Battle of The Gods

Trentaquattro

January and February passed by quicker than the speed of light, and in those weeks Alessandra felt like she entered a new phase in her life, both personally and professionally. Becoming a god mother had brought back the side of her that only comes out when her niece and nephew visit her, and with baby Luna, she visited her and Federica often since they live a few minutes away. She made it a point that before the season starts, she visits her every chance she could, wanting to be the best god mother to her god daughter.

Alessandra had not seen Toto after Luna was born on his birthday, Federica had told her that he left to go back to England a couple of hours after she went back to Maranello when the Italian boss visited her best friend and her god daughter after her meetings. She had to give it to Toto, she was impressed that he dropped everything and came to Italy so that he would not miss the birth of his god daughter, happy to see that he was going to make her a priority in his life like Alessandra planned to do herself. But as much as that impressive moment, along with the civil moment they shared at the hospital - and sleeping on his chest, enjoying his touch on her and the way he held her so close to him - she hasn't forgotten the hurtful words he threw at her, and she would not give into him just because her body screamed for his closeness.

She was happy that the past weeks kept her busy, distracting her from the thoughts she had about him that wanted to accumulate her mind. The launch of their championship contender went without a hitch, showing the world her baby, the F2024-MSC, commemorating the 20 year anniversary of Michael's last championship with Ferrari, which also created the record of winning 7 world titles. It was the first car she fully overlooked from beginning to end, and having the opportunity to name it, she dedicated it to the man who showed her the sport in ways no one else could, and has been guiding her from afar all these years she has been in the team, working on cars, and lead the team. And seeing the way Michael reacted when she told him the name of the car, how he cried and hugged her tight, thanking her countless of times for her gesture, it meant even more to her. Her drivers gave the world a test run around Monza and Imola, two circuits so important and special to Ferrari, and the team saw the response from the fans of the team and the sport, they were excited to see how the car ran during races, and that is what Alessandra was most excited for.

However, when she returned back home after her busy days, he appeared in her thoughts quicker than she could say his name, especially because every time she walks through her house, leaning against the wall of her living room was a large christmas gift, still wrapped, untouched. She knew who sent it, seeing the handwriting on the envelope stuck to the gift, having arrived a few days after she came back from the mountains. It was taunting her, but she never wanted to open it, afraid of how she would feel when she saw what he had given her. But one night, after coming back home from a long day at work, she looked at the gift, still in the same place she's left it for the past 5 weeks, and she grabbed it, letting it rest against her legs as she sat on the sofa. She grabbed the envelope, slowly taking out the card that was in it, seeing the red themed christmas design at the front, which made her lips turn up in a small smile, then opened it, revealing a small paragraph, also in his handwriting.

I'm not good at giving gifts, it's one of my greatest flaws, and I'm also not a creative person, unless it involves cars. Having said this, I had this creative burst and worked with someone to create, what I'd like to consider, a masterpiece. I remember you telling me how one of your passions is art, collecting pieces that speak to you in a kind of way no one would understand, as you said. I hope this piece would fit into that category, because to a normal person, they might not really understand it, but to people like you and me, we'll easily understand it. Happy Christmas Alessandra, be ready to fight till the finish line.
- Torger x

Alessandra tried to ignore the massive flutters in her stomach as she put the card to the side before proceeding to open the gift at her legs. Her eyes widened, her body frozen in shock as she stared at the artwork right in front of her, spotting so many familiarities within the details that she didn't know where to start. So she followed her finger, which seemed to have a mind of its own as it fell on the canvas, slowly trailing around every single detail, almost as if her body was memorising the painting like she did when she was in bed with the man that she hated, the man she wanted to yell at for the hurtful things he said to her, the man who's closeness she desperately missed, the man who gifted her the most beautiful piece of art she's ever seen.