Meanwhile, after exiting the competition area, Claudia sat in the backstage lounge.

The same competitors who had tried to sabotage her earlier approached with feigned cheerfulness.

“Congrats, CC. Looks Like you're number one again!"

One of them with the name Heidi extended her hand, but Claudia, setting down her sports drink, simply picked up her phone to message Amalia.

Seeing her silence, Heidi's face soured.

“Look, no hard feelings, okay?”

Ignoring her, Claudia took her phone and exited the lounge.

She had just received a plethora of pictures from Aurora. Assuming they were close-ups of herself on the big screen, she was shocked to see photos of Bennett.

He was here too?

The sight made her hand tremble and her heart rate spike, filling her with an unnamable tension.

The race for the second group had been underway for over ten minutes, and Claudia knew it would wrap up in about an hour

For her, that hour was a form of torture. When she heard the announcement signaling the end of the race, her heart began to race once more.

Once the competition was over, the contestants gathered on stage for the awards ceremony and a final group photo.

It was nearing noon, the sun scorching overhead.

The other contestants looked fatigued. But there, amidst the crowd and wearing a mask, Claudia stood out.

Curiosity was mounting among the spectators. The host announced the winner of the women's competition.

It wasn't Claudia but a new racer named Novalee Duffy, who had finished the course six seconds faster. Claudia had to settle for second place this time.

Hearing the news, Heidi sent her a smug smile.

“Looks Like you couldn't pull it off, Cc."

Ignoring her, Claudia walked up to the podium.

She'd stood there countless times before, but never had she felt this nervous.

She wondered who Kayla had arranged for her and when she would need to take off her mask.

Caught in her thoughts, she almost missed the host calling her name.

“What's on your mind, CC? Not going to accept your trophy?"