Rivals - Charles Leclerc

Silver Linings

Chapter 6

Ava's POV

I lay in bed, the room dimly lit by the glow of my phone screen. The images from the gala flashed across the screen- each vividly capturing my clash with Charles at the gala. Various news articles, memes, social media combinations, and basically everyone in the world all fought to display their opinions on the matter.

God, I felt like such an idiot.

Even though Charles was incredibly rude to me, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had stooped to a level beneath myself. Embarrassed by just how riled up I had gotten.

The incident had of course gone viral overnight, taking the world by storm. Everyone had an opinion, and I couldn't look anywhere without seeing something about it. I felt so exposed and vulnerable, and the weight of embarrassment pressed down on me like a ton of bricks. All I could do was lay there, still, on my bed feeling like complete shit. As I stared up at the ceiling, I heard my phone ring, snapping me out of whatever trace my mind had put me in.

I looked down and my blood instantly ran cold at the name displayed on the screen. Christian Horner. Oh god. I hesitated for a second, my fingers afraid to press the green accept button; unsure of what he wanted to say to me. I took a deep breath and accepted, pressing the phone up to my ear as I greeted him.

Christian's voice was stern as he informed me that I needed to come into the office today. I knew exactly what this was about, and I was not ready to face him. The purpose of this meeting was clear, and he didn't need to say it but I knew that he wasn't happy with me. I hung up the phone with a mix of anxiety and regret, my mind racing with thoughts of what might unfold.

Was this going to affect my racing spot? Had I gone too far? I thought to myself as I started to dress myself, anxiously pacing around the room at the same time. Stressing myself out further wasn't going to undo the events of last night, so I had no choice but to put on my big girl pants and face this head-on.

Before I knew it I was already in my car, starting my drive towards our meeting spot. As I navigated the road, the weight of nervous anticipation coursed through my veins. My hands instinctively gripped the steering wheel tighter with every passing mile, trying to ease the tension in my body.

Driving through the streets of Monaco always had a way of soothing me. Something about the motion of turning the steering wheel, and guiding the car along the winding roads calmed me down. It was just me and the car, enjoying the peaceful seclusion as we sped past the world around us. 

In the solitude of the car, I found myself immersed in a mental rehearsal, a constant loop of possible explanations and scenarios playing out in my mind.  I tried to anticipate every question and every accusation that might come my way in the impending meeting. The challenge was not only to salvage the situation but to do so in a way that would preserve my professional standing and reputation within the team. However, with each passing turn the road brought me closer to the confrontation, amplifying the tightening knot of anxiety in my stomach.

Arriving at the building, I scanned the surroundings nervously. I made my way out of my car and towards the meeting area and, to my surprise, found Charles already seated in a chair outside the room. He was staring at his phone before his head shot up, his eyes meeting mine. The sight of him stirred a mixture of frustration and awkwardness.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I blurted out, unable to contain my surprise. I never would have guessed that Charles would be anywhere near the Red Bull office, so seeing him sitting before me was a complete shock.