Charles' gaze dropped to Fia's mouth and lingered there. "Satisfied?"
She felt the electricity sparking between them again. "You'll never satisfy me, Leclerc."
****
Six months out of university, living on her best friend's sofa in a dingy flat share...
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Fia took a deep breath as she typed out the seventh draft of Ferrari's latest press release. She practically knew it word-for-word at this point. Silvia had spent all night writing the main text, and it was Fia's job to go through it with a fine-toothed comb, making slight alterations until her boss deemed it perfect.
They had to get this right.
She had been fully prepared to find her colleagues in meltdown when she arrived at work, but if Silvia was worried, she hadn't shown it yet. A surreal sense of calm had descended on the press office, despite the very real threat of investigation from the FIA.
Ferrari's response was simple: they had done nothing wrong. Demonstrations were allowed, and no data had been collected in breach of the testing regulations. Their aim was categorically not to gain an advantage.
That's what was said publicly. Privately, it was another matter. Fia wasn't privy to sensitive company information, but she had heard whispers of what was going on. Silvia had spent the morning very discreetly contacting engineers to find out what, exactly, they had been tracking when the car went around the test circuit.
From what Fia could gather, it was more than they should have been. More, perhaps, than was legal. So the prospect of an imminent investigation was putting people on edge, even if they didn't show it. It was noticeable in the air - tension like the fine blade of a knife.
"This is perfect," Silvia announced when she read through Fia's latest draft copy. She tapped her nails against the edge of the laptop appreciatively. Though she still looked put together, it was clear she hadn't slept, because her usually perfect appearance was beginning to fray at the edges. Her crisp red lipstick had bled into the skin around her mouth, giving it a faintly smudged appearance, and there were several empty coffee cups on her desk.
"Do you think the drivers should issue official statements, too?" Fia suggested. "It'd help us present a united front."
"Yes," Silvia nodded. "Good idea, Fia. Can you handle it?"
Fia couldn't bring herself to say no when her boss looked so exhausted. She'd already let her down in numerous ways, and she couldn't afford to do it again. After all, what Sadie had said was true - she needed to do everything she could to make this internship permanent.
"Sure. I can do that."
Silvia looked relieved. "Thank you. All they have to do is reiterate everything we say in this press release - that the demonstration wasn't against the rules and no technical data was knowingly gathered. Get them to record a video and post it on their social accounts, and make sure it goes on Ferrari's accounts, too. I'll need to approve it first, of course. Claudia can help you."
Claudia was in charge of Ferrari's social media presence. Fia had spoken to her briefly before and was pleased to have a familiar face on her side, especially since they were a similar age. Maybe she'd be able to rein Charles in so Fia wouldn't have to deal with his usual bullshit. Frankly, she didn't want to speak to him, let alone get him to make a statement in front of a camera.
