Chapter 14: Arising Problems 2

Dante stood just inches away, his glare drilling into Nova, fists twitching like they had a mind of their own. The rooftop air was thick with tension, the silence stretching between them like a drawn blade.

"Tell me something, Mr. Nova," Dante said, voice low, sharp. "Did you tell her to do that?"

Nova tilted his head, unbothered. "Do what? Win?" He let a smirk tug at his lips. "Didn’t know winning needed permission."

Dante’s jaw flexed. "Don’t play stupid. She clipped my guy. That wasn’t a clean race."

Nova gave a light chuckle. "And what? You expected clean racing in an underground circuit? My bad, I thought you knew where you were."

Joel let out an amused snort behind him, but Dante didn’t break eye contact. If anything, his glare darkened.

"Your people like to play dirty," Dante said, stepping closer. "You think you can screw with the Mad Hounds and walk away?"

Nova didn’t move an inch. "I mean, I just did."

A muscle in Dante’s jaw twitched. "You think this is funny?"

"A little bit," Nova admitted, his smirk deepening. "Especially watching you throw a tantrum over a lost bet. Gotta say, wasn’t expecting the glass-smashing performance. Dramatic."

A few chuckles from the surrounding crowd fueled Dante’s fury, his fingers curling into fists. "You got guts, I’ll give you that. But don’t mistake luck for power."

Nova raised an eyebrow. "And don’t mistake speed for skill. Mari outdrove your guy. End of story."

Dante leaned in slightly. "You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t just about a race. You humiliate me."

"Correction," Nova interjected smoothly, "You did that yourself. Don’t blame me because your driver wasn’t good enough."

Dante took another step forward, his breath hot with rage. "You keep running that mouth, and you won’t like where it leads."

Nova’s gaze remained steady, unwavering. "And you keep making threats you can’t back up, and we’ll see where that leads."

Dante was practically shaking with rage, his fists twitched with irritation. “Don’t play with me, kid. You know NOTHING!”

But before anyone could say a word, a new voice cut through the tension.

"Gentlemen." A smooth, measured tone.

Everyone turned. Standing near the bar was a tall man in an impeccably tailored suit, a Vesper official. He gave them all a pleasant, yet pointed smile. "I trust there are no problems here?"

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Dante’s jaw flexed. He exhaled sharply through his nose, then took a slow step back. "No problem. Just… clearing things up."

"Good," the official nodded, his expression unchanging. "Because you know how we feel about problems. This is Vesper’s territory. You know the rules. We don’t do brawls here."

Dante exhaled sharply through his nose, his jaw clenched tight. "You expect me to just let this slide? That was a deliberate move."

The official remained unfazed. "You lost a race. That’s not a crime. And it’s certainly not an excuse to start a fight in our establishment."

Dante’s eyes burned with frustration, but he knew better than to challenge the Vesper Syndicate outright. Instead, he tilted his head. "Then give me another way to settle this."

The official was silent for a beat before offering a simple solution. "Leave it be… or settle it on the track."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Another race?

Dante smirked, the dangerous glint returning to his eyes. "Fine. Another race. Me and him."

He turned back to Nova, who, up until now, had been watching the entire exchange with an unimpressed expression.

Nova let out a slow exhale, then shook his head. "Why would I agree to that? I didn’t race. I placed a bet, and I won fair and square."

Dante’s smirk twitched. "Don’t tell me you’re scared."

Nova scoffed. "Oh, please. That’s the best you got? I don’t need to prove anything. You lost. Move on."

Dante took a step closer, but the Vesper official simply raised a hand, a silent warning that any further aggression would not be tolerated.

The official turned his gaze to Nova. "You don’t have to race. But if you don’t, I suggest you leave before this turns into something neither of you can walk away from."

Nova sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. This was turning into more of a hassle than he cared for. He glanced at Joel, who was barely holding back a smirk, clearly enjoying the show.

"So, what’s it gonna be, Nova?" Dante challenged, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Nova clicked his tongue, he wasn’t really scared of any of them, just weighing his options.

Either walk away and let Dante stew in his own rage… or take the challenge and risk whatever tricks the Mad Hounds had planned, but then again… what fun would that be?

Before Dante could push further, a slow, mocking clap cut through the tension.

“Wow,” a voice drawled from the side. “What an absolutely riveting display of… whatever this is.”

Nova turned his head slightly, spotting a man lounging against the bar with an insufferable smirk. Adrian Dennario. The name didn’t ring personal, but Nova had heard it before, he is one of the rich brats from the northern district, youngest son of the Dennario family.

And from the way he was looking at Nova, like he had just stepped in something unpleasant, he wasn’t a fan.

Adrian let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head. “It’s already bad enough that I lost a small fortune tonight, but now I have to listen to some thug from the gutters act like he owns the place?” His lips curled. “Truly, a nightmare.”

Nova blinked, unimpressed. “You are?”

Adrian scoffed, pushing off the bar. “The person whose night you and your little street crew just ruined.”

Nova tilted his head. “You bet against us. Sounds like a ‘You’ problem.”

Adrian’s smirk twitched. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?” His eyes flicked to Dante. “And you, really? You’re letting some low-life casino rat talk to you like this? How embarrassing.”

Dante didn’t respond, but his glare didn’t waver.

Nova, on the other hand, exhaled in amusement. “Casino rat? That’s a new one. Not bad. Not original, but not bad.”

Adrian sneered. “Oh, shut up. You don’t get to talk to me like that, you thug. You think because you run some sleazy bars and gambling dens that you’re anything close to my level?”

Nova simply raised an eyebrow. “Oh no, you’re right. I could never reach your level of stupidity.”

Joel let out a sharp laugh, and even Luca stifled a grin.

Adrian’s eye twitched. “Hilarious. I’ll remember this crook.”