A Lady from a Rich Family

Evangeline’s lips curved into a charming, dismissive smile. She met Dominic's intense gaze without a hint of hesitation. "Sorry, but I have no time for that."

Instead of lingering to entertain his bruised ego, she dropped her heavy racing helmet onto the slick hood of the blue BMW. The resounding clunk echoed in the crisp night air. She turned her back on the formidable Vane patriarch and walked away with undeniable swagger. Her confident strides left the onlookers buzzing with disbelief.

Nearby, Jace took immense pleasure in the unfolding drama. He crossed his arms over his chest and shot a gloating smirk at a livid, humiliated Finley. "How does it feel to lose, huh?" Jace mocked, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Look who is eating their own arrogant words now."

Finley’s face flushed crimson with rage. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, but he remained at a loss for a coherent retort, defeated by the reality of the race.

Ignoring the bickering boys, Evangeline approached her crew. "Take me back to my place," she ordered Jace, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Gotcha, Boss," Jace replied eagerly. He abandoned his teasing and rushed to open the passenger door of the Lamborghini for her. His servile, attentive manner was a stark contrast to his earlier boastful bravado.

Watching the sports car roar to life and speed off into the dark night, Finley turned to a displeased Dominic. Stubbornly attempting to rationalize the catastrophic loss, Finley gestured toward the fresh tire marks burning into the asphalt. "Did you deliberately let her win the race simply because she is pretty?" he asked defensively.

Dominic did not dignify the ridiculous question with an answer. He merely shot Finley a chilling, dirty look that instantly silenced his younger brother. Turning his attention back to the track, Dominic's sharp eyes lingered on the fading taillights of Evangeline’s receding vehicle. A vague, nagging sense of familiarity tugged at his mind. The fluid way she handled the wheel, the unapologetic tilt of her chin—he could not place where he might have met such a fierce woman before.

After a satisfying night's sleep, comforted by the secure knowledge of her newly won five-million-dollar prize sitting in her bank account, Evangeline prepared for the day. She meticulously reapplied her unfashionable, dark makeup, deliberately dulling her striking features, and strapped on her atrocious, itchy wig the next morning.

When she descended the grand wooden staircase of the manor, the scene downstairs buzzed with frantic excitement. She found the Vane siblings—minus the workaholic Dominic—gathered around the massive dining table, talking over one another.

Finley thrust his phone into the center of the table, displaying a high-quality photo of Evangeline’s racing alter-ego from the previous night. "Here is a photo of her. She is a real knockout, isn't she? The way she raced last night was insane!"

The brothers leaned in close, openly praising the woman on the glowing screen. They wildly laughed over the sheer impossibility of the invincible Dominic suffering a rare, humiliating defeat.

"How rare it is to hear that Dominic has actually been defeated," Finley chuckled, still recovering from the shock of his brother's bruised ego.

Raphael, ever the expert in beauty and fashion, examined the captured image closely. "She is a stunner indeed. Look at that posture. How I wish I could get her to model for my designer label."

Caspian sighed loudly, tapping his fingers against his coffee mug. "It is a shame that a breathtaking stunner like her isn't acting or modeling in the industry right now. The camera would love her."

"I forgot to ask her name last night," Finley muttered, swiping through more blurry shots of the racetrack. "But Dominic has already deployed his vast network to track down the mystery racer's real name. There will probably be news very soon. He doesn't take losing lightly."

The brothers briefly glanced up as the disguised, ugly Evangeline walked into the sunlit dining room. They instantly and silently dismissed her, their eyes flicking away in a fraction of a second. To them, the clumsy country bumpkin was no match for the mysterious, adrenaline-fueled lady on the track.

Evangeline poured herself a glass of fresh juice, feeling thankful for her exceptional makeup skills. *If they ever saw through my cover, every single one of them would probably fall in love with me,* she mused narcissistically to herself while taking a slow, satisfied sip.

During breakfast, her burner phone buzzed on the mahogany table. Three consecutive texts from Jace lit up the screen in rapid succession.

*Boss, you know what? Finley is shameless; he paid a premium to get your racer phone number!*

*I guess he will be pissed off if he finds out the person he is looking for is actually living under the same roof as him.*

*By the way, Dominic is burning resources to track you down, so be careful.*

Evangeline casually flipped her phone face down. She smiled in profound disdain, doubting Dominic’s ability to catch a ghost like her. Let him waste his money.

Friday arrived, bringing Dominic's turn for the mandatory school run. The morning drive to the campus proved silent. The tight confines of the luxury car filled with a palpable tension. Dominic kept his eyes locked on the road, while Evangeline stared out the window, neither of them bothering to utter a single word to break the thick ice.

After the final bell rang and school concluded, however, Finley aggressively trailed Evangeline out of the bustling compound.

Annoyed by the relentless sound of his footsteps, she stopped and spun around. "Why are you following me around?"

Finley scoffed loudly, offended by the accusation. "I am not following you! Paige is finally back from studying abroad; she came specifically with Dominic, and I am rushing to meet her."

*Paige? Who?* Evangeline thought, her expression remaining blank.

Seeing her obvious confusion, Finley eagerly explained. "Paige is the eldest daughter of the powerful Mercer family. She grew up closely with us, and we had a lot of fun together. She has been studying abroad for the past two years, but now she is back at last!"

Evangeline remained indifferent to the elite pedigree. She did not care about the Mercer family or their deep-rooted connections to the Vanes. Turning her back on Finley’s enthusiastic rambling, she casually walked out the towering school gates, a cheap fruit-flavored lollipop dangling carelessly from her lips.

Waiting in the passenger seat of Dominic’s luxurious car sat Paige, presenting a perfect picture of exquisite wealth and manicured grace. Decked out in pristine designer clothes, she wore her long, wavy hair cascading down her back. Her makeup was flawless, typical of a woman born into immense privilege and groomed for high society.

After warmly and familiarly greeting Finley through the rolled-down window, Paige shifted her attention. She turned a sickeningly bright, calculated smile on Evangeline.

"You must be Evangeline," Paige introduced herself sweetly, though her dark eyes remained sharp and assessing, sizing up the newcomer's dreadful outfit. "I am Paige Mercer. I grew up with Finley and the others since we were young. Let's be friends from now on. Feel free to ask me out if you are looking to have some fun in Veridale."

Evangeline recognized the superficial social posturing instantly. She replied with a polite, noncommittal, "Okay."

Finley leaned heavily against the car door, gushing over the long-awaited return of his childhood friend. "What fun will you have hanging out with her, Paige? I missed you terribly. You are not leaving this time, are you?"

Paige smiled sweetly at Finley, confirming his hopes. "No, I am not leaving. I have graduated from college, so I plan to work at Vane Global as an intern now."

"Really?" Finley beamed, his excitement bubbling over. "In that case, you have to look after Paige at the company, Dominic."

Sitting behind the steering wheel, Dominic remained stonily silent. His handsome face stayed unreadable as he ignored his brother's eager command. He simply started the car engine and smoothly pulled away from the school curb, offering no warm words of welcome.

A brief, sharp flicker of deep disappointment flashed across Paige's carefully constructed eyes at his striking coldness. She masked it quickly, maintaining her pristine posture. Glancing sharply at Evangeline through the rearview mirror, Paige tightened her manicured grip on her expensive designer handbag.

*How could I possibly leave again?* she thought viciously to herself.