Apex Hearts

Ava Sterling didn't just win the race; she broke the world.After the explosive revelation in Barcelona, Ava Sterling is no longer the girl in the shadows. She is the face of the first independent, driver-owned team in history. But victory has a bitter aftertaste. The FIA has declared war, the Italian government has frozen their assets, and most terrifying of all-Phoenix is gone.Taken from the track under the cover of a medical extraction, Phoenix is being held by the remnants of the Moretti empire. The message is clear: Surrender the Sterling technology, or Phoenix pays the price.Now, Ava, Dante, Jax, and a fugitive Marcus must navigate a global "Shadow Circuit." To save Phoenix, they must race in illegal, high-stakes underground events across Europe to fund their rebellion, all while dodging international warrants and the prying eyes of a media obsessed with their "unconventional" bond.But the pressure is cracking the foundation. Dante's possessiveness is reaching a breaking point as he fights to protect Ava from his father's reach. Jax is struggling to maintain his "Golden Boy" image while being the face of a criminal enterprise. Marcus is fighting a digital war he might not win. And when they finally find Phoenix, he may not be the same man they lost.The race was for the crown. The slipstream is for survival.