Crossing The Finish Line

Tierra Eloise D. Alfarez had never been selfish.

Not when her father's company began to crumble under the weight of debts and dying legacy. Not when the burden of salvaging their name fell on her shoulders instead of his. Not even when sleepless nights and relentless deadlines stole the softness from her smile. She bore it all-the pressure, the silence, the responsibility. She was built for endurance, not desire.

Until he came.

Emilio Isandro G. Alfieri, the boy with gasoline in his veins and a spotlight that never seemed to dim. A name whispered like a promise in the underground racing scene, and a face plastered across news feeds and sports blogs. He didn't belong in lecture halls or group projects. He belonged behind a wheel, chasing the kind of future that glittered and roared.

But fate, or maybe a tired professor with no patience for teenage drama, forced their paths to cross. Paired for a project neither of them asked for, Tierra expected friction. Instead, she found layers: a reckless heart tethered by expectation, a boy with dreams too fast for the life trying to slow him down.

And somewhere between early mornings and late-night revisions, admiration quietly bloomed into something dangerous.

She tried to ignore it.

Tried to remind herself that stars like Emilio weren't meant to stay.

But feelings, like races, aren't always won by logic.