Chapter 214: How Arrogant.

I walked over, gently taking Ruby by the shoulders and pulling her back just a fraction.

"Ruby," I said, my voice smooth and calm. "If I know May, whatever they say on that screen isn’t going to discourage her. It’s going to fire her up. She needs to see her target."

May looked over at me, her eyes locking onto mine for a brief second. A subtle, sharp nod passed between us—she knew I hit the nail right on the head.

"So," I added with a slight smirk, looking back at Ruby, "let’s hear what arrogant things this new girl has to say."

Ruby looked at me, her defensive posture immediately melting at my tone. She let out a small pout, but couldn’t hold out against me.

"Fine," Ruby grumbled softly, though a playful smile twitched at her lips as she tossed her hands up. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you two!"

She raised the remote and clicked back to the sports broadcast.

The high-definition screen flickered, instantly filling the living room with the loud, polished audio of a bright studio setting. A sleek sports graphic flashed across the bottom third of the TV screen, displaying the bold title: "THE NEW QUEEN OF THE 100M: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW."

Sitting under the bright studio lights was a young, sharp-eyed sprinter wearing a flashy brand sponsorship jacket, leaning back in her chair with complete, unrestrained confidence.

We all fell quiet, standing around the living room as the TV interviewer held up a microphone, his voice echoing through the estate’s speakers.

"So," the interviewer asked, grinning into the camera, "you’ve officially shattered the record that many thought was untouchable. How does it feel to finally dethrone May and claim the top spot?"

The sprinter on screen adjusted her jacket, putting on a sweet, polished smile for the camera. "Look, I have so much respect for May," she began, her tone dripping with performative modesty. "She was honestly my role model growing up."

"No, I’m not," May scoffed instantly from the carpet, rolling her eyes with her arms crossed tight over her chest.

"I just think everyone has their own time in the spotlight, you know?" the girl continued, tilting her head thoughtfully. "It’s just the natural order of sports. May had a great run, but she’s old now. She’s past her prime, and it’s time for the younger generation to take over."

In the living room, Ruby’s jaw literally dropped. Patricia gasped, and Chloe let out a sharp, incredulous whistle.

"Uh, wait," the interviewer interjected, quickly glancing down at his cue cards with a nervous laugh. "Just to clarify for our viewers—May is actually only twenty-three years old. And she’s only been in professional sprint racing for eleven months. Not even a full year yet."

The girl on screen blinked, putting a hand over her mouth in a mock exaggerated gasp, letting out an airy, giggly laugh. "Oh! Really?! Wow, my bad! I completely thought she was a granny with how long people have been talking about her! I guess some people’s time of glory is just really, really short. And May happens to be one of them."

May didn’t even blink, her gaze fixed on the screen like a predator locking onto its prey.

"Do you think May will ever reclaim the world record from you?" the interviewer pressed, leaning forward.

"Honestly? Yes," the girl replied smoothly.

We all paused.

"Wait, what?" Ruby blinked, looking genuinely baffled. "Did she just say yes?"

"...Probably when I’m old and retired," the sprinter finished with a smirk, leaning back in her leather chair. "Or maybe while I’m fast asleep."

The studio audience exploded into loud laughter, and the host shook his head, thoroughly entertained by the sheer arrogance.

In our living room, total silence fell over the five of us for a heavy three seconds.

"Okay," Ruby squeaked out softly, slowly pointing the remote at the TV and shutting it off. "Now I want to punch her."

"Alright, that’s enough," I said quietly, taking the remote from Ruby and killing the power. The screen went pitch black, cutting off the lingering sound of the studio laughter.

I turned to look at May. The last thing she needed right now was to blind herself with raw, unchanneled rage. Pure anger made an athlete sloppy, and sloppiness was how you blew out a hamstring or lost hundredths of a second on the starting block.

"What do you think?" I asked, keeping my voice grounded as I watched her expression.

May stood up slowly from the edge of the sofa. Her eyes weren’t teary anymore; they were sharp, cold, and burning with a terrifying level of laser-focused intensity.

"I need that training facility," May said, her tone completely devoid of hesitation. "Now. Tonight."

"Woah, chill," I chuckled, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder. "As much as I’d love to teleport a multi-million dollar biomechanics lab onto the property in the next five minutes, elite setups take actual coordination. Give me just a day."

"A day?" May pressed, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides as she paced a tight circle on the rug. "Ethan, she’s on live television calling me a granny who had a short glory run. I am not sitting around doing nothing for twenty-four hours!"

"You’re not doing nothing," Chloe chimed in smoothly from her armchair, standing up to join us. "You’re resting, fueling up properly, and letting Patricia’s staff fix you a real recovery meal while the boss pulls the strings."

"She’s right," Patricia agreed gently, placing a hand on May’s arm. "You can’t pour from an empty cup, May. Let Tiana and Ethan set the stage. When you step onto that new track, you need to be at 100% physically."

May looked between Patricia, Chloe, and then back to me. She let out a long, heavy breath, her shoulders finally dropping a few inches as the wild surge of adrenaline settled into cold determination.

"Fine," May muttered, though a sharp, hungry smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "One day. But the second those facility doors open tomorrow, I’m not leaving until I run a time that makes her eat every single word."