On Top of the World [Max Verstappen - Book 3]

7

Ngl...therapy warning over the next few chapters...or a hospital one for me when you all come beat me up lol. Gonna post the next lot of teasers and try and leave it there for today especially as this is a loooong chapter!

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04.27 am, 14th December 2026, Monaco

"Fuck this and fuck you," I scream at Max on the streets of Monaco, not quite sure how everything escalated so fast. Lando is taking me by the shoulders and trying to push me away from Max who is as furious as I am currently. He doesn't say anything, holding back on the retort he knows I would never forgive him for, breaking eye contact finally when Daniel takes a hold of his face and physically forces him to look at the Australian instead of me.

I look around and immediately see the cameras, cursing myself for letting this happen outside of all places as I look at Lando helplessly, my new teammate becoming more of a rock for me than I had expected as he puts an arm around my shoulders and begins to lead me to the valet, clearly getting ready to drive me home as I was in no state to drive and he hadn't been drinking.

"Oh yeah, go get comfort in the arms of your new teammate," I hear Max yell and both Lando and I stop walking, immediately tensing at the underlying meaning of his words, I look at Lando for guidance on whether to respond but before I can he's already walking back to Max and I'm running after him, leaving poor Daniel stuck in the middle.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, mate?" Lando challenges him and I stop a few steps short of the pairing, just close enough to hear what's being said but not close enough to get involved.

"She has a way of dealing with in-house competition, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," he spits out and I feel the stab in my chest as he looks at me, eyes cold until they see the tears welling in mine and realises what he's insinuated.

"Don't you dare think you are coming back home tonight," I mutter, deathly serious as he realises what he said, all anger disappearing, instead sadness and worry etched into his skin as he reaches out for me. I move in the nick of time, to stay out of arms reach. "Stay the fuck away from me Max, until you figure out what the fuck is going on." I hiss at him, shoving him away as I grab Lando's wrist, trying to get him to stand down and not make the current scene any more dramatic than it is.

"You have got to be kidding me," he hisses as I pull him away and I say nothing, heart hammering away inside of my chest as I acknowledge to myself the worries I had before I signed the contract. This truly is the beginning of the end for Max and I. Instead of doing anything, I get Lando's car called around and watch warily as Daniel tries to deal with the drunk Max several metres down the road, not looking back when Lando and I finally get into his car and let out a huge breath of relief when he pulls away.

But the breath served as a flood gate and by the time I was breathing in, the tears were streaming down my face as my body was wracked with sobs as Lando rested a hand on my shoulder tentatively as he made his way back to mine and Max's flat. "It'll be okay, he was drunk," Lando says trying to calm me down as he pulls up and I put my energy into calming down. "Here, take this," he says passing me a hat to cover my face from the awaiting cameras and I do, swearing at them all as we walk past, trying to ignore the rumours that I know are already spreading. Not just through the streets of Monaco but the web of the internet.

Lando ends up staying over, just sleeping on the sofa as Nick and Liv are staying in the guest rooms, even after I try to lighten the mood to tell him to bunk with Liv, he just rolls his eyes and gets me some water before engulfing me in a hug and leaving me to get myself to bed.

I woke up the next morning to shouting and a severe hangover. It doesn't take much to guess whose yelling is making my hangover worse and so I rush out of bed, to where Lando is arguing with Max at the front door.