The Champion's Contract Bride

Chapter 3: Collision

The press conference was a circus.

Sofia stood beside Adrian on the podium, cameras flashing like lightning, reporters shouting over each other. Her face ached from holding a smile. His hand rested at the small of her back, warm and possessive, and she hated how natural it felt.

"When did the engagement happen?" a journalist called out.

"Recently," Adrian said smoothly. "We reconnected over shared interests."

"Miss Reed, three years ago Cross Racing called you a liability. How do you respond to critics who say this marriage is a publicity stunt?"

Sofia leaned into the microphone, her voice steady. "People change. Priorities change. I'm here to race and to support my future husband. Anything else is noise."

Adrian's fingers pressed slightly against her back. Approval. She ignored the flutter it caused.

The questions continued for another twenty minutes. Sofia deflected, Adrian evaded, and Emma stood at the edge of the room watching with sharp, calculating eyes. When it finally ended, Sofia escaped to the private elevator, her chest tight with the effort of pretending.

"That was convincing," Adrian said as the doors slid shut.

"Don't touch me like that again."

His eyebrow rose. "It's expected. We're engaged."

"In public, fine. In private, keep your hands to yourself."

The elevator opened into his penthouse. Sofia stepped out, putting distance between them. The space was ridiculous, all marble floors and floor-to-ceiling windows, expensive art on every wall. She'd spent one night here so far, in a guest room she'd claimed immediately, and she still felt like an intruder.

"I have training in an hour," she said. "I need to change."

"Before that, there's something I should show you."

Adrian walked toward his study. Sofia hesitated, then followed. She found him at a wall safe, entering a code. The door swung open to reveal stacks of files.

"This is everything I've gathered on your crash," he said quietly. "Three years of research. Witness statements, financial records, race telemetry."

Sofia stared at the files. The truth, finally within reach. "You kept all this?"

"I promised I'd share everything once we were married. Consider this the first installment."

She stepped closer, reaching for a folder. Her fingers brushed against his, and she felt the contact like an electric shock. She pulled back quickly.

"Why now?" she asked. "Why not before?"

Adrian's expression shifted, something raw surfacing before he shut it down. "Because before, if I'd shown you this, you would have gone after them yourself. No resources, no backup, no protection. You would have gotten yourself killed."

"You don't know that."

"I know you, Sofia." His voice was low, intense. "I know exactly how reckless you are when you're angry."

The words hung between them. She wanted to argue, but the truth was uncomfortable. She had been reckless after the crash. Drinking too much, driving too fast on public roads, picking fights with anyone who looked at her wrong. She'd nearly killed herself more than once.

"Fine," she said. "You were protecting me. I get it. But that's over now. I want to see everything."

Adrian nodded. "Tonight. After your training session. I'll walk you through all of it."

Sofia stared at the safe, at the mountain of evidence he'd collected, at the physical proof that he hadn't simply abandoned her. Three years of secrets. Three years of obsession. It should have made her angry. Instead, it made her feel something far more dangerous.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked quietly. "If you wanted to protect the company, you should have buried this. Destroyed the evidence. Why keep investigating?"

Adrian was silent for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was rough.

"Because I failed you. And I've spent every day since trying to make it right."

The confession hit her like a blow. Sofia looked away, her throat tight. She didn't know how to handle this version of Adrian Cross. The version who admitted fault, who kept her old racing helmet in his study, who apparently never stopped fighting for her even when she hated him.

"I need to get ready," she managed.

She fled to her room, closing the door behind her. Her hands were shaking. She pressed them against her face, breathing hard.

He kept her helmet. He'd been investigating. He cared.

Stop it, she told herself. He's still the man who called you a liability. He's still the enemy.

But the lines were blurring, and she didn't know how to redraw them.

An hour later, Sofia walked into Cross Racing headquarters for the first time in three years. The building was impressive, all glass and polished concrete, humming with activity. Staff members glanced at her as she passed, some curious, some hostile, some simply surprised.

The simulator room was at the back, past the engineering bays where mechanics worked on cars worth millions. Sofia pushed through the doors and stopped.

The simulator was state-of-the-art, a full-motion platform with a wraparound screen. A technician was already there, making adjustments.

"Miss Reed," he said, glancing up. "I'm Marcus Hale, chief strategist. I'll be managing your simulation program."

Sofia recognized the name. Adrian's right hand, the man who knew everything about everyone. She'd heard rumors about Marcus Hale, that he was brilliant, loyal, and utterly unflappable.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "I didn't expect the chief strategist to handle my first session."

Marcus smiled slightly. "Mr. Cross insisted on the best. He wants you comfortable."

"I'm not comfortable. I'm ready."

"Even better."

The session began. Sofia climbed into the simulator, strapped in, and gripped the wheel. The familiar weight, the resistance of the pedals, the smell of the equipment. For the first time in three years, she felt like herself.

"Start with a baseline," Marcus said through the headset. "Don't push too hard. Just get a feel for it."

The screen lit up with the Monza circuit. Sofia's heart kicked. She'd won here once. She'd crashed here too, during a test, early in her career.

She drove. The car responded beautifully, faster than anything she'd ever piloted. The simulation was so realistic she could almost feel the G-forces, the vibration of the tires, the heat of the engine.

"Good," Marcus said. "Now push. See what happens."

Sofia did. She threw the car into corners with aggression, braking late, accelerating early. Her lap times improved. By the end of the session, she was matching the team's top simulator benchmarks.

Marcus was silent for a long moment after she climbed out. Then he looked at her with something like respect.

"You're still fast," he said. "Faster than I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"Someone broken." He said it without cruelty, just fact. "Someone who'd lost their nerve."

Sofia met his gaze. "I lost a lot of things. My nerve wasn't one of them."

Marcus nodded slowly. "Then we have work to do. Tomorrow, same time. I'll have the full telemetry analysis ready."

Sofia left the simulator room with her heart pounding. For the first time since signing the contract, she felt something close to hope. She could still do this. She could still race.

Her phone buzzed as she walked through the lobby. Another message from the unknown number.

How does it feel to be back? Enjoy it while it lasts.

Sofia stopped walking. She looked around the lobby, searching for anyone watching her. A security guard. A receptionist. A young engineer in a Cross Racing jacket.

None of them looked suspicious. But someone here was watching. Someone wanted her to fail.

Or worse.

She typed back a response, her fingers steady.

Who are you?

The reply came instantly.

Someone who knows what really happened. Keep digging, Miss Reed. The truth is closer than you think.

Sofia stared at the screen. The threat was clear. But beneath it, something else. A warning.

Or a trap.

She didn't know which. But she wasn't going to stop. Not now.

The truth was closer than she thought. And she was going to find it before it found her.