Bewilderment drew visibly in him as he gaped at the woman beside her. She might look different and wore rather a distinctive style, but her semblance with that annoying nitwit who helped him was clearly identical.

Notably, as he eyed her from head to toe, he was stunned to see her wearing a genteel and lady-like two-piece suit, which was the complete opposite of her black leather jacket and tight pants.

“So, are you?”

He noticed the faint twitch in her eyes.

“Whatever do you mean?” she awkwardly stuttered, like something had caught her off guard.

'She’s a student here? So, are we the same age? But didn’t she call me kid last time?!' Grayson thought while his eyes were transfixed on her. He never thought he’d see her again or even be in the same class with her.

His eyes dropped ineluctably to her smooth, fine legs, making his thought process stop for a while. Grayson’s eyebrows raised in disbelief, batting his eyes for a clear vision.

'At least this hotch got some nice gams.' He pondered while he scrutinized her. To his surprise, and even though he couldn't admit it, the girl was a dime piece.

Then, all of a sudden, his musings were cut off by her surprisingly direct and outspoken voice.

“Well, you kind of look like you need help that day, but then you whacked me after like I was a swot getting in your way. Didn’t realize you don’t need one.” She shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

'Whatever, I don’t care.' Aggravated, he didn’t respond as he shifted his position away from her.

'Ah, shit. Where was I again?' Grayson asked himself while scanning the book he was reading. It was the first time for him to lose any focus, lest he be distracted by a woman who badgered him to death. He couldn’t explain this odd feeling, but it ticked him off.

Meanwhile, another student came over to her. “Hi! You seem new here! I’m Nancy, by the way,” Nancy Mormount introduced herself.

Kendall did the same, extending her arms to Nancy. “Err—yes. Hailey.”

Grayson lightly gurgled as he heard her. 'She doesn’t look like a Hailey, more like a Schwab rather.' On the other hand, he continued listening to their conversation, while feignedly skimming through the paragraph of the page without comprehending any of it.

Nancy grabbed Kendall's hand and shook it briefly. “You’re ready for the exam?”

Her question made Grayson turn around.

Kendall gasped lightly in shock, as though she didn’t know about it. Then, in an instant, her face changed back into an animated look. “Yeah, right! Completely forgot about it, but yeah, it’s all good, pfft. I studied last night—just so you know.”

She attempted to laugh about it.

Nancy gave her a weird look. She then sighed, ignoring Kendall’s peculiar response. “Hmm yeah. But you know, just in case something happened, you can ask Prof. Blint to excuse you from midterms, since you’re new.”

“Really, can I do that?” Kendall’s eyes lit up.

Nancy was about to answer when Grayson intervened. “No. He doesn’t care if you’re new or you came from another class. He’s never lenient and strict regarding exams, so if I were you, I’d better study while there’s still time.”

The hope on her face plummeted rapidly like lightning.

*****

'Why the fuck they haven’t told me there is an exam? If I only knew about it, perhaps I would have even studied. But yeah, that won’t work because clearly, my relationship with any numbers is purely chaotic.' Kendall slumped her back to the stiff wooden seat and clamped her legs over the other.

'Whoa! I can feel the wind in my thigh. Why does this skirt have to be so short? I can literally feel like my butt is exposed.' She released her legs above her thighs and tried to sit properly.

Meanwhile, Grayson, who was seated on her left side, stared at her with a conundrum.

"Yes?" Her brows rose.

Grayson shook his head, veering back in front.

'Ugh, how am I gonna pass this exam?' She didn’t know it was their midterm exam today and her being an idiot in accounting, she already surmised that she would fail. However, the good thing was that her partner, Inspector Green, was just an ear away from her.

With that in mind, while playing it coolly like a normal college student, Kendall subtly coughed on the mic. “Ugh, God! This allergy is killing me.”

Grayson just lifted his eyebrow as he took a glance at her.

At once, Inspector Noah Green replied, “Got it. Check your bag. There’s a pen there that has a camera. Focus that on the exam questions.”

Kendall crooked a sly smile. While sitting down beside Grayson, she delved through her bag to look for the said pen. After a couple of seconds of incessantly searching, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the pen lying in the back pocket of her bag.

Just as the class started, Professor Blint greeted the entire class. Placing the books on the desk, he went to the board, scribbling the start and the end time of the exam.

He then wiped the excess powder of chalk in his hand by rubbing them together. “Get your answering booklets and we’ll start in—” looking at his watch, he continued, “two minutes.”

Kendall was surprised again that she instinctively hissed through her mic. “Booklet?!”

She heard Noah scoffing from the line. “Ah, sorry, Whitlock! Forgot to mention it to you. It’s also in your bag beside the pen. Just find it there.”

Immediately, she took it out and placed it on her desk. When two minutes had passed, the exam papers were distributed. Since Kendall was already seated at the front, she instantly grabbed it and scanned through the papers.

She started to answer it with great difficulty, which was clearly reflected in her actions with the way she would swing her pen in a different direction just to capture the answers of her classmates. As for the other’s answers that she found hard to seize, Kendall had no choice but to read the questions slowly and loudly, like an elementary student so Noah could hear.

“What happens to the balance sheet when a business earns $1500, of which $800 is paid in cash and $500 is sold on credit?”

'The fuck do I know?' She groaned inwardly.

She read another question. “ABC Enterprise used $4,000 worth of supplies this fiscal year, but the expenses were not paid and are still on credit until the next term. What will be its effect on the business profit?”

'I have no fucking idea. And seriously, why would you loan when you know don’t have the means to pay? I mean, that’s why I don’t get these kinds of companies.' She thought while tapping her pen on the test paper.

Meanwhile, the man who was sitting beside her was starting to get irritated by her constant state of irrelevant blabbering. He would shake his head occasionally when he saw her doing something bizarre.

Out of desperation to finish the exam, Kendall turned her head sideways. She noticed everyone was on their paper looking like the exam was just a piece of the pie. On a side note, when she gazed back at Grayson, her eyes widened as she stared at him with awe.

'How did he answer it all in just thirty minutes?' She tried racking her brain to get some answers but was left with a dumbfounded thought.

As soon as she saw him passing the papers and storming out of the room, Kendall panicked, as her real intention swept up into her mind immediately. She yanked her pen briskly and answered the papers as best as she could.

Ten minutes later, she found herself simpering in victory as she stood up from her seat with the booklet in her hand. It was already hard for her to go back to college, lest to even answer an exam she completely had no idea of.

Along with the other students who were already done, she scrambled out of the room to search for Grayson. However, Kendall didn’t think it would get her over thirty minutes to find him. The University of Milanon is big and spacious for him to be spotted easily.

Disappointed, she raised her forearm to look at her watch. Kendall realized that it was already lunch and the man she had been searching for probably was at the food court or some food park, eating his lunch. She asked Noah.

“Where does Grayson frequently go during lunch break?”

A hazy background emerged from her earpiece. After a couple of seconds, Noah went back on the line. “He’s at Deli Lounge with some of his friends. It’s just three minutes away from the Alaric building. Head towards the north gate, then south, to your right.”

“Copy that,” she muttered while walking to the campus field. Right away, Kendall bolted to the said canteen where a lot of students usually hang around.

She examined the whole vicinity and located Grayson waiting in line. She friskily made her move to him as she took a tray from someone and stood beside him.

“What the fuck?! That’s my tray!” the man complained.

Kendall ignored him and focused on Grayson. “Hi!”

Grayson didn’t respond and kept his deadpan face.

Nonetheless, she was so persistent that she asked again. “Do you always have your lunch here?”

Still, he ignored her as if she didn’t exist at all. On the other hand, they got to the counter in just a minute, and the lady asked them. “What for you two?”

“Just the regular, thanks,” Grayson stingily replied while fishing out his wallet from the pockets.

The lady nodded and averted her gaze back to Kendall. “What about you?”

Kendall pointed at Grayson. “Same as what he is getting.”

The lady didn’t respond as she went back inside the kitchen, shouting their orders to the cooks. As soon as it was done, Grayson immediately paid for his food, moving to an empty table far away from the counter.

When Kendall noticed him walking away, she dropped her money on the counter. “Here’s the payment. Keep the change.”

“Whew, Whitlock! When have you become so lavish?” Green teased her on the line.

Kendall’s eyes flickered in annoyance. “Every time, except with you, Green. Anyway, not now. I’m chasing this git who’s always disappearing.”

Noah didn’t answer, and Kendall got back on following Grayson. When she spotted him, she asked immediately, “Can I join you? There are no other empty tables available.”

Grayson veered his eyes to an empty table beside him and went back to look at her with incredulity.

Kendall laughed uncomfortably. “He-he-he...” Scratching the back of her nape, she added, “I’m not used to sitting alone.”

Grayson’s jaw twitched. With his eyes dipped down in infuriation, he snapped. “Just because you saved me once doesn’t mean we can be friends. And please, stop following me. Are you a stalker?”

Taken aback, Grayson’s arrogance rendered Kendall speechless, but she tried to compose herself by keeping in mind the reason she was here.

Ignoring his unpleasant remark, she said. “You don’t owe me anything, and I won’t take it against you. If you want, we could forget that it ever happened. I apologize if you think I’m following you, but it’s just because I don’t know anyone here and you’re the only person I know.”

Grayson taciturnly replied, “I don’t need friends like you.”

Kendall was about to counter his denunciation when someone else arrived. She tilted her head, looking up at the guy besides Grayson.

'Looks like one of his friends.' She surmised.

He was wearing a black shirt and washed-out jeans. His brown hair was a bit long at the branch of his neck and curly at the top.

“Who’s this?” he asked as he sat beside Grayson.

Grayson answered, “A nobody.”

He then dropped his utensils, gazing back at Kendall, intending to drive her out of the table. “Miss, can you please go because this table is reserved for me and my friends?”

Kendall poked her tongue lightly into the cheek and inhaled a long breath. Calming herself not to punch the git, she sweetly smiled and nodded. “See you later then.”

Grabbing her tray, she turned around them. “Ugh, if you weren’t my mission, I had already punched your fucking gut!” she hissed while stopping across the hallway.

Thankfully, she saw Nancy, the student she had just met from the previous class, waving at her.

“Hey, Hailey! I just got a seat for you,” she offered while tapping the vacant space beside her.

A smile was formed on Kendall’s face. Shaking her head to take off the anger seeping out of her, she heaved a sigh and ambled towards Nancy.

Kendall expressed her gratitude to her as she drew down her tray. “Thank you so much, Nancy. Really appreciate this.”

“Sure, no problem. So how was the exam? I was having a hard time with the problems, but thankfully I got it before the time ended,” she told her.

Kendall slightly bobbed. “It was fine. I think I got half of it right.”

Nancy’s eyes bulged in astonishment. “Oh my God, Hailey! The passing is eighty percent. More than half of the answers must be correct!”

Her jaw dropped. “Ah, well... Better luck next time?”

Kendall sheepishly chuckled.

Nancy sighed in defeat. “I wish I were like you. You’re so cool about it. I can’t even let my guard down, as my tuition depends on my grades.”

Kendall softly smiled in concern. “You’ll pass. I’m sure of it.”

“Thanks.” Her lips curved upward.

Nancy then curiously asked Kendall again, “Hailey, why are you following Grayson? Do you like him?”

'No way in hell! My god, he’s five years younger than me! He’s like a younger brother to me!' Kendall snorted.

“God, no! I don’t like him and there’s no way I would like a guy like him. He’s an annoying git who thinks so much of himself,” Kendall said with a chuckle.

Then, as Kendall turned her face to Nancy, she saw the latter's flustered cheeks.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she questioned, "Wait, do you like him?”

Nancy blushed again as she averted her gaze away from Kendall. She then tucked her upper lip before replying. “No... no!” she denied and continued, “And even if I like him, it’s highly impossible for him to like me. I’m—”

She stopped and sighed.

Kendall saw the pain of hopelessness in her eyes. She held her hand, brushing it slightly to console her.

Before she could reply, Nancy turned her gaze toward her and added, "Grayson's type is rich and pretty girls like Abigail or you. I'm nowhere near you guys.”

Kendall was astonished. "Me?"

Nancy nodded. "Yes, you. You dress so well and so pretty. I saw Grayson staring at you in the class."

She couldn't help but be flattered by Nancy's remark.'I guess Charlotte's work paid off.'

Kendall reached her shoulders and gripped them tightly. “Look, you’re not ugly if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re much better than those pretty girls because you have this,” she declared while pointing at the temple of her face.

Her disconcerting face suddenly morphed into a more pleasing one. "Thanks, Hailey."

“No worries! Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, but in the heart. Besides, you’re also pretty. So, stop pitying yourself for something that is not worth your time.”

Grunting, Nancy answered. "Yeah, you're right. I wish I could be like you, who is so at ease with yourself."

She only smirked at her response.

'Meh, not really. I’m even worse than you, kid.' Kendall commented to herself.

Then, a thought suddenly appeared on Kendall. Dropping her arms, she asked, “How old are you?”

Curiosity etched on Nancy’s face. “Eighteen?”

Kendall’s mouth gaped open as if she had realized something. “See! You’re so young. You still have so much time to mature."

'You guys are lucky that you're still so young! God, sometimes I miss being at your age.' She said to herself wistfully.

Meanwhile, Nancy chuckled at her response. “You’re talking as if we’re not the same age!"

Kendall paused as she realized what she had just said. She then tried to play it cool by snickering. “Yeah! We are, pssh! That’s what I meant!”

It was rather fortunate of her that Nancy just laughed it off.

After finishing their meals, Kendall queried Nancy regarding her next class. “What’s your next class?”

Looking at her phone, Nancy replied. “INTFILO at Busch Building. You?”

Instantly, Kendall felt relieved that they had the same class. “Thank God! I’m also in that class.”

Her new friend’s eyes glimmered with delight. “Great! I’ve just finished eating. ‘You're done with yours?”

Grabbing her bag, Kendall stood up and said, “Same! Let’s go?”

Nancy only nodded at her while inserting the straps of the bag into her arms. “Sure.”

Then, both of them walked out of the food court, heading toward their next class.

Nothing noteworthy or extraordinarily significant happened during Kendall’s reconnoitering of Grayson’s whereabouts. To make it worst, she barely managed to get close to him as the young, obnoxious man was simply too elusive for her to get any information.

Adding to that, Chief Spencer kept on pressing her relentlessly regarding her progress with the entitled, and insufferable swot, Grayson Hoffman. With that bug-bearing thought bothering her, Kendall knew that this would probably compromise her mission, or even worse, become the demise of her career.

She couldn’t let that happen, whilst letting a young man be the reason for her career’s downfall. Kendall believed that if you couldn’t swing it in the most mundane and traditional way, then you would have to seize it by fair means or foul.

So, she decided to come up with an idea to leverage Grayson’s pretensions toward her. By the time the weekend had arrived, she went to the nearest automobile repair shop across the street. Kendall knew the shop as they were known for servicing car modifications and alterations. She had already met the owner, Atlas Miller, when she had them clean the carburetor and repair the coolant on her Tarazon Harley-Davidson bike.

Spotting Altas below the Hannasey pickup truck, she knocked on the hood of the car. “Sup, Atlas. You’ve been quite busy these days, eh?”

A tan-skinned guy with disheveled black hair instantly rolled out from underneath the car. Daubing a quite charming smile, he removed the knitted gloves, wiping his greasy palms on his dark-green overalls. “Hey, Kels! Didn’t notice you there. So, you decided to beef up your baby?”

Kendall bent her lips upward. Looking back at her black Davidson parked on the railings, she replied, “Nah, not now, Atlas. Got other things I have to attend to first.” She then turned back to him. “Anyway, I need your help with something.”

His arms crossed over his chest, making the veins on his tattooed biceps pop out. “Sure, fire away, officer. What do you need?”

“I need a car. Well, not just any car, Atlas.” She stopped to point at the Rimac Nevera wrapped around a silver car cover. “That car.”

Following her index finger, Atlas crooked his head to the side. “For what? Are you planning to go dicing?” he asked while moving towards it. “You know this is my girl, Kendall. I don’t just let anyone take a ride on it.”

She sighed with dejection as she walked toward him. “I know, Atlas. Just this once, please. I promise I’ll give your baby back once I’m done.”

Atlas’s eyebrows dished down, raking a few strands of his hair falling over his eyes. “Is this another one of your confidential cases? Did you remember when you completely shattered the front-rear of Old Joe’s mustang? He was shitty for days, Kels.”

In an instant, Kendall remembered that day when she used Officer Joe’s car amid a car chase. She did, not with any intention, crash the mustang with the suspects’ car along the intersection road.

“Okay, that was an accident, Atlas. Besides, this case is different. I have to teach that git some lessons.” Shoving her hands into her back pockets, she added. “Can you please help me with this? I promise I’ll pay you for renting your baby.”

Atlas breathed out with a slight restraint. There was a pregnant pause for a moment when he went back to his office. Kendall waited for a couple of minutes for him—and as soon as she saw him getting back to her, she noticed the keys in his hands.

“Here.” He threw it at her with slight hesitation. “Just make sure she’ll be back with no scratches, Kels.”

Kendall grinned ear to ear. “Perfect! Of course, Atlas! I promise. In the meantime, can my baby stay here for a while? You can use it whenever you want.”

“Deal!” He agreed, with no objections.

She went to the Nevara extracting the cover above it. Kendall walked around it, checking if it was in good condition for racing. Checking its tires, brakes, and steering wheel, she asked Atlas again, “Hey bro, Can I hit up your baby beyond the limit?”

He scoffed while propping his arms against the car’s roof. “You shitting me, Kels? This baby is souped up with turbochargers, highflow filters, exhaust headers, a remapped ECU for an internal combustion engine, and a RE-71R tire for traction. This is a fucking greyhound. You will never go wrong with my baby, Kels.”

Her lips went wide with glee. “Excellent! Can’t wait to drive this around.”

“Oh, also, I upgraded the clutch to a short-throw shifter. It will be easier to shift the gear lever for a maximum rotational speed,” he explained while his arms were perched on the windowsill.

“Got it. Anything else I have to remember?”

Atlas’ molten honey-glazed eyes turned into admonition. “Bring back my baby in one piece.”

...

Grayson Hoffman exited the Caesaere Restaurant with a lady hooking on his left side. Alongside him was his girlfriend for a year, Abigail Vanderbilt, who was famous for being the only Milanon model who’d worked together with international and luxurious brands.

Like her boyfriend, Abigail was raised in a privileged society. Both of her parents also owned a multi-million dollar company that dealt with expensive and exclusive brands. It was also the reason why Abigail could easily get gigs or shows at the latest Milanon Fashion Week.

“My driver won’t be able to fetch me, babe. Will you mind if I get a ride with you?” she requested as she gazed at him.

Grayson responded to her with a faint beam. “Sure!” Looking at his watch, he added, “It’s five pm. Would you like to go back now?”

Abigail pouted. “It’s too early. I thought we were still going to watch a movie? You said you’ll reserve some seats.”

'Fuck!' Grayson muttered as he grabbed her slender and smooth fingers to intertwine with him. “Crap, so sorry, babe! Totally slipped my mind as I was reviewing for the midterms.”

She heaved a sigh. “It’s fine. I understand. Our finals are also coming up, but I still have a few weeks to do that.” Pulling him to her side, she continued, “Anyway, let’s just see if there are still available seats in the cinema. I’m pretty sure there are still vacant seats.”

Same as Grayson, Abigail was also in her second year. Though, unlike him, she’s taking Mass Communications at Rydell University, which was a well-known private university for students who can afford expensive tuition fees.

“I really can’t today. I gotta review for Econ. How about tomorrow, babe? I’ll pick you up in the afternoon.” Grayson frowned as he held tight to her hand.

To be honest, he felt lucky to have her. The first time he met her was at one of his friend’s parties. He knew that the first time he laid his eyes on her, she was the perfect girl for her. She was beautiful, tall, understanding, and patient. Even his grandfather adored her very much because he was close to her father.

“Really, Grayson? That is just so unfair! You barely have time with me! Also, you’re always out with your friends, and you don’t even respond to my calls or texts. Sometimes, I just think that you’re not really invested in our relationship like I am,” she burst out, having enough of Grayson’s excuses.

“God, no Abigail! I-I'm... Shit! I want what we have.” He gulped as he started to feel the sweats on his forehead. “It’s just I’m so cramped up these past few days with requirements and deadlines.”

His girlfriend bit her lips. “Tch, fine! But please promise you’ll make it up to me after your exams.”

Delighted by her response, he smirked. “I swear, babe.”

Abigail then tiptoed to reach him for a kiss. As she damped her full lips on his cheeks, she said, “I’ll keep that promise.”

Meanwhile, Grayson was shocked by her action. Even though they were together for a year, they hadn’t done it yet. Abigail might seem liberated by the way she dressed, but she was still a conservative woman. She’d never given herself to Grayson fully. They had make-out sessions once in a while, but that was only that.

“I will. Swear to God,” Grayson added as he nipped her lips, trying to appease his girlfriend’s sulkiness.

It was a rare sight to witness him being mushy to anyone. People around Grayson knew him to be a bit aloof and standoffish. Nonetheless, it was different when he was with Abigail. With her, Grayson was more cordial and agreeable.

He loved and respected his girlfriend. Even so, despite this fact, Grayson still would frequently sleep with another woman as his way of indulgence. In his defense, he wanted to enjoy his youth as early as possible. Live life the way he could before time ran out.

As they walked out of the mall, Grayson told Abigail that he would drive her home. It was still early for them to go back, but Grayson still had some other things to do.

“Let’s go. I’ll drive you home.”

“Can we go back later? I still want to stroll around.” Abigail expressed dismay because she wanted to spend more time with him.

He exhaled lightly. “I would love to, babe, but I still have to study for Monday.”

Convinced by his explanation, her face went down in disappointment. “Pfft, fine. I guess we have to go back.”

Grayson clutched her hand again, damping his lips to her warm, delicate skin. “Thank you for understanding, babe.”

Abigail understood and knew how much Grayson cared about his studies. Knowing that he was the next in line to his grandfather’s position, Abigail fathomed that Grayson must be equipped to handle their business. Besides, a multi-billion-dollar company wasn’t like any other small enterprise.

As soon as they were at her place, Abigail suddenly brought up something. Grabbing the car’s door handle, she asked, “Before I go, I just remembered... One of my friends saw you last time at the racetrack with another girl. Is that true?”

Immediately, Grayson remembered that night when he had sex with Sandra. It was also the day when he ignored her texts and calls. He felt uncomfortable with her question, so he rubbed the back of his neck.

“No, I was at home studying. Maybe she saw someone else.” He shrugged, sucking up to his lie.

Abigail stared at him pensively. “Are you sure? She did say that it was really you.”

“I promise, babe, that was not me. I was studying at that time for exams,” he explained, firmly denying it to his girlfriend.

She huffed. "Okay, fine, I believe you. Just—Can you please tell me if you’ll go out somewhere with your friends so that I know where you are?”

Trepid with hesitation, he replied, “O-of course! I will. Sure.”

Abigail didn’t ask any questions after that. She went out of the car and walked towards her house. After reaching the place, he dropped her off, and she got inside.

By the time she was out of his eyesight, Grayson released a heaving sigh of relief as she had almost caught him.

'Whew, that was close.' He thought. It was a good thing that he had an alibi to tell her, or else he would definitely be in a boiling pot of water.

When he got back to his car, Grayson’s phone rang inside his pocket. Grabbing it out, he accepted the call.

“Yep?”

“Where are you, Grayson?” Indistinct yet lurid noises were dominant in the background.

“I’m on my way. Will be there in a buck.”

Minutes later, he had gotten to the racetrack. There were a lot of people already, as music boomed throughout the entire place. Cars were already docked in the open space, and random girls in tight clothes were clinging to their beaus.

Rancid smoke filled the air as the night was brimming with the endless perspiration of vulgarity. Grayson smiled in bliss as he was back in his jungle.

“Hey man! Sup!” Anton called him on the left side of the track.

He then ambled towards his friends while girls at the sideline greeted him with fervor. Of course, a man like him with needs would flirt back either with a smile or a hug. He made his way to his friends immediately as he passed along the way.

When he got to where they were located, Will threw him a beer. “Good that you’re here, bro. You almost missed the fun.”

Grayson jeered. “Fun never starts without me, Will. You know that.”

Will, however, just laugh it off.

He was about to open the beer when another girl approached him. She walked toward him with delight and excitement. It was Agnes, who was one of Grayson’s girls.

“Hi, Gray! Glad you’re here again, baby boy,” a girl wearing a mesh mid-drip cooed.

“Course, where would I be other than here?” he coyly smirked.

She teased, “In me?”

Grayson then pulled her closer to him, kissing her languidly on the lips while brushing his palms to her firm derriere. “Later, babe,” he wooed, before giving her another peck on the lips.

“You promise, Gray?” Her eyes fluttered, alluring him to get on with her.

“Course, sweetpea.” Grayson traced his thumbs on her plump, rosy lips.

Agnes only nodded at her and walked back to her place afterward.

His friend Chester, who was beside him, suddenly snaked his arms to Grayson’s shoulder. “Damn, bro. You’re in it again. You know, since we’re friends, why don’t you give us some tricks on how to get some hot chicks?”

“It’s innate, Chester. You don’t need—” he was cut off when a loud revving of the engine blared in their ears.

All of a sudden, the said car parked in front of them. In a minute, the door automatically opened and a woman in a black leather jacket and tight pants came out of it.

Shocked was engraved on everyone’s faces when they saw Kendall standing in front of them.

As Grayson’s eyes widened, he couldn’t help but release an irritable yell. “Huh? It’s the nosy woman! What are you doing here?”

Kendall inhaled pettily. Placing her hands on her hips, she simpered. “I hear you’re undefeated.” Moving closer to him with a gap of a few inches between them, she added, “You up for a race, Hoffman?”

Anton wooed. “Do it, bro! There’s no way she can beat you!”

On the other hand, Will murmured to him, “Shit bro, the chit got a Nevera. That fucker can kill your car in just a minute. I don’t think your Bugatti can top it.”

'Agh, fuck! I know. If I only just brought my Forza! Nevera is one of the best dragsters with its high-powered combustion engine as an AWD. Damn, that thing can cover the dragstrip in less than 3.7 sec with a speed of 330 mph. I might be able to outrun her, but that will depend on her RT.' He grumbled inwardly.

“You fucking sure about that? I don’t want to get your hopes up, but you can’t beat me,” Grayson confidently replied.

Kendall's eyebrows raised as she devilishly smirked. “Why? Are you scared you’d lose? If you’re that good, then prove it.”

'This girl is driving me nuts! However, if I do it right, I can maneuver her with an early pre-take and maintain my tracking speed to low-down the torque of my engine. Fucking hell, this chit is really annoying!'

Grayson’s fury slowly ignited. “Fine! What are you going to bet then?”

Her eyes flicked back to her car. “If you win, I'll give you my car. But if I do—” Leaning closer to him, her eyes landed on his, challenging him even more. “I'll be a part of your squad."

“Oh shit, Grayson! If I were you, I’d go for it, man!” Chester commented.

“She’ll lose anyway, bro. You got this,” Anton patted his shoulder.

Grayson found her deal quite beneficial to him. If he won, he would get her Nevera which he could add to his collection. He knew that it was an easy win as the girl was entirely clueless about how to drag race.

"Deal!" he said.

Their talk ended briefly as both of them started to burn out their cars in the open space. As soon as both of them were ready, the oval race track was prepared. Bystanders cheered while Grayson and Kendall's cars were next to each other.

The instructions for the race were easy. They just had to complete five laps, and whoever got to the finishing line first would win. Grayson had done it in the past, and surely he could win this without difficulty.

Before they got inside their respective places, Kendall left him with a statement. “Don’t go easy on me, Hoffman. I don’t wanna win it the easy way.”

Grayson scoffed, finding her declaration quite ridiculous. “Even if I go easy on you, you’ll still lose.”

Kendall didn’t respond after that as she went inside her car. A woman wearing a sexy bodysuit appeared in front of them as she waved the flag on the drag street.

“Play it easy, guys!” She reminded them before dropping the black flag.

In an instant, Grayson pushed his gear to launch his car. Luckily, his car moved fast, leaving her behind. While keeping in mind to maintain his fast speed, he paddled the pedal in between with his clutch as he slightly shifted his gears.

Meanwhile, Kendall, who was at his back, didn’t budge to move ahead. She kept her pace at a distance of two to three meters away from him. Grayson laughed at this thought, knowing that there was no way in hell she would reach him before the last lap.

“Knew it. The chit doesn’t know anything,” he muttered while his hand was on the steering wheel. He continued his fast pace, minding the balance of traction on his car's wheel-spin. He didn’t want to throttle his car in an instant, as it might take a toll on him later.

“Go, Grayson! Prove to her you’re the king of the track, fucker!” He heard one of his friends cheer him on the sidelines.

Grayson only smiled at them while keeping his focus on the dragstrip.

A few minutes had passed, and the match was intense. Grayson was still leading after four laps, while Kendall was still behind him. With this in mind, as he got to the start of the fifth lap, he boosted his car, accelerating immensely to 450mph, leaving Kendall behind for over seven meters.

“Fuck yes,” he said triumphantly while tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

'Easy peasy, baby.'

His consistent speed continued for half of the lap, making him the lead on the front line. Grayson felt that victory was already at his fingertips. The Nevera would soon be his, and the chit would stop bothering him. Everything was going according to his plan when suddenly—“Fucking shit!”

Grayson noticed her car was running beyond the maximum limit. Kendall reached him in no time, overlapping his speed like a child’s play. His annoyance with her grew stronger as he challenged her speed.

Pushing his pedal harder, he half-clutched and switched gears to maximum speed. When his car reached the Nevera, he tried swerving it to hit her bumper, but, soon, was disappointed when Kendall easily maneuvered his attack.

"Ugh, Shit!"

When the driveway beside Grayson opened, the Nevera briskly rushed swiftly towards the finish line. He tried to reach her speed, but to his distress, his car had already reached its capacity. He knew it would blow out soon if he tried pushing it beyond.

To his utter demise, Kendall completed the laps first before him, making her the indisputable winner.

Grayson was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe that she had won. He thought the chit knew nothing about racing, or at least was clueless about it. Trying to process it through his brain, he couldn’t swallow the bitter pill that had punched him unexpectedly.

He then got out of the car in disbelief as soon as he saw Kendall moving out of hers.

Still shocked, Grayson stood there, frozen, as Kendall strutted towards him with a cunning smirk.

"Bull’s eye! Got you, Hoffman.”

Like always, Grayson’s gang hung out at a nearby bar after the race. With their cars parked under the shading cap of the tree outside the pub, they remained there while sharing a case of beer. Kendall, who just got in the by winning against Grayson, was sitting currently on the hood of her car.

Grayson, on the other hand, was beside her propping on his Bugatti. The countenance of disbelief etched on his face as he still couldn’t comprehend that he lost against a newbie. He had been racing for almost two years since he was sixteen and he couldn’t bite the fact that a girl he barely knew would end his streak of victory.

Meanwhile, Chester, who was on the other side, expressed his amazement to the new member of the squad. “You were so cool! How did you do it? Did you know that no one has ever defeated Grayson before?”

Kendall shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “I guess it was a fluke? I fell behind for four laps of the race. If Grayson hadn’t given me an opening, I would probably lose, which will end in me giving my car.”

Chester patted his palms on her shoulder. “Lucky you won—” he stopped his response while processing her name. Chuckling at himself, he continued, “Damn, I’m an ass for not knowing your name. Grayson still hadn’t introduced you to us.”

All of a sudden, a deep raspy voice spoke. “Hailey. Her name is Hailey.”

Kendall turned to him with incredulity. She didn’t know Grayson would remember her name. As a matter of fact, she thought that he had forgotten about it when she introduced herself last week.

“Well, Hailey, nice to meet you! Chester, here,” he introduced himself while producing a Cheshire kind of smile.

Chester’s rich, yet sidesplitting voice, along with his comical smile, made Kendall chortle lightly. Compared to Grayson, Chester was more approachable and amicable. She thought that although he might not be as attractive or appealing as Grayson, his character and demeanor alone were striking enough.

“Sup, Hailey. Anton.” His luscious green-honey heterochromatic eyes gazed at her as he took her hand and shook it. “Apologize for dissing you a while ago. Anyhow, since you’ve become part of the team, welcome!"

Meanwhile, a red-headed guy beside him wearing a baseball cap gave her a nod. “Welcome, Hails.”

Kendall noticed Anton was more of a level-headed kind of guy, while Will was more reserved and silent. Either way, she thought both of them were like Grayson, who had been groomed by a silver spoon.

“Thanks, guys. You can surely ask anything about me regarding cars or bikes. Though, my interest leans more towards bikes.” Kendall smiled softly.

“ Cool, Hailey! Definitely! Honestly, I absolutely have no problem with you being a part of our group. Ain’t that right, Grayson?” he asked, seemingly unaware of Grayson’s detachment.

“Thanks, Chester.” Kendall reflexively replied to him, as if she didn’t know how to respond to his eagerness.

Anton and Will, who were listening, veered their direction to Grayson, whose attention was completely divided.

“You still good, bro? You look down and out,” Will sniped before drinking his cold can of beer.

Anton added, trying to comfort his distressed friend, “It’s fine if you lose, bro. We win some, we lose some shit, but that’s just part of it. At least we got a rising star in our team who could help us out, right?"

“Yeah, Dude! Besides, Hailey will be a great addition to our team, right?” Chester continued, waiting for his friend’s affirmation.

Nonetheless, out of the blue, Grayson sneered. “Let’s see.”

Averting his gaze back at Kendall, he chugged the beer empty and crushed it into a ball. He then leaned away from his car’s hood, throwing it into the nearest bin. Looking back at them, he saw Chester talking to Kendall again.

His jaw instantly twitched in annoyance as he watched his friend’s delight and keenness.

“By the way, why do you want us to be your friends instead of other girls, Hailey?” Chester asked curiously.

Grayson scoffed as soon as he heard it. “Can’t you see, bro?” Gazing back at her, he gave a lopsided smile. “With that look of hers, do you think she’s a girl?” he added with an implication while scrutinizing Kendall’s black ensemble.

He surmised that, without a doubt, Kendall must be a dyke, with the looks of how she wore herself and the way she gestured. There was no way she was like other girls.

“Kind of has a feeling about it. Anyway, whatever you like, Hailey, it doesn’t matter to us. You’re still part of the group,” Anton declared.

Will didn’t reply as he just shrugged it off.

As soon as Chester realized what Grayson meant, his eyes widened. “Oh… You mean… You’re a...”

Kendall crossed her arms, looking amused. “A what?”

Chester scratched his nape and hesitantly said, “You know… Someone who doesn’t like men. Is that why you enjoy hanging out with guys more than girls?”

Her mouth slightly parted, grasping what Chester was trying to say. However, she was nonchalant about it and just said, “I don’t know. It’s up to you to decide. That’s too personal."

“I told you so,” Grayson muffled.

By saying that, Kendall figured out that it would be better to get closer to Grayson if he didn’t see her as someone who would like him. Also, her gender and sex weren’t a big deal.

“God, dude. I don’t know how you can be so dense sometimes,” Will teased while laughing.

Chester’s pupil narrowed while throwing the empty can of beer toward him. “Shut it, bro. I’m fucking serious here. And I want to know our maggs better.” The corner of his lips curled upward.

Will retorted. “Yeah, Hails. You’re still in."

The group kept talking for a while. Grayson joined in some of their conversations but remained to be distant. A little while later, Anton and Will went inside the pub to replenish their beers. leaving Grayson, Chester, and Kendall alone in the parking area.

Chester continued to ask Kendall questions. She tried to respond to him with equal vigor while keeping a distance from the young man.

While they were conversing, a woman appeared to be walking toward them. Her blonde hair was curled to perfection, while in her blinding tight metallic dress. Chester quickly noticed, immediately, getting Grayson's attention.

"Shit, dude! Sandra is here," he hissed.

Grayson turned to his back, corroborating whether Chester was telling the truth. As soon as he saw it with his own eyes, Sandra appeared more clearly in his vision. He bolted out of his car.

“Crap!” Grayson instantly panicked. He was no longer interested in the woman, nor did he want to do anything with her. With this, out of instinct, he moved next to the unsuspecting Kendall, draping his arms on her shoulder.

Simultaneously, Kendall was flustered by his sudden and baffling gesture. She was about to ask what he was doing, but Grayson riposted back with a shush.

“Shh! Just follow my lead."

Kendall then noticed the woman walking toward them. She went back to Grayson and saw his awkward and stifling countenance. As soon as she realized it, Kendall slumped her back as she waited for Sandra to move away.

However, even with Sandra’s bewildered expression, she still kept walking toward them. When Kendall recognized it, she turned to Grayson to let him know.

“She’s co—"

She felt a heavy barrier against her lips halt her from whatever she was about to say. Wet, smooth lips dampened the skin of her mouth. His lips drifted slightly to the opening of her mouth, nipping her to move about.

Her eyelids nictitated repeatedly. Shock, perturbation, and consternation swirled all over her system as if she had been hit by an unexpected storm. With his body closer to her, she could feel the tension in his shoulders, the arrest of his breathing, and the mixed scent of musky bergamo and liquor wafting through her nose.

The scent filled her attention—No; it occupied her.

It was damning and confusing that the heat on her body flushed out of her skin suddenly. More so, she felt her body trembled not with fear but with an enigma that a sprouting thought suddenly emerged out of her awareness.

Grayson didn’t stop. His lips moved again, nibbling her a bit, making her even more in a state of a conundrum. Even so, this time, Kendall tried to push him away; however, before she could do so, she suddenly felt her waist dragging towards him.

With his arms on her waist, she felt a part of her being sucked into the deep recessive of her subconscious mind.

...

He felt her rapid breathing and the warm, inviting skin against him, which made his whole body react instinctively.

Grayson knew he had completely reacted out of necessity. Nonetheless, he never thought in his wildest dreams that Kendall would feel like this. To have a smell so good—so fresh and distinctive that made him whiff like an idiot just so he could inhale the sweet fragrance of her watermelon and faux pas leather scent.

Apart from that, he was even more befuddled when his mouth nipped her full, supple lips. It felt so tender that it urged him to want more—to taste more. And then, he did the almost unthinkable. He reached towards her, pulling her dainty waist closer.

His mouth parted slightly, dipping it against her lips as his shoulders were awkwardly edgy.

'God…' He grunted.

Albeit, in an instant, her protesting moans hit him back to reality. His eyes flicked open and the tightness on his body loosened. Within a second, he felt her arms pushing him away from her.

“What the fuck!” Kendall hissed in anger.

Coming back to his senses, Grayson shrugged it out of his thought.

He breathed in, trying to compose himself as though nothing had happened. Then, Grayson noticed his arms wrapped around her waist while her stare was etched with contempt.

Clearing his throat, he asked, “Chester, did she leave?"

Chester replied stingily, but with relief, “Yep, she did.”

After hearing his response, Grayson was about to pull away from her when his eyes met her warm forest green eyes. He paused for a while, gazing at her flustered face for a moment. Instinctively, his eyes dropped to her plump rosy lips. It was then, at that moment, that an alarming feeling burst out of him, which made him gulp in ablaze.

Grayson immediately brushed aside the absurd and troubling idea in his mind.

To be honest, he didn’t know why he did that. Kendall wasn’t even his type. She wasn’t the type of girl he would gawk at randomly on the streets. This made him more perturbed and disturbed about what made him react like that.

Then, in a minute, he turned around to look at where Sandra was. He saw her back fading away from the area, which made him sigh with relief.

“Thank Go—Goddammit! O-ouch!” He shrieked when he felt his arms being pulled by Kendall.

She twisted his forearm aptly, causing him to scream in agony. Grayson felt all the nerves in his body awaken in unfortunate discomfort.

“Ouch!” he shrieked, begging her to stop.

However, Kendall didn’t stop as she locked his arms to the hood of the car, bending it in the opposite direction.

“Why the fuck would you do that?!” she kept asking as though she wanted to kill him.

“Fuck! Ugh—I’m just joking, Hailey!” he rebutted in pain.

She didn’t believe him as she even clutched his arms tighter. “Joking? Do you fucking think it’s just a joke?”

“Aren’t we friends? Friends help each—fucking fuck, Hailey!” His back curved inwards, trying to suppress the immense pain from her brutal strength.

“Friends don’t kiss each other!"

“Okay! Okay! I won’t kiss you again! It was just a joke!” He apologized while screaming in anguish.

Chester tried to calm her down. “Umm, Hailey, Grayson’s really like that. You will get used to him when you get to know him better. You might break his—oh, God!” Chester's eyes widened in astonishment.

Nonetheless, Kendall twisted Grayson's arm even tighter, making him scream even more. “Fuck! Damn it! I won’t do it again! I swear! I’m sorry.”

Kendall ignored Chester’s explanations as she never felt violated in her life until this. “Do that again and I’ll break all your bones!”

Grayson immediately nodded. “I won’t—I won’t do it again."

Finally, she let Grayson go while still glaring at him. He, on the other hand, massaged his arms with a pout. Grayson didn’t expect her to do that. Well, the girl was really the epitome of all uncliches.

Then, all of the sudden, heaps of screams came from inside the bar. People inside sporadically bolted out of it with distress painted on their faces. Meanwhile, Grayson saw Anton and Will storming out of the pub.

“Hell, bro, there's a brawl inside!” Will yelled while panting as both of them ran towards them.

“Don’t go, man. It’s a mess!” Anton warned.

Weirdly, instead of keeping her distance, Grayson noticed Kendall storming inside the bar.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Anton queried while looking at her from the distance.

Grayson and Chester exchanged unsure glances but soon followed her, thinking she might cause another trouble.

“Ugh, dammit! This woman will lead us to our demise,” Grayson said irritatingly.

...

With no hesitation, Kendall went inside the bar. She scanned the place and spotted two bulky guys fighting on the dance floor. Most of the customers, even the employees, fled, but Kendall wanted to know what happened.

“Sir, please come down!”

“Stay the fuck away from me!"

The guard tried to pacify the drunk men on the right side while, on the other hand, an employee tried to pull the other guy away. Both were doing their best to calm the two, but they were just too engaged with their anger.

Initially, Kendall didn’t want to get involved, since she wanted to keep her undercover persona as seamless as possible. Also, she had called the cops to handle the situation, but when she noticed that the other big guy was about to pull something from his pocket, alarm bells went off in her head.

On the other side, Chester and Grayson followed her inside. Both of them refused to join in watching the fight, as they had just watched Kendall’s next moves. Knowing that she was a nosy chit, they were worried that she would do something stupid.

And there it went. Kendall’s palm curled into a knuckle.

“Ugh, fuck it…” she muttered as she gazed at her target.

Cracking the muscles on her neck, she grabbed the empty tray lying on the counter and before the target could use his knife, the silver metal plate was flying towards him. It ricocheted against his knife, rotating the knife back to him with a slice on the center of his palms. The guy was absolutely shocked as to where the tray came from.

Realizing the knife plunging into his palms, he screamed in pain as his blood trickled out of it. Meanwhile, the guard and the employee found a loop to tackle and shackle them just in time for the cops to arrive.

Chester and Grayson were in awe as they witnessed Kendall’s spot-on hit. Their jaws dropped with astonishment as they couldn’t believe the surprise this girl brought to them.

“Awesome. Shit, that was cool!” Chester’s mouth gaped, while Grayson’s face was utterly flabbergasted.

Kendall then walked away from the scene. She ambled back with Grayson and Chester to the parking lot where Anton and Will were waiting.

While walking, Grayson couldn’t help but comment. “It’s a good thing that you didn’t interfere with the fight, considering how nosy you are."

Kendall scoffed, saying, “There are guards there, so why would I?”

“Yeah. But what you did was totally cool, Hailey.” Chester nodded.

When they got back to the parking lot, Anton and Will asked why they had gone back to which Chester immediately replied with something regarding Kendall’s impressive skills.

The two didn't ask again as they were already pretty worn out from what happened. With that, the group decided to hit it home as it was evidently late.

However, before they parted ways, Grayson shared something with Kendall. “Oh, by the way, since you are part of this squad now, I need to tell you about our rules."

Her brows raised with curiosity. “Rules? What rules?"

A devious smirk escaped from his lips. “You will still have to undergo an initiation where you’ll be our slave for two months.”

“What initiation? I didn’t know your group is in some kind of fraternity.” Kendall’s ears rang in objection as she fiercely opposed the idea of being the group’s slave.

She looked back at Anton and Will and there was no reaction from them. Chester, however, felt her protest that he couldn't help but butt in. “Oh, it doesn’t have to be all of us. This is just Grayson’s idea! So, just be his slave..."

Kendall bit her lips trying to contemplate it. She thought and realized that if this was the only way to get leads from Grayson, then she had no choice but to do it.

She then crossed her arms and retorted. “Alright, fine! I agree! But just with Grayson!”

Chester rebutted. “Yep, just him, Hailey.”

Little did she know, Grayson was already brewing an evil idea. In his mind, he thought that Kendall was trying to terrorize the group so she could be the leader. Of course, with him being the leader, he didn’t want that to happen, so he swore to make things difficult for Kendall until she quit being part of the group.

...

After that night, Kendall went with her best friend, Charlotte, to buy clothes for her to use in her undercover as a university student. While strolling around different boutiques, looking for cute and stylish clothes, Kendall’s phone suddenly rang.

“Someone’s calling you on the weekend?” Charlotte asked.

She sighed, getting it out of her jeans. “Apparently. Anyway, let me answer this first.”

A deep, familiar voice blared from the speaker of her phone. “Be here at my house on three. I need you to do something for me.”

“What? It’s the weekend, Grayson,” she objected.

There was a pause for a moment. “Did you forget that you agreed to become my slave for two months? You've gotta do your duty, Hailey.”

Then, it struck her that this would be an opportunity for her to know more about Grayson so she could get some information out of him.

Exhaling a deep breath, she surrendered. “Fine.”

Looking dejectedly, she turned her gaze back at Charlotte and sadly informed her, “I have to go, Char. It's from work.”

Stunned, Charlotte asked briskly, “What? Where are you going? Don’t leave me here with your things!”

She walked away while responding to her with her front facing away from her. “You can drop it at my flat, Char. Thanks!”

Charlotte immediately groaned with frustration. “I will not! Remember, I’m not you damn servant, Kels!”