl’s heart race without him uttering a
word.
Being from a prominent family and harboring girlhood fantasies, Cecilia found it hard to remain composed
under such attention from a
heartthrob like Adrian, whom she
had observed from a distance along with other girls.
It seemed Adrian didn’t recognize her, which wasn’t surprising
considering she had spent the
previous years studying abroad and had only recently returned to
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Riverdale.
With no suspicion of Adrian’s intentions, Cecilia’s cheeks flushed as she quietly moved her bag from the neighboring seat, allowing him to sit.
Adrian, confidently taking his seat, glanced at the book Cecilia was holding. “Actually, ‘Waves of Ardor‘ might not be the best choice for you.
The protagonists meet by chance but, sadly, it ends in tragedy. You might prefer something lighter, like Ysabel’s ‘Dreams of Spring…” With just a few sentences, he established his cultured and literary persona.
Cecilia was momentarily taken. aback, her shyness intensifying.
Adrian, noticing her reaction, couldn’t help but feel a sense of triumph; it seemed this young lady was quite susceptible to his charms.
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Unaware of Adrian’s new target, Isabella had already left the study
room.
Not far from the school, a black Lincoln sedan pulled up in front of her, and a tall man in black, wearing sunglasses, got out and bowed to her.
“Ms. Sterling, there’s a race today. If you’re interested…”
Isabella paused, checking her phone.
With the recent whirlwind of
activities, she had nearly forgotten.
about a commitment she had made.
She followed the man into the car,
and half an hour later, they arrived at the base of Wyvern Spire, on the
outskirts of Riverdale.
The area was bustling with people, and the parking lot was filled with luxury cars. To an outsider, it might seem like a high–end car show was
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about to take place.
The roar of engines and excited screams filled the air, pumping adrenaline even through bystanders.
Named for its resemblance to a dragon diving into the earth, Wyvern Spire featured a winding mountain road that hosted unofficial road races
every Tuesday afternoon.
Given its unsanctioned nature, those
who frequented these events typically had considerable influence in Riverdale or beyond.
“Isabella, you really are hard to pin
down. If I hadn’t sent someone to
fetch you, were you planning on standing me up again?”
The speaker was a man in his early twenties, dressed in an oversized
T–shirt. His casual demeanor belied
his identity as Tristan Beaumont, the
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renowned Young Master Beaumont
of Riverdale.
In the pecking order of power beneath the Windsors, the
Beaumont family stood prominent among the four influential families, which included the Fairwinds.
Isabella offered a playful smile, surveying him from head to toe, and couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Do you think everyone enjoys the leisure of The Beaumonts and Mr.
Alexander like you do? But, speaking of which, don’t you ever get into trouble for not taking things
seriously? Doesn’t Master Beaumont
ever discipline you?”
Tristan simply shrugged, his face
etched with indifference.
“Master Beaumont knows I’m not
cut out for business; he hardly
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bothers with what I do. Same as always, if you win, the prize money
is yours.”