Chapter 174 - 173: A Surprise Attack from Versailles Ran’s Bestie

Chapter 174: Chapter 173: A Surprise Attack from Versailles Ran’s Bestie

Basking in the cheers of the crowd, Ash Sinclair couldn’t hide the joy in his eyes. He packed up his peripherals and left the stage. After all, there were still more matches waiting for him.

He preferred to savor these moments when the world cheered for him. Scenes like this made his adrenaline surge; they were downright intoxicating.

Watching Ash’s retreating back as he carried his gear away, Rian Sinclair silently exited the arena.

Sitting in the backseat of the speeding car, she shut out the roaring crowd behind them. She pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, then set it down to gaze out at Argent’s night skyline.

With their matches for the day over, Ash and his team didn’t linger long before boarding their own vehicle to leave.

His phone lit up. He picked it up, and a message caught his eye.

"Keep it up, Evil."

He stared at the text, pausing for a long time before snapping back to reality. The corners of his lips curled into a smile. Leaning against the window, he looked out at the scenery.

"Don’t worry, Rian," he thought. "Evil won’t let you down."

Back at her residence in Argent, Rian sat on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring blankly ahead.

She felt as though everyone around her had dreams and pursuits, while she spent her days doing absolutely nothing. Even spending money had lost its appeal. With so many businesses raking in fortunes every day, everything was delegated to professional managers.

She just took a stroll every day, messing around with whatever caught her interest. Her life felt entirely devoid of purpose.

"Would the host like to go back to doing research?"

The existential dread Rian had just started to wallow in vanished instantly.

"I think my days are actually quite fulfilling," she said.

She was just humblebragging. Her current life was unbelievably fantastic. She could do whatever she wanted—she had the money, after all. She wasn’t afraid of causing trouble either, because she had the power to back it up. If she wanted to make a move, she easily could. Wealth and authority were completely at her fingertips.

"Ah, what a dry and tedious life," she thought.

The next day.

Rian was in the middle of a game when a phone call interrupted her. Seeing the caller ID, she answered, "Spit it out."

"Hey gorgeous, you’re in Argent, right? Come out and grab a bite with me! I’m here with the school team. I can’t spoil you tonight since I have to head back to the hotel the school booked, but hurry up! I’m taking you out to paint the town red!"

Rian was a little dazed by the loud voice. She double-checked the caller ID to confirm it really was that little troublemaker, Sarah Forrest. But why hadn’t Sarah told her she was coming to Argent? Fine, she wanted to keep it a secret.

Excited at the prospect of hanging out, Rian immediately hopped into her Pagani Zonda and set off.

Arriving at the location Sarah had sent, Rian spotted a girl standing at the bottom of the hotel’s entrance steps.

Her hair was tied back with a few loose strands framing her fair, oval face. She wore black sunglasses, a simple T-shirt, and denim shorts. Sarah’s beauty was the kind that grew on you the more you looked at her.

Rian drove the supercar in her direction. Thinking she was blocking the road, the silly girl actually shuffled to the side. Chuckling, Rian retracted the car’s roof and honked the horn.

Sarah watched the approaching vehicle. She didn’t know anything about cars, but in her mind, anything this low to the ground with a roaring engine was definitely a sports car. And a sports car basically meant it was incredibly expensive. Incredibly expensive basically meant she couldn’t afford to scratch it, which meant she needed to stay as far away from it as possible.

She stepped to the side, but the driver of this supposedly fancy car must have had a screw loose. The car kept honking at her and even lowered its roof.

Sarah half-expected a bunch of hulking meatheads to step out. She clutched her purse, ready to bolt, but when she got a good look at the driver, the person seemed... strangely... familiar?

Suspicious, Sarah slid her sunglasses down her nose. She leaned her small face closer to inspect the woman in the car, who was wearing the exact same outfit as her.

The more Sarah looked, the more familiar the clothes and the face became. Even their taste was identical—this woman was actually wearing the exact same discounted $29.99 matching bestie T-shirt!

Still wearing her sunglasses, Rian waited to see how long it would take the girl to recognize her. She watched Sarah look back and forth between the car and her, before stubbornly walking all the way around to the driver’s side to stare right into her face.

"Holy crap! Ria! It really is you!" Sarah yelled. "I thought you were some spoiled trust-fund kid! You scared me half to death! Rian, you drive a supercar? Does this mean I get to ride shotgun in a supercar?!?"

Seeing that she had been recognized, Rian took off her sunglasses and laughed. "I thought it would take you a while longer. I was honking like crazy and you completely ignored me."

Sarah let out a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her head. "I just didn’t dare to imagine it! I know you’re filthy rich now, but seeing it in real life is a whole different story. I still couldn’t believe my eyes."

"What are you waiting for? Get in," Rian said. "I’ll take you on a Fast and Furious ride."

Giggling foolishly, Sarah skipped over to the passenger side and hopped in. She slickly pushed her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose, instantly adopting a cool, aloof expression.

Rian put her sunglasses back on, started the engine, and merged onto the main road, ready to unleash some speed and passion.

However, as she looked at the long line of traffic ahead, she realized she had forgotten just how many traffic lights plagued this street.

Rian was utterly speechless. She was driving a supercar at a snail’s pace while the drivers around them rolled down their windows to gawk at them like animals in a zoo.

Rian didn’t really mind, but the woman beside her was losing her mind. Sarah kept squealing and recording videos on her phone, looking exactly like a country bumpkin who had never seen the big city before.

Rian could already envision how they would look in those videos. She could even guess the clickbait titles.

[SHOCKING! Supercar spotted on XX Avenue! You won’t believe who’s riding shotgun!]

[BREAKING! Hundred-Million-Dollar Supercar appears on XX Avenue! The woman in the passenger seat actually did...]

Even though Rian feigned disgust, she was actually quite happy. Seeing her best friend so thrilled brought her a sense of genuine satisfaction.

Seeing Sarah trying to stick her head out the window, Rian quickly yanked her arm back. "Did all your years of schooling go to waste? Even a babbling one-year-old knows not to stick their head out of a moving car!"

Sarah grinned. "Oh, come on! I’m just a little excited!"

Rian shot her a sideways glance. Sensing the murderous aura, Sarah obediently sat back in her seat. She stared straight ahead with her hands clasped behind her back like a model student.

Rian shook her head helplessly. She put the roof back up and blasted the air conditioning. They were going to be stuck at this red light for a while, and sitting out in the open heat was unbearable.

"Where do you want to go?" Rian asked. "Or what do you want to do?"

Sarah finally pulled out her phone and scrolled for a bit before handing it directly to Rian. The first thing that caught Rian’s eye was a green interface, followed by the eerie sound of creepy background music.

"An escape room?" Rian read the title at the bottom aloud, turning to look at her. "Aren’t you terrified of these things? Won’t you end up crying from fright?"

"I want to play, but I’m too scared to do it alone!" Sarah laughed nervously. Rian had almost forgotten that her friend was a complete glutton for punishment—terrible at these games, yet utterly addicted to them.

If her bestie wanted to play, then she would obviously make it happen!

Rian handed the phone back and searched up The Soul-Eyed Escape Room on her own phone. It was an eight-person game, and nearly everyone would be assigned a solo mission. Rian wasn’t sure if she should mention that little detail.

But turning her head, she saw Sarah’s face glowing with eager excitement. Deciding against it, Rian swallowed her warning.