Too Late Mr. White! I'm Married To Your Rival Now novel Chapter 228

Author's POV

The day of the race finally arrived, bringing with it a whirlwind of excitement and tension.

It was a speed competition with substantial prize money on the line—$500,000 for first place, $300,000 for second, and $100,000 for third.

Aria found herself flanked by her longtime rivals who seemed to have coordinated their strategy. The moment the race began, they surged forward in tandem, deliberately squeezing her toward the back of the pack.

But Aria hadn't claimed so many first-place victories by accident. This petty tactic hardly fazed her. Watching carefully for her opportunity, she seized the moment as they rounded a marker buoy and smoothly overtook them from the right side, her jet ski cutting through the water with precision.

"Go JJ!" Lillian screamed at the jumbotron, her voice cracking with excitement. The spectator stands were positioned quite far from the actual race course, making it impossible for competitors to hear any cheers, which was why fans rarely bothered shouting encouragement.

Lillian didn't care that her voice had gone embarrassingly shrill. Her eyes remained glued to the massive screen displaying the race, her body tensed with every turn Aria made on the water.

Her enthusiastic outburst caught Elena's attention. Elena recognized Lillian immediately, her eyebrows furrowing into a frown as questions formed in her mind. Aria's best friend was here, but where was Aria herself?

She arched an eyebrow thoughtfully, hesitated for a moment, then surrendered to her curiosity. Rising from her seat, she made her way toward Lillian.

The race was reaching its most intense phase when Lillian felt a tap on her shoulder. "Watch the race, Claire!" she blurted automatically, assuming it was her friend.

Claire, sitting beside her, shot her a confused look. "What's wrong, Lily?"

Lillian realized her mistake and turned to find Elena standing there. She barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "And you are...?" she asked, her tone deliberately cool.

"Miss Bennett, I'm Elena Pierce. We've met before—I'm Lucas's friend," Elena replied, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Lillian let out a cold laugh. "Lucas who? Don't know him."

"I'm sorry, I forgot you might not know his middle name. Lucas is Aiden Carter. I just saw Aiden in the VIP section and was curious—Miss Jones isn't here today?"

"Why the hell would you care if Aria's here or not?" Lillian's attitude was downright hostile, but Elena appeared unfazed.

"That's not what I meant. I just—" She paused as the jumbotron showed a close-up of JJ maneuvering her jet ski with expert precision. Elena pointed at the screen. "That's JJ—she was Lucas's first love. I thought Miss Jones might be curious enough to come watch."

Lillian immediately rolled her eyes. "What kind of psycho obsesses over their husband's ex? Everyone has exes, including Aria! What about you, Miss Pierce? Don't you have any exes?"

Elena pressed her lips together. "You misunderstand me, Miss Bennett. I was simply asking. I won't disturb you while you're watching the race."

"Everyone's trying to enjoy the competition, and I suggest you do the same! You said JJ was Aiden's first love, right? Then watch how amazing she is and think about why someone as exceptional as her was his first love, while you..." Lillian left the rest unsaid, but her meaningful look conveyed everything.

Elena's face darkened instantly. She didn't respond, just turned and walked away with a frigid expression.

She couldn't understand why Aria's friend was acting so smug. Checking the time, she calculated that this heat of the competition would finish in about thirty minutes. Returning to her seat, she regretted arriving so early. Without Aria present, her anticipated pleasure had significantly diminished.

Meanwhile, Aria had already left her saboteurs in her wake, circling the course with remarkable speed and control.

Half an hour later, the first heat ended with JJ predictably securing first place with a time of 56 minutes and 33 seconds.

Ethan, watching his first-ever jet ski competition, found himself unexpectedly engrossed. When the announcer called out JJ's winning time, he instinctively glanced at Aiden. "Impressive, man. First place," he remarked, then paused briefly. "Though I should remind you—no matter how amazing JJ is, she's in your past. You have a wife now."

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