<h4>Chapter 10: Back To The Drawing Board</h4>


    "Holy fuck!" Matt swore as the sound of grinding metal filled the air and the car lurched to the side.


    One second, Matt and I were cruising behind M, high on victory and anticipation, and the next, we were mmed sideways by some idiot who clearly thought red lights were optional.


    The world tilted, and my seatbelt dug hard into my shoulder as the Senna''s tires squealed.


    Matt cursed, and I gripped the door handle, my heart racing in my chest but this time, it was not from excitement.


    The car stopped just as suddenly as it had been hit and my head mmed into the headrest.


    I blinked, looking around in rm and confusion.


    The Senna had been damaged, that much I knew, but I couldn''t feel anything wrong with myself. No pain. No blood.


    "Matt, you good?" I asked, looking at him.


    He rubbed his forehead, which had hit the steering wheel connected a little too hard, but he nodded. "Yeah. I think so. You?"


    I let out a deep breath, unbuckling my seatbelt and shoving the door open. "I''m fine. But the Senna... Jesus."


    I stepped out, staring at the damage like it was a crime against humanity. The side of the car had taken most of the impact.


    The body of my precious McLaren Senna was mangled. The car looked like the victim of a serial killer.


    The crumpled metal and broken ss still managed to look like an artist''s painting but I could already tell it was going to be an expensive fix.


    I winced at the sight, but at least the idiot who hit us hadn''t totaled the thing.


    Matt joined me, shaking his head. "That''s brutal, man."


    We''d drawn a crowd, some of them already filming the whole thing.


    I turned to look at the car that had hit us. It was a beat up sedan, the front of the car totally destroyed. After hitting us, it had swerved to stop along the curb.


    The driver stumbled out of the car, looking as pale as a vampire. He swayed, his eyes wide and panicked, as he took in the damage.


    "Fuck." He swore, his handsing up to rub his face. "Fuck!" He swore again, stumbling.


    It looked like he was drunk.


    I sighed. Who the fuck drinks and then drives during daytime? I''m not saying to drink and drive but during the day?


    The man swayed and Matt stepped forward as the guy tried to regain his bnce. "You alright, man?" He asked.


    The guy mumbled another curse but that''s none of my business. I fished my phone out of my pocket and called my insurancepany.


    Thankfully, I had insurance that covered pretty much everything short of the apocalypse, so at least financially, I wasn''t sweating it.


    After giving my details to the insurance rep and having Matt grab a couple of photos of the damage, I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.


    The drunk guy had sat down on the curb, holding his head in his hands.


    That was when M and Riley walked towards us.


    "Nico! Are you guys okay?" M asked.


    I forced a smile. "Yeah. We''re fine. The Senna''s another story though."


    "We didn''t realize it was you guys in the crash until we drove for a minute and couldn''t see you guys following." Riley said, wringing her hands in anxiety.


    I could tell she felt a bit guilty about it or something.


    "Thank God you two aren''t hurt." She said.


    "Yeah." I had no idea what else to say.


    "Looks like we''d have to take a rain check on those drinks. You guys will be sorting this out."


    The crash had ruined our ns. The celebratory drinks, the easy opportunity to bond with M and get into the country club was gone.


    And that stung more than the wreckage of my car. This would put a hold on my n to seduce M and any loss of momentum could mean losing out on two hundred million dors.


    Insisting on still celebrating after this ident would totally ruin the vibe. And bringing up the club would only expose my motive.


    "I guess we can reschedule forter."


    "Yeah." Riley chimed in, ncing at her phone. "But M''s got a packed schedule over the next few days. It''ll be tough to lock something down."


    M nodded in agreement. "I''m mmed for a bit, but we''ll make it happen soon, promise."


    I nodded, hiding my frustration.


    Timing was everything, and this dy wasn''t ideal but pressing her now would be stupid.


    All it would do would be to make me look desperate and there''s never been a faster turn off for women than that.


    Besides, I could tweak my ns and approach from another angle.


    "Let me know when you''re free." I said, keeping my tone casual. I had to y this cool. "We''ll figure something out."


    M smiled, offering a quick hug before she and Riley hopped back into the Aventador. I watched as they drove off, leaving Matt and me with the mess.


    Matt pped me on the shoulder. "Could''ve been worse, man."


    I sighed, watching M''s taillights fade. "Yeah. But it''s a setback."


    We waited for the tow truck, both of us slumped against the mangled Senna, lost in thought.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Once the car was hauled away, I called a ride service to get us home.


    When the car came, Matt and I sat in silence as we were driven to my house.


    The adrenaline I''d been feeling earlier today waspletely gone, reced by the irritation of knowing the night hadn''t gone to n.


    When we finally got back to my ce, Matt crashed onto the couch while I paced, trying to figure out my next move.


    M being busy for the next few days put a serious kink in our strategy. Now, there was no chance of me striking while the iron is hot.


    But hope is notpletely lost. I can still recover from this if I y this smart. Yeah, she was an influencer and will probably move on to her other endeavors but all I needed was to hold her attention until she''s free.


    Matt sat up. "So what''s the n now?"


    I stopped pacing and sighed, sinking into the chair opposite him.


    "Technically, the n hasn''t changed." I said. "All I need to do is establish a connection when things calm down. Luckily, we have something we can use."


    "The wish?" Matt asked with a smile.


    "The wish." I nodded. "First, I''ll text her in a day or two. Nothing pushy, just something light to keep the connection warm. And when we ''coincidentally'' meet next time, I''ll cash in on my wish."