Drive to Survive

Chapter Thirty-Six

A couple of the engineers turned their heads at the unfolding action before promptly looking back at their work and pretending nothing out of the ordinary was happening. It was not the first time Christian had chased after a furious driver.

"Fuck off!" Max shouted back over his shoulder, "I'm not letting anyone fuck with her again."

Suddenly, Christian understood. He should've known that the only thing to rile Max up like this would be Dylan. Whether it was hating her or loving her, he had to admit that Max fully committed 100%. If he hadn't been trying to diffuse Max's anger, it almost would've been funny to watch him be so protective over someone he denied liking for so long.

But Christian knew this wasn't the time. Max had let his feelings grow in the background for a long time over the season and so, even though he and Dylan had not been together long, the feelings were strong enough that he could anticipate Max doing something incredibly stupid.

He hurried after his driver, trying to keep his voice hushed to avoid unwanted attention, "Look, Max, I don't know what's happened but I promise you we can fix it and make sure it doesn't happen again. What we can't have is you storming into the media zone and causing a scene, it's just going to cause more problems."

Max hesitated, the media zone now in his sight. The rage was bubbling at the surface and he was desperate for a release.

But there was something else at the back of his mind.

What if Christian was right?

Would storming in and threatening journalists make things worse?

Would it spiral Dylan into further headlines?

Would it cause a backlash for his team?

The last thing he wanted to do was cause them any more strife after they worked tirelessly each weekend to support his dreams. And Dylan...he couldn't risk anything that would cause her further pain. He just wanted to race back to his room, wrap her up and make sure nobody said a single bad thing to her ever again.

But he was angry.

So angry that he didn't know what to do or how to process it. It was too much emotion for someone who had spent years suppressing their feelings and being told that emotion was weakness.

Christian seized his opportunity, sensing Max's internal conflict, "Talk to me. I'm right here, okay? Tell me what's happened and let me fix it."

For years, Christian had fulfilled the father role that Max lacked and he had a way of getting through to the young driver that most people couldn't understand. Their relationship was deeper than that of an employer and employee; there was a great deal of mutual trust and respect and Max truly did value Christian's advice.

Shooting one more wistful look towards the media zone where he would love nothing more than to go scream at some journalists, he groaned in frustration before shaking his head and turning to Christian, "I can't do it. I can't do any more media if they're going to treat her like that. There is absolutely no decency or respect, they're fucking vultures. She was even prepared with a statement this weekend and they still tore into her before she could even get it out. Something's gotta be done or I'm done, I'm serious Christian."

"Okay, okay." Christian soothed, holding his hands up, "Tell me what actually happened at the conference."

Max paused, feeling an unfamiliar lump in his throat. His hands were shaking and in an effort to stop them, he wrung them together, squeezing tight to try gain some sense of control back over his emotions.

"They were coming at me for an answer on this dating drama but I wouldn't give them one. Then they realised she was in the room and next thing I knew, they'd all surrounded her. Cameras in her face, mics thrown at her, fifty strangers all trying to get closest to her and screaming degrading questions. By the time I got to her, she-" He stopped himself, swallowing and taking a stuttering breath, "She almost passed out from a panic attack. It took twenty minutes to calm her down outside. I can't let it happen again, not like this."