Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Liam kept his eyes glued to the motorcycle ahead, straining to catch a glimpse of the rider's face.

But the bike shot off like a bullet, vanishing in an instant, leaving him far behind.

Instinctively, Liam pressed harder on the gas-but before he could close the gap, a deafening roar of engines erupted behind him. Six or seven motorcycles, dark blurs in the night, tore past and swarmed the road, swallowing up every inch of space.

Liam had no choice but to ease off the accelerator.

He watched the group of reckless teens speeding ahead, shaking his head. Clearly, he was overthinking it.

How could May's daughter-especially one who was so close to Ms. Linwood- ever be mixed up with a crowd like that? Most likely, it was just a coincidental outfit.

With that, Liam let go of the chase, slowing down and letting the pack of bikes disappear into the distance.

Up front, Normand was leading the pack at breakneck speed.

He leaned forward, body taut and agile, hands gripping the handlebars with practiced ease. His helmet hid everything but his eyes, which now sparkled with excitement.

Today, with Mandy watching, he'd pulled out all the stops, showing off his riding skills to the fullest he was sure he looked incredible right now.

A grin crept onto Normand's lips. He called back, voice booming over the engine's roar, "Mandy, how's my riding? Pretty impressive, huh?"

He waited, eager for Mandy's praise, imagining the awe in her voice.

Instead, her reply was cool and flat as ever: "Sharp turn ahead. If you want to live, keep your eyes on the road."

Normand: "..."

Classic Mandy. Still as icy as ever.

Yet, strangely, that indifference just made her even more irresistible.

Normand had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, surrounded by sycophants his whole life. Every woman he'd met had gone out of her way to please him-no one had ever dared to boss him around like this.

But Mandy was different. She was like a beam of light, crashing through the monotony of his world and sweeping him completely off his feet.

He'd never imagined he'd fall for someone so cold and sharp-edged.

Yet here he was: Mandy had bested him, yelled at him, and somehow, that only drew him in deeper. Sometimes he wondered if he was a masochist-every time Mandy put him in his place, he felt oddly exhilarated.

Mandy, of course, was oblivious to what was going on in Normand's head.

As the bike rounded the bend, Mandy clung tightly to Normand's strong, steady waist.

She glanced back over her shoulder-no sign of Liam's car. Only then did her nerves settle.

Good. She'd lost him.

She really didn't want Liam to recognize her and run straight to Claire with the news.noveldrama

Claire was so sweet; Mandy could never let her see this side of herself. She was terrified of scaring her off.

That's why Mandy always put on her best behavior around Claire.

Though, if she was being honest, it wasn't entirely an act.

Whenever she was with Claire, she felt at peace, and naturally, she wasn't as cold

or defensive as she was with everyone else.

The motorcycles streaked down the empty highway like black lightning.

Predictably, Normand and Mandy reached the finish line first.

Normand whipped off his helmet, letting his tousled hair fly wild in the wind. He shot Mandy a cocky grin, raising his eyebrows. "So, Mandy, what do you think? Wasn't I amazing? Ready to admit you've fallen for me yet?"

Mandy's expression didn't change. Calm, unreadable.

She pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and held up a payment app. “Pay up."

Normand's grin faltered.

"Come on, Mandy, don't be so cold! I was practically a hero back there, and you can't even throw me a compliment? That's just cruel."

Mandy's cool gaze never wavered, her eyes fixed on him.

Under those sharp, fox-like eyes, Normand's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks flushed red.

He fumbled with his phone, pretending to search for something-anything to hide his sudden nerves.

Inside, he was screaming: Oh my god, even when she looks at me like I'm trash, she's gorgeous. I'm totally obsessed!

Mandy, please look at me like that just at me.

With trembling fingers, he pulled out his phone and, without thinking, transferred her a million dollars.

A crisp notification chimed, "Payment received: $1,000,000."

Mandy blinked in surprise. "What...?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"