At the start of a race, athletes typically maintained a steady pace, and the pedaling cadence wasn't particularly fast.

That way, they could conserve energy and avoid lactic acid buildup in their legs.

Especially since neither Timothy nor I had warmed up properly, our bodies weren't fully in sync yet. If we went too hard from the start, we could easily injure our joints, causing irreversible damage.

This was a major rule in any competitive sport. I didn't understand why Timothy was accelerating so quickly right from the start. How was he planning to maintain that pace later?

But Timothy looked as though he already had the win in the bag. He was intent on crushing me from the very start. He pedaled with everything he had, and it wasn't long before he had pulled a significant lead.

I started slowly, which only led to more mockery from the businessmen around me.

"What the hell is he doing? Why's he starting so slow?"

"I've watched races before, and they're never this slow. Does he even know how to ride a bike?"

"We should just stop watching. The winner's already clear. What's there to see?"

Despite their comments, the athletes from various clubs and teams looked at my posture and pace with thoughtful expressions.

I adjusted my breathing and even took the time to admire the lake view around me, keeping a steady pace behind Timothy.

Whenever he tried to shake me off by sprinting ahead, I'd catch up to him without breaking a sweat.

Just then, I heard Reyna's angry voice crackle through my earpiece. "Skyler, if you're going to race, race properly! Why are you embarrassing me like this? I'm the blind one for ever getting involved with you! You're such a disgrace!"

Before I could even respond, Timothy's reassuring voice immediately came through. "Reyna, don't be upset. It's not worth it. You chose me, and I won't let you down."

I couldn't figure out why they were saying all this in my earpiece.

Meanwhile, the businessmen, clearly enjoying the drama, had started placing bets on who would win.

Almost everyone was betting on Timothy, and no one put any money on me.

Since my odds were ridiculously high, I decided to bet on myself. This move made the businessmen laugh out loud.

"I've never seen someone bet on themselves before! That takes guts!"

"He could've at least found a friend to place the bet for him!"

"Exactly! He just threw down 20,000 dollars without even blinking. He might end up losing the race and the money!"

Reyna's voice came through my earpiece again. "Skyler, let me make one thing clear. Any money you lose has absolutely nothing to do with Vastwave Corp or me! You'll have to figure it out yourself. I'm not giving you a single cent!"

Even though I knew this was how Reyna felt about me, hearing her reject me so bluntly in front of everyone still left me feeling a surge of resentment.

Anger bubbled up inside me. I gripped the handlebars tighter, and in that moment, my foot slipped off the pedal.

The bike swerved for an instant, but I quickly regained control.

Honestly, it wasn't even a real mistake for me, especially against someone like Timothy, who was barely competent.

But that brief moment of wobble was caught by a camera and instantly displayed on the big screen.

I heard the businessmen around me booing and mocking me.

"Did you see that? He almost wiped out when he took that turn just now, didn't he?"

"Yeah, well, he's not wearing cycling shoes. Who else is there to blame now that his feet are slipping?"

"Does he even know how to ride a bike? His movements are so weird from the start."

Reyna seemed to feel utterly humiliated. Grinding her teeth, she spoke into my earpiece. "Skyler! Stop embarrassing me already! Admit defeat now, and I'll cover your betting losses.

"Don't let Mr. Waller see you looking like a joke later. If I don't land this deal because of you, I will never forgive you! Stop now! Do you hear me?"

I ignored her completely, maintaining my own pace.

The race had already started. What gave her the right to control me like that?

Then, up ahead, Timothy suddenly slowed down. His voice came through loud and clear in my earpiece. "Skyler, just give it up. If I remember right, you're five years older than me, right? You're almost 30. Why bother? Don't make this worse for yourself.

"You'll just end up completely humiliating Reyna. If she loses her ranking and the business deal along with it, we might as well give up on the official race later."

He even let out a sincere sigh as he said those words.

"I get it. You've just started, and your confidence is through the roof. But at your age, it's already too late. I'm not trying to hurt your pride, but there's really no chance you'll catch up."

Hearing his words, Reyna grew even angrier. "Skyler, you've completely ruined my reputation!"

I let out a mocking laugh. My pedaling rhythm didn't waver, but my tone was sharp and uncompromising. "Ruined your reputation? Reyna, when you were tangled up with Thimothy, did you think about your reputation then?"

"W-What are you implying?" Reyna's voice was sharp with anger.

After a pause, she yelled, "Skyler, you're doubting me? Fine. We're getting a divorce the moment we get home!"

After saying that, she turned to Timothy. "Timothy, destroy him! Don't hold back! Make sure he knows he's nothing but a loser!"

At her words, Timothy pushed harder on the pedals, and the gap between us widened again.

Hearing Reyna bring up divorce over the earpiece like that, I was stunned. I never imagined that three years of marriage would eventually be tossed aside by her so casually.

I gripped the handlebars tighter. There was no point in holding back anymore.

Timothy's sudden burst of speed drew gasps from the businessmen.

He was right about one thing. At 25, he was at the peak of his physical strength and endurance. Participating in a cycling race at this age was almost like having a superpower.

His impressive performance caused some of the athletes around the businessmen to look wary and intimidated.

But soon, they relaxed again. No matter how strong Timothy was, this race would eventually drain his stamina.

At that point, who would win was anyone's guess.

The businessmen seemed to have figured this out too, and they started making sarcastic comments to Reyna.

"Ms. Cleveland, maybe you should have your husband drop out. He's already 30. He's not young anymore."

"Yeah, losing the race would be embarrassing. You'll have to face us again. No point in making it worse."

"And that athlete you brought along is racing later too, right? We don't want to be accused of having a rigged win."

As the businessmen mocked me, Timothy spoke up again. "Did you hear that? They're saying you can't do it. Maybe you should just quit—"

Before he could finish, his earpiece crackled with a loud gasp.