Chasing Vengeance, Falling for Her

"Briella, what a coincidence! We keep running into each other," Celia said with a sweet smile. Though she was speaking to Briella, her hand naturally reached out to loop around Sheldon's arm. Sheldon's face immediately darkened. He dodged her touch, his gaze turning cold.

Sensing the tension, a few friends quickly pulled Celia aside. "Come on, everyone knows Sheldon is supposed to get engaged to you, but his plan isn't done yet. Why are you messing things up now?"

Celia chuckled. "Who said I'm here to ruin things? I actually have a brilliant idea, one that will make Briella disappear even faster."

Her friend's eyes lit up. "Let's hear it."

Celia lowered her voice, whispering for a good while. Standing a short distance away, Briella couldn't hear what they were saying. A growing unease settled over her and she wanted nothing more than to leave the mountain.

Just then, Sheldon's friends returned, announcing that a rival racing team had challenged them to a race and imploring Sheldon to lead them to victory. Sheldon hesitated. One of his friends leaned in and murmured something to him. His brows furrowed deeply and his gaze lingered on Briella for a long time. Then, he finally gave a low "Mm."

Celia exchanged a satisfied glance with his friends. Then, they pushed Briella into the passenger seat. One of them grinned. "Relax, Briella. Sheldon's racing skills are top-tier. Even though this is my car, it won't affect his performance."

Briella knew that racing was one of Sheldon's few passions. On this mountain, he was undefeated. Before she could protest, a racing flag dropped and Sheldon hit the gas, the car rocketing forward like an arrow. Glancing out the window, Briella saw dozens of cars speeding along the track. Sheldon was far ahead, leaving the others in his dust. At this rate, he'd have no problem leading his team to victory.

However, as they approached the final turn, Sheldon suddenly accelerated, the car veering towards the guardrail. Briella's eyes widened in shock, fear gripping every nerve in her body. At the last second, the car scraped against the barrier, sending sparks flying. But they didn't cross the finish line.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted like a pot of boiling water. Sheldon had lost for the first time ever. Briella was still reeling from the near crash. Sheldon leaned over, gently patting her head. "Sweetheart, are you alright? Sorry, I ... "

Sheldon got cut off as his friends rushed over. Their faces were etched with worry. "Sheldon, you need to see this! Celia, she's in bad shape!"

Each racer had a woman in the passenger seat. Celia had been in another car and it had flipped over at the finish line after failing to brake in time. Celia was trapped beneath the car, her legs a bloody mess, when they pulled her out. She wailed, "Am I going to die? Sheldon, it hurts so much! Please, take me to the hospital!"

Sheldon was about to ask someone else to take her, but then she spoke again. "My dad. He still hasn't signed the contract. Sheldon, are you really going to leave me like this?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Sheldon's face. After a long pause, he finally scooped Celia into his arms and turned to Briella. "I'll take her to the hospital first. You go back with Jesse and the others."

The friend he'd mentioned quickly chimed in, "Don't worry, Sheldon, I'll make sure sis-in-law gets home safe." However, as soon as Sheldon left, they made some excuse about checking out a new race car and vanished. A knot of anxiety tightened in Briella's chest; something felt terribly wrong. She turned to leave, but five men suddenly surrounded her. It was the opposing racing team from earlier.

Their eyes were fixed on her, leering with sleazy grins. "Where do you think you're going, Miss Jacquin? Sheldon already gambled you away to us."

"It's about time we had a taste of the former socialite darling."

"We've got all night; plenty of time to play."

Briella's face turned pale. She stumbled backward in fear, but her retreat only seemed to excite them. They lunged at her, rough hands grabbing and dragging her toward the garage. She struggled desperately, but how could one woman possibly fight off five men? Strong hands pinned her down. The sound of fabric tearing rang in her ears.

"Get off me! Don't touch me! Help! Somebody, help me." The raucous crowd wasn't far off, but such scenes were commonplace and no one paid her any mind. Her dress was ripped to shreds and goosebumps prickled her skin in the night air, only to be replaced by the heat of something far more repulsive pressing against her.

Briella gagged in horror, screaming with all her might. Still, the only response was the men's heavy, excited breathing. Despair swallowed her whole. Just as she was about to give up, the piercing sound of screeching brakes shattered through the chaos like a divine intervention.

The next second, the weight on her body disappeared. The man about to violate her was yanked away by none other than Sheldon. His face was cold as death, his expression as terrifying as a demon's. Without hesitation, he raised his leg and kicked the man square between his legs.

A blood-curdling scream tore through the night. Seeing the sudden shift, the remaining four men erupted in anger. "Sheldon, you agreed to this bet! What the hell are you doing?"

"Can't handle losing, huh? You son of a bitch, we'll kill you!" They lunged at him all at once. But Sheldon fought back, every punch landing with brutal force.

One against four, yet he tore through them mercilessly. Even after they all lay groaning on the ground, he wasn't done. Grabbing a fire extinguisher from the wall, he looked ready to smash skulls. Briella wanted to stop him, but before she could, her vision went black and she passed out.