Chapter 32 : Gamer Ruling Another World [1]

The lab smelled wrong. Sweat mixed with something heavier the air filters had not cleared.

Morgana stopped at the doorway. The corridor lights picked up bits of violet in her hair as she looked around. Her amber eyes scanned the room fast, taking everything in.

Four men were pushed into a corner, their clothes rumpled. Papers lay scattered on the floor. The desk sat off balance, one leg scraping the tile. Her mother, Lyra, sat behind it with that practiced sweet smile she always wore.

Everything looked staged. Too neat. Too calm.

Morgana’s gaze moved to Jax. He stood near the door, straightening his wrinkled uniform. Sweat made a faint sheen on his forehead. His face stayed steady, almost bored.

’Interesting,’ Morgana thought. ’Most students would panic under my scrutiny. He’s just... waiting.’

Lyra broke the silence, her voice soft and sugary. "Oh, Morgana dear! This lovely boy helped me with my files. I threw out my back reaching for the top shelf, and he was kind enough to assist."

Morgana glanced at her mother’s blouse. Two buttons were misaligned, the hem slightly untucked on one side.

"Mother," she said, her voice cold. "Your blouse is buttoned incorrectly. And why does this room smell like a gymnasium?"

Lyra waved a hand and laughed it off. "Oh, you know how my staff room is. The ventilation system’s always been temperamental."

One of the men in the corner, a guard Morgana knew, nodded too fast. "Y-yes, Headmistress. The filters need replacing. We were just discussing it."

Morgana stared at him a moment longer. He flinched.

She turned back to Jax. "And you are?"

"Jax Rayne, Headmistress." He spoke politely, but without being groveling. "I was just helping—"

"I know what you were ’helping’ with." Morgana cut him off and stepped into the room. Her heels clicked on the tile in short, controlled steps. "Your name has been called sixty-seven times in the last forty minutes. The award ceremony is waiting. Your partner, Miss Ava, covered for you admirably, but sponsors are asking questions. The academy director is asking questions. And now, I’m asking questions."

Jax met her eyes without blinking. "I apologize for the delay, Headmistress. I didn’t realize the time."

"Clearly." Her eyes tightened. "Miss Ava explained that you were approached by engineers. I assume that’s the story you’ll be sticking with?"

’She knows,’ Jax thought, his pulse steady. ’She’s not stupid. She knows exactly what happened here. But she’s giving me an out. Why?’

He nodded. "Yes, Headmistress. The meeting."

Morgana’s mouth tilted just enough to be noticed. Not a smile. Something colder. "How diligent of you. I’m sure the sponsors will appreciate your dedication to thoroughness."

Lyra clapped her hands like it was a small show. "Well, that’s settled then! Jax, dear boy, you’d better hurry along. Don’t want to keep everyone waiting."

Morgana’s look slid to her mother. The air in the room seemed cooler for a beat. "Mother, we’ll discuss your ’back problems’ later. In private."

Lyra’s smile stayed on, but her eyes flickered — a trace of amusement or defiance. "Of course, dear. Whatever you say."

Jax took the hint and started for the door. Morgana called him back before he left.

"Mr. Rayne."

He turned. "Yes, Headmistress?"

She stepped close enough that he could smell her perfume, floral but sharp. Her voice lowered so only he could hear it.

"I don’t know what you did in this room. And frankly, I don’t care. But understand this: my mother may play her little games, but I see everything that happens in my academy. Everything. If you become a problem, I will handle you personally. Am I clear?"

Jax offered a faint smirk. "Crystal clear, Headmistress."

Her eyes held his one beat longer. Then she stepped back and moved into her official mode. "Good. Now go. Your partner is waiting."

He left.

The corridor was a stream of students heading to the auditorium. Drones hummed overhead, cameras turning to follow people. Jax cut through the crowd, his mind already running through the next moves.

’Morgana knows. She’s playing along for now, but she’s watching. That makes her dangerous. And Lyra... that woman’s a whole different beast. She’s not just Morgana’s mother. She’s something else. Something older, sharper.’

His device buzzed. He checked it.

[Message from Ava: Where the hell are you? Get your ass to the auditorium. NOW.]

He typed back fast: [On my way. Got held up.]

Her reply came right away: [You owe me. Big time.]

He put the device away and moved faster.

The auditorium was chaos. Seats packed with students, cheering and chanting. Holo-screens floated above the stage, looping highlights from the Death Race. Neon sponsor logos pulsed and commentators boomed through the speakers.

Jax slipped through a side entrance to the backstage area. A staffer spotted him and waved.

"Mr. Rayne! Finally! This way, quickly!"

He followed her down a narrow corridor lined with equipment crates and racks. The auditorium noise faded into the hum of generators and the distant clatter of drones.

They stopped at a door marked Winners’ Lounge. The staffer pushed it open.

Ava sat on a black couch with her legs crossed and arms folded. Her face said she was annoyed and entertained at once.

"Well, well," she said, standing. "Look who finally decided to show up."

Jax spread his hands. "I got held up."

"Held up? Jax, they called your name so many times I thought the commentators were going to have a stroke. Do you know how many questions I had to deflect? How many times I had to explain that you were ’busy with people’?"

He grinned. "And you did a great job. I heard you were brilliant."

She jabbed a finger at his chest. "Don’t try to charm your way out of this. Where the hell were you?"

’Fucking your headmistress’s mother while four grown men watched,’ he thought. Out loud he said, "100% in a meeting."

Ava’s eyes narrowed. "Bullshit. You were doing something else. I can tell."

"Maybe I was."

She searched his face for a beat and then sighed. "You’re impossible."

"I know."

Before they could argue, the door slammed open and a production assistant poked her head in. "You’re on in two minutes! Let’s go!"

Ava grabbed Jax’s wrist and pulled him. "Come on. Try not to embarrass us."

They stepped into the wings. Sound hit them—cheers, chants, loud music. Holo-screens showed: TEAM RAYNE-AVA, CHAMPIONS.

The announcer shouted over the noise. "And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Please welcome the winners of this year’s Death Race Category 1—AVA BENNET AND JAX RAYNE!"

The crowd erupted.

Ava walked on first, confident. Jax followed, relaxed and smiling. Cameras swarmed them, drones closing in.

The trophy sat at center stage, chrome and neon, pulsing blue. The announcer waved toward it.

"Team Rayne-Ava, you’ve proven yourselves to be not just skilled racers, but innovative engineers and strategic masterminds! Tell us—what was the secret to your victory?"

Ava took the mic without missing a beat. "Teamwork. And a willingness to break the rules everyone thought were unbreakable."

The crowd cheered.

"And Jax," the announcer said, turning to him. "You’ve been the talk of the academy since the screening match. Now you’ve added ’champion racer’ to your list of achievements. How does it feel?"

Jax stepped up. His smirk grew. "It feels like I’m just getting started."

More cheers. Someone shouted his name and a banner unfurled: JAX THE GENIUS.

The announcer laughed. "Confident words! But let’s address the elephant in the room." His tone went sharp. "There’s been a lot of chatter about a certain... bet. Between you and Zinnia Reed. Care to comment?"