The Inescapable Celibate Heir Chapter 16: Dreamlandia

Victoria hopped onto the dark web before hitting the sack and saw the news she'd been waiting for—she'd made it past the first round of the hacker competition.

This was a pretty exclusive contest the dark web had been running for a few years now. It was all about sharing the latest tech tricks and boosting hackers' offensive and defensive game. 

The competition drew in some serious talent. One year, the final challenge was to see who could break into the Rexdonia presidential palace's security system first.

The winner was an eighteen-year-old from Rexdonia, but his victory was short-lived since he got busted soon after.

Since then, the competition had toned it down a bit, targeting easier marks and staying just this side of illegal.

Victoria had a plan for this competition.

In her past life, she had a run-in with Ella, and Ella's fans doxxed her, leading to a barrage of harassment. Ella even had people showing up at her door, forcing her to move.

The ringleader was a well-known hacker on the dark web who went by the name Shadow.

This time around, Victoria was determined to get the jump on him. She'd been sharpening her coding skills and entering competitions to draw out Shadow and take him down before he could cause any trouble.

After skimming through her other messages, Victoria hit the hay and slept like a baby.

The next morning, as soon as Victoria was up, Ethan and the gang came to pick her up.

Nick was buzzing with excitement. "Victoria, today we're hitting up Dreamlandia. It's got all kinds of cool stuff. You're gonna love it!"

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Dreamlandia?"

She'd heard of it. It was supposed to be the biggest entertainment spot for young people in Sunhaven, sprawling over a huge area.

There were a few public attractions, but most of it was members-only, with a steep entry fee and a recommendation requirement, catering to the rich and influential.

Victoria had never been there. In her past life, she was too busy working part-time to cover her expenses while studying, so she didn't have the money or connections.

Ethan looked at her. "Ever been?"

Victoria blinked. "Nope, but I've heard it's fun. What do you usually do there?"

After she turned eighteen in her past life, things went downhill fast, and she didn't get to enjoy her youth much. 

Before that, she was stuck in etiquette classes, learning to be all proper and polite. After moving to Sunhaven, she rarely went out and didn't know what to do for fun.

Eric yawned, clearly not thrilled about being up early on a weekend.

Nick was always full of energy, but it was odd that Ethan was so into it too. Why?

Eric said, "Go-karting, to wake me up."

Nick chimed in, "Yeah, I heard they just fixed the longest and toughest track in the country yesterday. Let's give it a shot!"

Roy cut in, "You guys are just thinking about yourselves. What about Victoria?"

Ethan turned to Victoria. "You up for it?"

Victoria's eyes sparkled. She'd never tried go-karting before and didn't even have her driver's license yet. "Absolutely, I'm in!"

Nick smacked his forehead. "Oh right! Victoria, you don't have your driver's license yet, do you?"

Victoria tilted her head. "Nope, does it matter?"

Ethan said, "Nah, it's super easy. I'll show you how."

Nick laughed and butted in. "Ethan, your skills are legendary! Teaching Victoria would be a waste; let me do it."

But then he saw Ethan's raised eyebrow and quickly backtracked. "Right! I take it back. Only the best teacher for the best student. Ethan's got the best skills, so he should teach you!"

"Okay." Victoria didn't really notice their weird eye contact. She thought Ethan was pretty chill, not at all like Nick had described him—cold and ruthless.

"Victoria, you thinking about joining any clubs?" Nick asked, unable to sit still for long.

"Nope." In her past life, Victoria didn't join any clubs. Her college days were all about juggling part-time jobs and studies.

"Then how about joining mine?" Nick suggested.

"What club are you in?" Victoria asked.

"Snooker. It's a blast; you should totally join!" Nick said enthusiastically.

Eric groaned, "Nick, quit your whining! It's disgusting, man. I'm wide awake now!"

Victoria chuckled at their banter. "Snooker, huh? I'll think about it."

Now that she didn't have financial worries, joining a club seemed like a good idea for some fun and maybe making new friends.

But the snooker club was pretty high-profile. It was the top club at Nexus College, a real hotspot. 

Snooker was a sport for the elite, and the wealthiest and most influential students were in this club, naturally drawing others in.

If she remembered right, in her past life, Ella joined the snooker club because Dennis was a member.

If Victoria joined, she'd have to deal with them a lot, which was kind of a drag.

Ethan asked, "Got any concerns?"

Victoria replied, "Not really."

Eric chimed in, "I'm the president. Doesn't matter if you don't know how to play, I'll hook you up with a VIP pass."

Roy added, "Yeah, we all play snooker. You should join too."

Nexus College's snooker team was the best in the country, with tons of support from the school, top-notch facilities, and bonuses.

But the best part was the social connections. Lots of people wanted in.

So the entry assessment was super competitive, and those who got in had some serious skills.

Victoria looked at them. "Alright, I'll join the snooker club."

Nick patted Eric's shoulder. "You hear that? Save her a spot."

Victoria said, "What, you think I can't get in on my own?"

Nick looked her up and down. "No offense, Victoria, but you don't exactly look like you hit the gym regularly."

Victoria shot back, "Don't underestimate me!"

Ethan said, "It's cool. If you can't pass, you can be the manager."

Roy was puzzled. "Ethan, do we even have a manager position in our club?"

Ethan gave him a look. "If I say we do, then we do."

Well, he was the leader.

Victoria was exasperated. "Do you understand plain English? I said I want to get in on my own. If I can't, I'll join another club."

Seeing Victoria getting a bit heated, the guys backed off.

But Ethan was already thinking that if she couldn't pass, he'd make sure she did. He could be the examiner and let her through.

Soon, they arrived at Dreamlandia.

The place was super modern, packed with young people, and the lobby was buzzing.

Since Ethan and the gang were super VIPs, they had a guide to take them through the VIP passage.

The personal advisor recognized Ethan and the others and, seeing them bring a girl for the first time, took a few extra glances at Victoria. "Mr. Smith, what would you like to do today?"

Ethan said, "Go-karting."

The advisor said, "You're here for our Demon Realm track, right? This new track has eighteen sharp turns; it's a real thrill. I'll take you there. With you here today, you'll definitely break the record!"

"Is there a beginner's track?" Ethan asked, unsure if such a track even existed here since they always went straight for the high-difficulty level.

The advisor was momentarily stunned but quickly responded, "Yes, it's not far from here."