Chapter 90_ The Prince And The Princess!

Kane and Arya's eyes moved back to them as they watched how the race was completely dominated by Alex and Selma. On the last curve before the finish line, Selma slowed down to wait for Alex, and they finished together holding hands.

The crowd went insane, cheering, clapping, and howling with them as Alex and Selma reached the finish line and came down from their karts. Even Al-Hakim, who was among the audience, had a big smile on his face and wiped a tear of joy as he stood up and walked up to meet Kane and Arya.

“This is so sweet. It makes me think about my family. But if my son were here, those two would have had a real fight on their hands.” Al-Hakim said,

"I would have loved to see that.” Arya said,

"Even in the face of a defeat?"

Arya shrugged and smiled. “Trophies are just pieces of metal. Victory isn't always about crossing the finish line first.”

"Those are very wise words. People often forget that cooperation can give better results than competition.” Al-Hakim said and looked at his watch, taking a deep breath. He continued, “I’m afraid it's time for me to go now, but I wish you all the best. It was a pleasure meeting you and your family today.”

"The pleasure was all ours, Mr. Al-Hakim. See you soon.”

Alex and Selma arrived after their lap of triumph with a smile that went from one ear to the other, and Kane cheered them: “The prince and princess have arrived. All hail, the prince, and the princess!”

Arya bristled and added, "Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!" They all jumped around and laughed together; the atmosphere was charged with happiness and warmth.

======

After the race, Kane took them all to an expensive restaurant, where there was a party waiting to happen.

“Woah! Happy birthday to me.” Alex said, his face brimming with happiness.

“Happy Birthday to you, my dearest little brother.” Arya said, ruffling Alex's hair.

“Where's the birthday boy?” Chloe said, coming in with Alonso as they joined them on the table.

“Happy Birthday, champ.” Alonso said, giving Alex a present from him and Chloe. Alex excitedly unwrapped the present and was stunned to see a brand new laptop.

Alex opened the laptop, revealing a striking black and red color scheme. It was a laptop mostly designed for gaming and has a high-performance task. “Are you serious? The specs on this beast are unbelievable. It's mine for real.” Alex asked with a wide smile.

“Wow, guys!” Arya cooed.

“One hundred percent for real.” Alonso replied with a chuckle.

"The best present possible from the best aunt possible.” Chloe said it with a wink.

“But it's too much." Alex mumbled, trailing the laptop with his hands gently, marveling at the hardware before him.

“I sense we’ll have trouble keeping you in the real world with this piece of hardware at hand.” Arya said,

“Oh, come on. Lon knows that you’ll work twice as hard at the computer maintenance of his factory with a brand new machine like that.” Kane said, and Alonso shook his head.

“Don't listen to that cynic racer. That's straight from the heart with no strings attached.” Alonso assured.

"Oh, I know. Although, with this baby of mine, I can do a lot more things for your system if you give me a pay raise. What do you say?” Alex said, making Alonso chuckle.

"I say that you should forget about engineering and go straight to business school. You’re a natural.” Alonso said, and Kane nodded.

“That's my boy." Kane said,

"This is such a cool gift.” Selma chimed in, turning to kiss Alex on the cheek as he turned a nice shade of red, making the adults laugh.

Alex looked at Arya expectantly. “And what does my beautiful sister have in store for me?" He asked, making Arya panic inwardly, ‘Shit. I didn't know they were coming, and I got nothing. I was hoping to get something here and bring it home when the work was done.’

“Of course there will be a present of some sort…..” Arya mumbled more to herself than to others.

"What? I didn't understand a word." Alex said, and Kane butted in at that moment.

“She said to buckle up, Alex. We have something very special in store for you, but you won't be able to open it at the table.” Kane said,

‘What is he talking about?’ Arya mused silently as she watched Kane stand up.

“Why don't you follow me outside?” He said, and Alex nodded as he packed his brand new laptop back, placing it gently on the table. He followed Kane, while the rest of them joined them. When they got to the parking lot, there was a brand new go-kart waiting outside.

“Woah! Where did that beauty come from?" Alex asked with a jaw-dropping look as he looked at the sleek kart in front of him. Its predominantly white body was accented with sleek black and blue colors, creating a futuristic aesthetic. The low-profile design placed the rider close to the ground, enhancing stability and handling. The seat was contoured for a single rider, emphasizing its high performance.

Safety harnesses were visible, suggesting It was built for racing, and the centrally located steering wheel completed the cockpit, with blue LED lights that added a touch of high-tech allure to it.

“I designed it myself and built it with some of Maranello's finest mechanics. This little baby here can feed dust and humiliation to any other kart on the market.” Kane said, stunning everyone with his choice of present for Alex.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Selma said, awed by the cart.

"And... can I drive it?" Alex asked as he looked at Kane.

Kane grinned. "It would be weird if you couldn't; it's yours."

“What? Are you serious?" Alex asked, and when Kane nodded, he ran towards him and hugged him tightly as he teared up on the spot.

“Thank you so much! Kane. This is the best gift of my life. I love you." He said, and rubbed his face against Kane’s shirt, who didn't mind it.

“You are a big boy, Alex. Big boys don't cry on their birthdays.” Kane said, and Alex nodded and pulled away from his grasp.

“This is the best gift in the world." Selma said as he moved closer to where Alex and Kane were. Arya watched them as Kane instructed Alex to enter the kart, giving him a helmet, and she couldn't help but tear up slightly too as she mused about Kane’s thoughtfulness: ‘And he did everything despite the fact that we had that damn fight.’