It's You ✮ Charles Leclerc

Cɦɑpteɾ 26

♫ We could never be friends
It got kind of scary, my bones always knew
Oh, I didn't mean to. Are you feelin' this too? ♫

Natalie Beaufoy POV

I was about to enter the garage when a staff member stopped me.

"What is happening?" I ask, but before he can answer, Mattia signals me to enter, and I do so.

Maybe he didn't recognize me. I don't care. I looked at the gift I got for Lucas in France and never remembered to give him.

"I'm back! I found it! Look how cute-" My words abruptly stopped as I noticed the heavy environment. 

Almost no one was in the garage, and Charles was sitting on the floor with a crying Lucas in front of him.

"What happened mon amour?" I ask him as I go in his direction, not caring for the sweat I had in my hands as I put it in the first place I could reach.

"My phone broke," he mumbles as he approaches me.

"Oh, that's fine. We can get you a new one. Do you want mine?" I ask him as I put down the sweat.

"I couldn't call you," he says as he pouts, ready to cry again.

"Well, I am here. Why did you need to call me?" I ask curiously as I kneel to his height, and he hugs me.

"I thought you had left," he says before a sob escapes his lips, and I run my hand up and down his back.

"I would never leave. I went to get you a little gift. Why would I leave?" I ask as I step back and wipe his tears.

"She left," he simply says, and I nod.

"Well, she was stupid. Do you think I'm stupid?" I ask, and he shakes his head and chuckles.

"Can I?" He asks as he looks at my phone and I nod. I unlock it and give it to him and watch as he puts on a game.

"What happened?" I ask as I see everyone entering the garage again, quickly regaining the normal life it has on a Friday morning.

"He was having a breakdown. He saw Sylvie, and his phone broke; I think he was trying to contact you since you were nowhere to be seen," Charles whispers as we step aside from the confusion.

"That's tough. What is she doing here?" I ask, and he shrugs.

"I thought he was talking about Sylvie, but he never called her mom," he was rationalizing, but I was lost.

"What?" I ask confusedly.

"He said he wanted his mom, he said he needed her. He wanted to know how he would know if she would come back. But he was trying to call you." Our eyes locked, and I just now got it.

"No. No! He never called me mom or anything similar. I would never do that behind your back, I swear. I am not here to take her place," I am scared of his reaction, but he looks around and shakes his head.

"She has no place in his life. I know you didn't do it, but no matter how smart he is, he is still a kid; he spends a lot of time with you. You understand and adore him; it's normal for him to see you that way. The question here is how you feel about it because one day, he will say it directly to you, and I will deal with it however you see fit."

"I am not leaving," I inform him.

"You are not his mom; no one would make you accept the title," he says calmly, and I nod.

"Let me deal with it then," I ask him, and he nods reluctantly. 

"Don't break his heart, and if you need to step back, just warn me. Please," he asks and I nod too.

"I am not stepping back, and I am not breaking his heart," I say confidently, and he smiles.

"I'm glad," he says with a smile, and Mattia calls him.

"Pascale!" I called her as she talked to Arthur and Lorenzo.

"Yes?" She answers confusedly, and I chuckle.

"Can you help me with something?" I ask, and she nods calmly.

"Always, what do you need?" She asks curiously. I don't ask for help, so when I do, people are normally inclined to help.

"Do you have any pictures of Sylvie? I want to have an idea of who we are talking about now that this has evolved," I ask, and she looks at Charles, who was with his engineer, and then Lucas, who was now like nothing had happened.

"Come with me; it's somewhere on my phone," she said sneakily. I just wanted to laugh, but I followed her.

She showed me Sylvie, and I really don't think Charles has a type; she is the opposite of me, which was somehow surprising. I spent the afternoon around the hospitality with Lucas, my dad, and Pascale. It was getting late, but Ferrari had meetings to prepare for Saturday and Sunday, and I knew Sylvie would be somewhere close. 

Pascale told me about how they saw her observing Lucas' breakdown with a smile, like a damn psycho. I want to see her smile once she sees what she could've had. Charles texted me, telling me he was leaving the garage, and I left the hospitality. The paddock had cleared up, so I managed to see the blonde approaching him.

"What a scene, I warned you to keep him away from me. Now he wants his mommy all over again. How was it? Do you regret not staying with me? I would've stayed if you valued me more," she was so full of herself that I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"He never gave a fuck about you, and neither did I. Have fun with the new kid; enjoy ruining more lives," he says angrily as his eyes stay on his phone screen as he answers my text. I knew because the phone pinged in my back pocket. 

"I saw it! There is no need to hide it, baby. Being a single dad wasn't as good as you hoped. I warned you," she says as she tries to touch his arm, but that was my cue to go in.

She will learn not to be a bitch who has fun demeaning the kid she birthed.