𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 // ᵐᵃˣ ᵛᵉʳˢᵗᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿ

𝑘𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠⁰⁸

( ** indicates flashbacks)

** In a bustling karting track, young Celia and Max zoom around in their karts, their competitive spirits fueling their every move.

Max leads the race, his kart cutting through the wind as he skillfully navigates the twists and turns of the track. Celia trails closely behind, determined to catch up.

But as they near the finish line, Max's kart suddenly swerves, giving Celia just enough space to overtake him. With a burst of speed, Celia crosses the finish line first, leaving Max behind in second place.

Cheers erupt from the spectators as Celia stands atop the podium, a bouquet of flowers in her hands. Max watches from the second spot, his expression downcast. He knows his father will not be pleased with his loss.

As they step down from the podium, Max starts to walk away when Celia calls out his name, stopping him. "Hey, you did really good today," she compliments him, trying to lift his spirits, but Max looks down, feeling dejected. "I didn't think I was going to be able to overtake you."

Max looks at the ground, mumbling his reply. "Yeah, but you did, congratulations on the win."

"Why aren't you happy?" Celia asks then, noticing his sadness. Max looks at her with frustration. "I didn't win, what's there to be happy about?" he scoffs.

"You almost did," she reminds him with a soft smile. "If your kart hadn't swerved last minute, you would've won. You did your best, you should be proud of yourself."

"Dad won't be happy," Max mumbles, feeling the weight of his father's expectations. Celia reaches out to hold his hand, taking out a flower from her bouquet and giving it to him. Max looks at her in confusion. "What's this for?" he asks.

"For being good competition," Celia replies with a smile. "Wanting to defeat you keeps me on my toes. You should cheer up. If you win all the time, you're going to get bored and hate racing. So keep losing to me sometimes, okay?"

A faint smile flickers across Max's face at her words. But before he can respond, his father angrily calls out his name, causing Max to stiffen. "I... uh, I gotta go, bye Lia," he says quickly before rushing back to where Jos Verstappen stands with a disapproving look.

Celia watches their interaction sadly as Jos scolds Max while Max looks down. In one swift movement, Jos snatches the flower from Max's hand, stomping on it and crushing it into the ground before pulling Max away from the track.

Max looks back at the trampled flower with a sad expression as he walks away, leaving Celia standing there, watching him leave with a heavy heart. **

˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮------------✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖

Celia and Max stood outside the RBR HQ, watching with joy as Harper climbed into her kart, a gift from Christian. Harper, in her pink-white-black racesuit and helmet, posed proudly as Celia snapped a picture.

"Thank you so much for this, Christian," Celia beamed, while Max guided Harper through the kart's features.

"Of course," Christian replied cheerfully. "We've got to start them young so one day she can be like her mom and dad. Maybe we should sign her already in advance," he joked.

"Only if she wants to," Max chimed in. "We're not going to force her into racing."

"Absolutely," Christian agreed, turning to Celia. "We're working on your car now. Tomorrow will be your first testing, and you can tell us what changes you want made."