Betrayed By The Billionaire

107

It was a tragedy that still left a bitter taste in the mouths of racing enthusiasts across the country. The child had been saved, and the truck driver escaped with only minor scratches, but Lee Sing-yu—the man destined to be the first Chinese driver in F1—had been crushed instantly. Two years ago, the entire racing community had lit candles in a three-minute silence for the fallen hero.

Standing in the dusty pit lane, Chloe Bishop watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart. Beside the weary Lee Shing-wai, she recognized a sharp, familiar face: Chen Feifei, the rising "Goddess of Racing." Feifei was Cindy’s cousin and, technically, Chloe’s own cousin as well. Before the accident, she had been Sing-yu’s devoted girlfriend.

Now, the devotion was gone.

Lee Shing-wai looked desolate, his eyes bloodshot as he pleaded with her. "Feifei, can’t you stay for just six more months? If you leave now, Team Swift is finished. For Sing-yu’s sake, just finish this one International Grand Prix before you go."

Feifei’s expression was carved from ice. "We had an agreement, Coach Lee. Bringing this up in front of a crowd... aren't you just trying to trap me with guilt?"

"I didn't want it to come to this!" the old man rasped. "But you stopped taking my calls. Our deal was that you’d stay until I found a replacement. If I can't find one..."

"If you can't find one, am I supposed to be chained to Team Swift forever?" Feifei snapped, cutting him off. "Because of Sing-yu, I’ve already wasted an extra year here. What more do you want from me?"

Her friend, Bai Shuang, stepped forward with a sneer. "Lee Shing-wai, look at this place. Swift is a sinking ship. What kind of future does Feifei have staying in a garage that can't even afford new tires?"

Lee Shing-wai’s eyes brimmed with tears. "Feifei... I spent every cent of my life savings on your training over the last two years. You promised at Sing-yu’s grave that you would treat me like your own father and never leave the team."

His voice shook with betrayal. "But now that you’ve made a name for yourself, you’re jumping ship to a rival and taking every single one of our commercial sponsors with you. Is that how a human being acts?"

The Economics of the Track

Chloe understood the gravity of the situation immediately. In the high-stakes world of professional racing, loyalty was often the first casualty of the bottom line.

Maintaining a professional racing team is an astronomical financial burden. Even a mid-sized team requires a small army of specialists to function:

Mechanical Engineers: To optimize engine performance and aerodynamics.

Pit Crews: For lightning-fast repairs and adjustments during a race.

Maintenance Facilities: Dedicated workshops for parts fabrication and testing.

Logistics: The cost of transporting high-performance vehicles and equipment across the globe.

For a team like Swift, there are only two ways to keep the lights on. The first is running a training academy to collect entry fees from hobbyists. The second—and most vital—is commercial sponsorship.

However, sponsors don't back teams; they back winners. A driver only attracts big-money brands once they’ve fought through countless races to build a reputation. Chen Feifei had used Team Swift’s last remaining resources to build her fame, and now she was using that fame as a golden ticket to a wealthier stable, leaving Lee Shing-wai with nothing but debt and empty garages.

The Crossroads

Chloe watched Chen Feifei turn her back on the man who had treated her like a daughter. The "Goddess of Racing" was walking away, and with her went the last hope of the Lee family legacy.

Beside Chloe, Lyra whispered, "That’s cold. Even for a Chen. If she leaves, Swift won't even have the entry fee for the Qualifiers next month."

Chloe looked at the "Swift Racing" logo, then at her own hands. She needed a team to get onto the grid. Lee Shing-wai needed a driver to keep his son's dream alive.

"Mommy?" Liam Jr. tugged at her hand, his eyes fixed on the weeping old man. The boy, usually so silent and detached, seemed to feel the weight of the tragedy in the air.

Should Chloe step into the middle of this public feud and offer her services to Team Swift, or would joining such a destitute team make her promise to Xavier—a top-three finish—statistically impossible?