Miranda had a yful grin on her face, maintaining her position right in the middle of the pack.


    Hugo was determined to put some distance between them. He floored the gas pedal, convinced he was about top Miranda.


    But as he believed Miranda was way behind him, there she was, keeping up with him effortlessly, the same distance as earlier. How was that even possible?


    It wasn''t just Hugo who was shocked; the other racers were equally stunned. Hugo might have missed it, but they had seen it happen.


    As Hugo elerated through a curve, Miranda, who had been smoothly blending in with the rest of the cars, suddenly surged forward, executing a breathtaking drift to take the bend!


    The speed was mind-blowing! Sparks flew from the tires as they screeched across the asphalt! And from that point on, she maintained the exact same distance behind Hugo''s car!


    Yes, the exact same distance! No matter how fast Hugo went, he couldn''t shake her off!


    "Wow! She can drift?!"


    "Did you guys notice? She never slows down for the turns! That drift was epic!" "Is she sure she''s not a professional racer??"


    Even Carter was taken aback.


    "That''s insane."


    Sure, anyone who raced knew how to drift. But not everyone could master it with such precision.


    And to drift at the speed Miranda was going? Even professional racers would find that challenging. At that speed, most people would have already crashed!


    Just then, Jasper returned. He arrived to the electrifying atmosphere of the race track.


    The roaring engines sent adrenaline surging through everyone''s veins as the cars racedp afterp. Especially the first and second cars, which were neck and neck, neither giving an inch.


    He approached and asked, "Where''s Miranda?"


    Carter gestured with his chin. "Over there."


    Carter had been nning to step in if Miranda fost. And if he lost, he


    wasn''t about to admit defeat. But he hadn''t expected Miranda to be such a skilled driver. Why hadn''t she overtaken yet?


    "What?" Jasper asked, confused, looking at the track again. "Which one is Miranda?"


    The manager immediately pointed to the car currently in second ce. "Sir, that one."


    Jasper watched just in time to catch another stunning drift.


    "Holy cow!" he eximed, "Who''s in first ce?"


    "It''s Mr. Hugo Bartley."


    The manager quickly filled Jasper in on the bet that had been made earlier. Jasper nudged Carter, who was watching the race with great interest. "Did they mess with Miranda?"


    Carter nodded mechanically. "Yep, the other day at the shooting range, Miranda gave them a good thrashing."


    Jasper was speechless. Miranda had just arrived in Virell, and already she had stirred up so much trouble? How could he have missed this? Weird.


    Usually, Jasper was the first to know about the happenings in the Virell social circle. But this had urred just a few days ago. Jasper had been busy settling into Virell and dealing withpany matters.


    BUMS


    Besides, Hugo and his crew were too embarrassed to spread the word. Even the guys from Zephra had kept quiet to avoid causing Miranda any trouble.


    As a result, the incident hadn''t made the rounds yet.


    All that was known was that some neer had taken on a whole group at the


    Virell Shooting Range and left Hugo and his crew nursing their bruises.


    The story was too wild to be believed, so it hadn''t spread very far.


    The chatter among the guys over thems was deafening. Hugo could hear it


    all too. He turned incredulously to look at Miranda, who was still right on his tail.


    "She can drift?? Are you kidding me??"


    "No joke, man, see for yourself!”