One: Lisa Volkov

LISA

"Wow, girl, you look so stunning," my roommate, Cayetana, Tana for short gushed as she gazed at my body and outfit up and down, her jaws practically on the floor with his shocked she was.

"Who would have thought you could be this... Stunning!?" she exclaimed!

"Don't be overdramatic, Tana, I look just normal."

"Normal? Girl, there's nothing normal about you and your outfit. Just take a look at yourself."

She whirled me around so I could stare at myself in the mirror and my jaws slacken at the girl staring back in the mirror. I've always been a pants and baggy tops girl. In fact, for the whole of the 3 years that I've spent in St. Williams, I've never dressed up like this, I've never even thought of dressing up like this.

I was a nerd, an IT girl who's always on glasses and baggy clothes, and Tana, my roommate since 100l who's outgoing and is always attending all the parties both on and off campus has finally gotten tired of how holed up I've always been indoors and now, she has successfully blackmailed me into dressing up and attending the Sunday ritual just outside the school.

Sunday Car Racing.

I was dressed in all black, as the dress code of the race, black high-waist trousers, a black tank top that was tucked into my trouser, black knee-length boots with my black hair falling in curls over my shoulders. I looked sensual and hot and I've only looked like this a few times when I have a mission that required me to dress like this.

"See that, you're even speechless at your image."

"I'm not speechless," I lied, "just a little bit taken aback?"

"Whatever makes you sleep at night."

We both laughed.

"So is that all? We should leave now. I know we've gotten a reservation but we still need to make it in time to beat the crowd."

"Yeah, I'll just use my glasses," I started to reach for my glasses but she slapped my hands away.

"Ain't no way in the world I'll allow you to wear glasses on that outfit, just use your contacts," she fetched my contact case from my drawer and handed it to me.

"Just use that and complete your badass look, I'm sure you'll be the envy of everybody this evening."

I smiled at her and I picked up my bag, my revolver in it. I always go around with it. Dad had made that a compulsion since I forced him to call back the guys he had put on my tail. I wasn't a little girl anymore and truth be told, I was stronger than most of his men so I saw no reason why they'd keep shadowing me, especially inside the walls of St. Williams.

He agreed on the condition that I always carry my gun around with me and I didn't even see a problem with that. Most people didn't know me as the daughter of one of the most feared mafia lords in the country, not even Tana but the school authorities were well aware of that fact.

"Just a minute, I need to pee."

Tana rolled her eyes as I slipped into the bathroom and I lifted my top to tuck my gun away inside my trouser, knowing fully well that just like every other day before today, I was not going to have a use for it.

I was enjoying the car racing.

I knew I was going to enjoy it.

Of course, I've always been an adrenaline junkie. I crave anything and everything that'd make me feel an insane surge of adrenaline. Things like bungee jumping, flying parachutes, skiing, diving, and water racing had always been my favorites, and wonder why I've never attended car racing since I loved it this much.

Well, the first reason was that I loved being in front of the computer more. Because even though I was in school, Dad had entrusted me with everything that has to do with our cyber security and I have to do my absolute best at it. I couldn't be found slacking. We have hundreds of hackers sitting in front of their computers 24 hours a day just trying to get past our security and have into our walls so I have to keep finding new and better ways to up our security level.

Not that our security level isn't top-notch right now but you know, one can never be so sure about things like that.

"Oh my God! He's going to win, he's going to win, Yesss."

Tana's screams, alongside the thousand other voices cheering up the racers, cut through my reverie as my eyes latched unto the cars. They just started but the guy in the blue car was already winning and everybody was cheering up.

He was going at such a fast speed that was unimaginable and people were starting to stand to their feet to see properly and to cheer him up. I remained seated even though everything in me was clamoring for me to stand up and cheer him and bang my hands together like most people were doing but I remained in my seat.

I forced myself to remain on my seat even though I was standing to felt like I was going to burst anytime soon because of the insane amount of adrenaline surging through me.

I could picture myself seated behind those wheels, hands on the steering and racing off. I wanted that, I was craving it like an addict would crave a fix after staying away for days but I couldn't give in to the urge.

Because that wasn't who I am in this school.

And I'd rather chew chalk than compete in this particular game.

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

The crowd's screams momentarily deafened my ears as the blue car won and everyone practically went crazy. They continued screaming at the top of their voices while flinging off their tops and handkerchiefs and unknowingly, my lips stretched into a smile.

"You're enjoying it, right?" Tana teased as she looked back at him, "look at you smiling. See? I told you you were going to enjoy it."

"Yeah," I bit back a smile, "it's not that bad."

"Just admit that you love it."

"Yes, I love it."

We both burst into laughter.

The guy behind the wheels of the blue car stepped out and the crowd went bonkers again. He was a young-looking chap with dreads and I felt my insides swoon. I've always loved guys who were good at racing and besides, he wasn't bad looking.

"Will he be the hero of tonight?" I asked Tana, "He already defeated all tonight's winners."

"Yes, he'll be the hero if no one challenges him again but if someone else should challenge him, they'd have to race and whoever wins will be the hero."

Ohhh. I nodded in understanding. But no one was going to challenge him. The distance he won the other rounds' winners with wasn't child's play and I was sure no one in the crowd would be able to beat the record he already set tonight.

"Ohhh," the MC's voice boomed loud and clear over the microphone, "someone just challenged our winner and the person is none other than..."

The fucker announced his presence himself by stepping unto the podium and collecting the microphone from the MC's hands.

"Yeah," he announced with that self-satisfied smile that always girls to fall and trip over each other, "that'd be me."

The crowd went even crazier. If I thought they were crazy with how they were cheering for the blue car guy earlier, then they went insane now, clapping, shouting, stomping the ground, and even jumping.

All because of him.

All because of Axel Ivanov.

My insides churned with disgust and I felt bile raise my throat.

The second reason why I've never attended car racing was that it was organized by Axel Ivanov and no one, absolutely no one disgust and irritates me more than Axel does.

And yes, I'd rather chew sand than participate in a game organized by Axel of all people.

He blew air into the microphone and the shrill sound made everyone quieten down.

"I know you guys love me," he continued with that self-satisfied smirk on his face and I felt an insane urge to walk up to him and slap it off his face, "and I know you guys are excited to see me race because I've not done that since the first week that I started this game.-

So I'm ready to give you guys all the games you've missed in three years."

The crowd went bonkers again and he allowed them to scream for a while before quietening them by making that shrill sound.

"I'm going to triple the cash prize for anyone who successfully beats me in this race..."

More insane screaming.

"And anyone is free to join the challenge because I'm almost too sure that our hero here is no match for me."

Cocky bastard.

Asshole.

More guys stood up from the benchers to join the challenge and Axel kept that sweet smile on his face like someone that was almost too certain that all of them were no match for him.

It made my insides turn every more because how can someone be so arrogant and how can he be deemed the King of St. Williams and also be that loved by all when he was that annoying?