The qualifiers ran for several days straight. Noelle and Alexis left right after their races. The standout teams always went earlier, and the later heats didn't offer much to learn from.
Derrick didn't go back with them. He said he needed to take care of some personal business before returning to the intensive training camp.
Alexis had no idea what was going on with him, but she was furious about his performance in the race. Driving back to the intensive training camp in shifts with Noelle, she complained, "When we get back, I'm definitely going to report Mr. Clarkson. We made it to the preliminaries, so everyone should be giving it their all, but he keeps holding us back every single match."
As a teammate, she was understandably upset.
Just then, Noelle's phone rang. It was a call from Jude.
Her expression went serious. "We're not heading back. We need to stop at Brindley Hospital."
Alexis blinked, confused. "To the hospital? Who's sick?"
Noelle shook her head. Jude hadn't given details over the phone, but she had a bad feeling. Seeing Noelle's solemn face, Alexis didn't press it and just stepped on the gas.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Noelle finally learned who was in trouble.
Jude stood outside the room, looking like he'd aged several years. When he saw Noelle, his voice was heavy. "She's been like this for days. She wouldn't close her eyes and kept saying she wanted to see you one last time."
Noelle's heart lurched. Through the glass, she saw Nicola with tubes everywhere. Her fingers trembled. "Who did this?"
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
Jude forced his emotions into check. "It was Hazel. She shouldn't have been out, but somehow, she showed up at the fan event in disguise, got close enough to pose for a photo with Nicola, then pulled a knife and slashed her femoral artery more than a dozen times."
Noelle felt the world tilt. Alexis, standing behind her, was equally stunned. While they'd been tearing around the track, their teammate had been subjected to a brutal attack.
"She wanted to see you, and the doctors have been keeping her alive by a thread. This happened on the first day of your preliminaries, but she begged them not to tell you, as she didn't want to ruin your competitions," Jude said.
Noelle felt a kind of grief she'd never known existed since her parents died. She covered her face, trying to steady herself before going into the ward.
On the bed, Nicola seemed to stir as if sensing someone. She slowly opened her eyes and managed a smile that looked like her old self.
Noelle choked up, "Nicola, we won. We did well in the qualifiers. When you get better, we'll go to the International Grand Prix together. Let's win the championship, okay?"
Shannon: "If it weren't for Nicola betraying you, you wouldn't have been kicked out of the basic training camp. You've already lost your reputation and prospects. If I hadn't bailed you out of custody, you'd still be locked up for years."
Hazel: "If I kill her, I'll be a criminal. What if they sentence me to death?"
Shannon: "They were yelling and making all that noise, and what happened? They still let me out. Laws are nothing when faced with absolute power.
"Don't worry. Once it's done, I'll get you out. I'll give you 30 million dollars so you can disappear abroad and never struggle again. Isn't that better?
"After we handle this, I'll deal with Noelle. Nicola has to die. I won't let traitors live."
Seeing her own name in the messages, Noelle stayed indifferent. She traced Shannon's recent online movements and found her whereabouts from the past few days.
Noelle turned off her laptop with an unreadable expression and opened her dorm door.
Outside, a group of people had gathered.

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