Chapter 5

Under the blazing sun, even his hair seemed to glint with a golden light.

He looked refined, but his presence was commanding.

The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing his forearms, where veins bulged slightly under his skin.

The man who had been shouting moments earlier suddenly wilted, like a scolded child.

"Mr. Percy, what brings you all the way out here to the outskirts? Are you here to race?" the man stammered, clearly trying to make himself known.

Percy didn’t even glance at him, his eyes fixed on me and Derick who was standing protectively in front of me.

"Alice, who is this?"

I held my ground under his intense stare and replied, "No idea."

Seeing the guy back down, Derick grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

“You’ve got some guts, showing up at a place like this. Let’s see if you dare to come back here again.”

We had only taken a few steps when Percy caught my wrist.

"Alice, are you avoiding me on purpose?"

Derick realized then that I must know Percy.

He stepped