Johan doesn’t seem the least bit intimidated by Sam’s revolutionary madness or his horrifying world-conqueror — or destroyer — grin.

  On the contrary, he clasps his hands together in restrained triumph. Then, clearing his throat, he maintains the calm in his eyes, a testament to his control.

  He flashes his signature crooked smile, oozing charisma. His wise gaze locks onto his diabolical target. And in that melodic tone of a shrewd negotiator with a plan already set in motion, he makes his move.

  “What if we keep this level of boldness and think about our immediate future? You working…” Sam is about to interrupt, but Johan smoothly adds, “… like a retiree. Traveling, sending projects to a production team while I facilitate the construction. I’ll make sure you participate in all the competitions, like the Outback Way…”

  “But—”

  “It’s been harder for you to compete these last few years. I needed you at the factory.” As soon as Johan finishes, I see Sam narrow his eyes in suspicion. “Anyone would be wary after what happened.”

  “I know. You needed me alive to get production up and running, and I did that. But now, I don’t need to be trapped in a protective bubble.” Sam rolls his eyes.

  “Don’t make me sound crazy for trying to protect you. Daniel was right in front of you when a mountain collapsed on top of him. That could have been you.”

  Johan’s fear sounds perfectly logical to me.

  “He’s still alive.”

  “Barely. And only because you were there to help.”

  So that’s why Daniel wanted to talk to him? Does he feel like he owes him?

  “I know you need to get back to competing. That’s when you have the best ideas. Plus, it gives you exposure, boosts sales, and attracts more sponsors, which means more funding for your projects.”

  “Pushing myself is how I know what needs improvement.” Sam’s shoulders relax, his stance softening.

  Now’s Johan’s chance to strike.

  “I get it. And I believe a great way to secure more financial backing — which will help develop the ultimate vehicle — is to receive more direct, constructive feedback on your advancements.

  But what if, while you travel across challenging terrains, you get feedback from a much wider audience? That could happen if you contributed to a documentary using your technical expertise.”

  “Hah… hah… hah… I am not being filmed.”

  The only thing missing is the slow clap of a villain emerging from the shadows after trapping the hero.

  “We wouldn’t just film you talking about how the vehicle works or the roads. We’d be filming the vehicle and his journey.” Johan points at me.

  “Him?” Sam finally looks at me, doubt written all over his face.

  Then, with a dismissive click of his tongue — a sound I instinctively dodged, convinced it was spit. But nothing wet landed on me or the ground nearby.

  Okay. Surely, he wouldn’t dare spit on me… Would he?

  Wow, right, I hate this proposal just as much as he does.

  “I didn’t agree to this.” I reply as seriously as possible, curling my lip just for the satisfaction of making it clear how much he disgusts me too.

  His hatred isn’t one-sided.

  “Obviously, Mr. Perfect isn’t about to show up on camera covered in mud.” Sam rolls his eyes.

  “That’s not the issue,” I counter, stepping forward with forceful strides toward his arrogant judgment.

  “Then what is the issue?” He puffs out his chest in defiance, completely unfazed by my approach.

  “It makes no sense for me to be part of a documentary about something I know nothing about.”

  “As I already discussed with Mr. Jones while you were busy stomping off…” All that’s missing is him smacking the back of a spoiled brat’s head. “… the fact that Mr. Jones is inexperienced but willing to take on the challenge despite that will encourage others in the same situation — people who hesitate to take the first step.”

  “Interesting strategy.” Sam taps his finger against his chin, actually considering it. “There’s just one problem.”

  “What would that be?” Johan asks.

  “Even if he agrees, all the investment and intention behind your project will go down the drain — or worse, backfire — WHEN he quits.”

  “And what makes you so sure I’ll quit? Because you think I’m shallow? That I have to be perfect all the time?” I’ve had enough. I take another dangerous step forward, facing his intimidation head-on.

  Let’s see who’s the weak one here. I could wipe the floor with him in two seconds. Then we’d see who quits.

  But he only tilts his head, flashing that insufferable, arrogant smirk. “If you go through everything without major obstacles or challenges, it’ll be a failure too.

  Maybe you won’t quit, depending on the team supporting you, making sure you’re comfortable even in the most inhospitable places on Earth.

  But that won’t be interesting for the audience. It won’t be good for your career. And it won’t be inspiring, because people will know it’s nothing like the reality they’d face doing the same journey.”

  “I’ll put together a media team that will handle content production without interfering too much. Besides the cameras, you’ll have a drone operator following you on the trip.”

  “The drone operator will control it remotely or use the automated system. I’ll be traveling alone, as always.” He finishes with satisfaction — until his jaw drops. “Wait… You’re thinking of putting him on my team?”

  He points at me, eyes wide in horror.

  “Of course. That way, there’s no chance of failure. Every single thing you predicted would go wrong won’t be a problem if he’s part of your team.”

  Johan laces his fingers together, his calculated reasoning falling into place, while Sam realizes he’s just dug his own grave.

  When Sam looks back at me, I nod sagely, savoring his downfall as I wait for his tantrum.

  “He’s going to quit.” Sam pauses, desperate for Johan to be rational about this.

  Oh, so his tantrum is just pure denial now? Because deep down, he knows it’s a lie.

  Let’s make things clearer and watch him spiral into despair over what could have been.

  “If I accepted, I wouldn’t quit. I’m sure of that. I just won’t accept because this would most likely ruin my image — and it’d be even worse if it turned into a massive failure.”

  But instead of seeing the horror of that possibility, Sam wrinkles his nose and glares at me in disgust.

  “You’re afraid of failing? You’re taking the easy way out by calling it impossible without even trying.”

  “I didn’t say it was impossible. Someone else would just be better suited for this documentary.”

  “The fear of failure is just…” Sam suddenly stops. His gaze shifts to Johan, who’s watching with enormous satisfaction.

  Sam’s eyes fill with frustration before he exhales sharply. “Forget it. Not like I wanted you to accept anyway.” He looks at me, and I see something shift — his intelligence finally overriding his bubbling irritation.

  The old fox planned this from the start.

  Sam was meant to convince me to be a reckless daredevil, while Johan knew Sam would take it as a challenge. Clever bastard.

  “You knew about this? That he was going to put you on my team?” Sam asks, eyes now fixed on the floor.

  “I was the one who suggested the idea.” Johan answers before I can.

  Sam takes a step back, his eyes widening in silent horror.

  Pervert.

  Oh, hell.

  He just remembered the cheek incident, didn’t he? And now he thinks I’m some creep who, after that, wants to travel alone with him to remote locations?

  I mean… I can’t even deny that it sounds sketchy.

  Shit.

  Caught off guard by his unexpected reaction, I instinctively lower my gaze — only making myself look even more guilty. Realizing this, I force myself to meet his eyes.

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  “I refused. And it didn’t help that he said I’d be on your team. So don’t worry.”

  Don’t worry?

  Did I seriously just say that?

  Don’t worry about what? That I might be some deranged creep taking advantage of him?

  Oh my God.

  I can’t believe he thought something like that about me, and I just tried to reassure him.

  “There would be someone else to drive,” Johan jumps in, attempting to steer the conversation back on track. “They would observe firsthand the challenges an inexperienced person might face using your inventions, and it would increase funding.”

  Meanwhile, Sam is still looking me up and down, his expression filled with suspicion.

  Shit.

  I’m going to be stuck in this man’s memory forever as either a pervert or, worse, a stalker — all because someone suggested this insane idea.

  “I already said I’m not doing this.” I grumble, uncomfortable but firm, hoping Johan will finally drop it and stop making things worse for me.

  “It’s a pickup truck!” Sam blurts out, still struggling to process the rest of the conversation.

  “Grown men can’t go camping together while facing an adventure?” Johan narrows his eyes. “Right, Sam?”

  “No! That’s not… They don’t do that…” Sam puffs out his cheeks, out of arguments.

  “There’s nothing weird about it. Let me tell you something: this is the essence of a real man’s life.

  It’s been this way since ancient times. Men who weren’t afraid to carry weight, to get their hands dirty, to face the unknown.

  Hunters, explorers, lumberjacks, even sailors — all of them shared nights under the stars, far from civilization.

  Camaraderie is completely normal.”

  Even Johan thinks Sam is homophobic — there’s no other reason for him to say that.

  “I’m not camping!” Sam starts pacing back and forth.

  He’s completely losing his composure, practically shouting now. Not giving me a single chance to speak, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. This whole argument between them is pointless. We’re not accepting this.

  “I want to come in first place. I’m not wasting time setting up camp!” Sam stops right in front of Johan.

  “I know, but you left space in the back of the truck so you could sleep there.”

  “Felina, Furioso, and I — just us!” He jabs a finger at each, emphasizing every name.

  “By default, it fits two adults. And you know that. When we rented similar vehicles, you specified it was for two people.”

  “Or for one very overweight person!”

  “Neither of you are overweight.” Johan rolls his eyes, convinced Sam has lost his mind.

  “Felina, Furioso, and I — together we count as one overweight person! There’s no room for anyone else.”

  “There is room, and it won’t be as cramped as you think,” Johan decides.

  Sam turns to me, waiting for me to say something. When I don’t respond immediately, he huffs, judging me even harder — like I’m some kind of pervert.

  “I didn’t know about the size, or that it was a pickup truck. I never even accepted this!”

  Unbelievable.

  Did I just apologize for this bullshit?

  “You know what? Arguing about this is pointless. I’m not accepting this proposal, no matter what.”

  “Doesn’t matter anyway.” Sam scoffs. “If he were on my team, he’d quit no matter what, so there’d be no point.”

  “Honestly, I can’t even argue with that.” I shrug. “Though I doubt I’d quit for the reasons you’re thinking.”

  The only reason I’d quit is because I cannot tolerate him.

  “Oh?” Johan interjects, intrigued. “Because of the communication gap between you two?”

  “He wouldn’t teach me anything. I’d just look like an idiot the entire time.

  The ‘deep and complex character’ you imagined? That’d get reduced to nothing more than a clumsy fool — exactly the way he sees me.”

  “Did Sam explicitly say that to you, or did you just interpret it from his expression and… let’s say, his concise attitude?” Johan suggests, as if I’m just overanalyzing things.

  That’s infuriating.

  “He’s always implying I’m shallow, that I only care about my appearance, my health, and my body.”

  I’m not the crazy one twisting things here.

  “And you don’t care about your health, your body, or your appearance in general?” Johan asks in that annoyingly calm, understanding voice.

  “That’s not all I am.”

  “Did Sam ever say you only care about those things?” Johan tries to defend him. But it doesn’t matter. Sam has always looked down on me. “Calling you shallow is different from highlighting certain characteristics. Did he insult you?”

  Johan gives Sam a sharp look when I don’t answer.

  “I didn’t call him shallow. I just said he doesn’t like silent introspection.” Sam shifts uncomfortably, defends himself, ending up shy, and I shoot him a glare.

  Oh, now he’s playing the victim?

  “For him, silence is almost torture,” he continues, quieter now. “I like silence. And he just… wouldn’t stop talking.”

  “Sam, I already told you — some people don’t feel comfortable with silence.”

  “And I came to the conclusion that those people are probably afraid of introspection.”

  “It’s JJ who doesn’t like silence when someone else is around,” Ella jumps in, agreeing. Traitor. “But I don’t think it’s because he’s afraid of his own company.” She sounds completely innocent, as if she didn’t just stab me in the back without a second thought. “…It’s true.” Her eyes light up with realization, and she has zero remorse about saying it to my face.

  “What else did you say to him that might’ve insulted him?”

  Johan pushes, clearly trying to turn this into some kind of forced reconciliation.

  It’s not going to work.

  It won’t change the fact that I’m not working on this documentary.

  And I’m definitely not working with Sam.

  “I only mentioned the green juice.” Sam shrugs like it was the most harmless comment in the world.

  “You provoked me.”

  Before I even realize it, I’m pointing a finger at him, anger bubbling up at his fake innocence.

  He knew exactly what he was doing.

  And his expression confirms it — his sharp, challenging gaze meeting mine head-on, completely unafraid.

  So I glare right back.

  “And how did this little provocation end?” Johan interrupts, completely calm, while I feel like I’m about to get punched — and punch back. “Did you two fight, or did it go straight to… discomfort?”

  I turned his criticism into a compliment. I provoked him just enough to make him admit it was good.

  We didn’t fight.

  It only became a disaster when… when I wiped grease off his cheek, and he —

  He thought I was hitting on him.

  Like with morning in the truck, we both took a step back.

  And then, his death glare returned, sending a chilling shiver down my spine.

  Sam turned his face away in anger, his expression a clear condemnation of the pervert who dared to get within ten feet of him.

  I wasn’t even that close. I was standing at a perfectly normal distance for a conversation.

  Maybe he should start carrying a megaphone just to keep an acceptable talking distance from people.

  “Now that everything is clearer, and I’ve laid out the details of the proposal,” Johan says, completely unfazed, “I’ll let you think it over. I’ll send the details by email.”

  “I didn’t agree to anything. And that’s not even the worst of it! He ignores me all the time or just mocks me with his sarcasm.

  Every time I try to talk to him, he pushes me away. He even tried to hit me with a metal bar when I was helping, and let’s not forget — he used a knife to clear a path. Yeah, great, I totally want to be around this homicidal lunatic.”

  “But in the end, he did help us. And after the knife incident, you nearly punched him. Don’t act like you’re actually afraid of him.” My cousin has the audacity to defend him again.

  “That’s exactly why I said you should think about it.”

  Johan’s voice is still patient, as if he’s talking to two absolute idiots.

  “I don’t even need to think about it.” Sam stomps toward his truck.

  For the first time, I actually agree with him. I take the chance to end this discussion and head for the door.

  “Are you afraid your work won’t sell itself on camera?”

  I stop in my tracks.

  So does everyone else, watching Sam expectantly.

  “This kind of documentary shows way more detail than someone might want,” Johan continues, his tone dripping with manipulation. “Especially when it’s tied to a well-known name — someone who wouldn’t hesitate to call out a bad product and cost you commission.”

  “I trust my vehicles with my life, every single day. That’s not the issue.”

  Sam’s voice is sharp, his confidence unshaken. “They can film other teams.”

  “The car, the maintenance, the instructions — they won’t be directly yours. You won’t know the progress until it’s already out there.

  It’ll be a tutorial on how to use the vehicle to face the challenges. Do you really want people learning bad habits from someone else?”

  “They’re not completely incompetent when it comes to maintenance and handling.”

  “The only constant in life is change. Adaptation is crucial.”

  Oh. That’s their motto.

  Sam has said that before.

  “So what, you’re going to go against your own words? Refuse to adapt? You know you’re the best choice.”

  “I don’t fear change. I embrace it.”

  His eyes narrow at Johan, full of sharp determination.

  Then, Sam turns to me.

  And wipes his cheek.

  With disgust.

  “A little grease doesn’t bother me.”

  Oh. The embarrassment.

  “If needed, I’ll put up a partition.”

  Sam seriously thinks I’d attack him.

  “But either way, this won’t be easy for just anyone. The most likely outcome is people quitting.

  Let’s go, Zoe. I’m getting my bag.”

  Sam is so arrogant. I can’t wait to have a front-row seat when his massive ego crushes him under its own weight.

  “…So now it’s just you left to accept.” Johan looks at me, way too excited.

  “You think that was Sam agreeing?” Ella raises an eyebrow.

  “He trusts that I won’t accept. That’s the only reason he went along with it — to prove how much faith he has in his work.”

  I answer before Johan can.

  “It doesn’t matter why he accepted. Sam never goes back on his word. The bargain is already made.”

  I don’t doubt it.

  Behind that infuriating personality, he hides some annoying sense of honor.

  Or maybe Sam is just the devil with words. Who knows?

  “And you? Are you really going to let him think you’re going to quit?”

  “…No.”

  I see what he’s doing.

  He’s not going to manipulate me that easily.

  “Here’s what we’ll do — I’ll send you the details, and you can respond when the truck is returned. That way, you’ll get a taste of the competition first.”

  “Didn’t Sam say the documentary vehicle is different from the truck?” Wally points out.

  “It’s similar. It just doesn’t have separate rooms.”

  “…Does it have a bathroom?”

  What is Wally obsession with bathrooms?

  “You want me to show you?”

  “No need.” I respond immediately.

  “This isn’t to force you into anything. Just so you can see the different vehicles available for rent.

  You said you might take the route as a tourist — don’t you want to see the best options?”

  “Go ahead, boys.” Ella turns to her husband, who can barely contain his curiosity. “I’ll stay with Zoe.”

  I know this is part of his manipulation. But I also know I won’t fall for it. So there’s no harm.

  And Wally looks way too excited. It wouldn’t be fair to stop him.

  I won’t die just for taking a peek.

  Well. That was a disaster.

  But was it really a disaster, or was it just Sam realizing (too late) that he walked straight into a trap? Watching Johan maneuver him like a chess piece never gets old. And JJ? He’s still trying to figure out if he just dodged a bullet or walked into a minefield.

  Now, let’s talk about Sam’s meltdown. The man can face extreme terrains, brutal competition, and engineering challenges, but the idea of spending time with JJ? Pure horror. Seriously, it’s impressive how quickly he went from “this is stupid” to “I will personally build a wall between us.” Meanwhile, JJ is just standing there, trying to convince the universe that he’s not a creep.

  But let’s be honest: would these two actually kill each other on this trip, or will this be the start of something that neither of them saw coming? What do you guys think?

  Drop your predictions in the comments. Will JJ regret saying “I won’t quit”? Will Sam survive the humiliation of having to share space with someone who dares to breathe in his direction?

  What do you think — will Sam regret agreeing to this?

  Stay tuned for the next chapter. Trust me, things are only going to get worse. Or better, depending on how much you enjoy watching characters suffer. ??