Rivals - Charles Leclerc

Media Meltdown

Chapter 14

Ava's POV

Waking up to a blaze of social media wasn't something I ever looked forward to. But this morning, it was particularly dreadful. The harsh glow of my phone's screen illuminated the room as Marisa barged in, her footsteps heavy with urgency. Holding her phone out with a grim expression, Marisa's presence filled the room with an uneasy feeling.

"Look at this," She said, thrusting the screen towards me.

My stomach churned as I saw the photo splashed across various news sites and social media platforms. It was Charles, holding my hand as we exited the bar last night. Headlines were going wild, as they speculated widely about our relationship. Each claimed that they somehow had 

'insider info' that the two of us were in fact a thing.

"This is ridiculous," I mutter, feeling a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Marisa's eyes flickered with concern. The air between us still felt awkward from our argument last night. I could tell that she was thinking hard about what to say to me, hesitating a couple of times.

"I can't believe they're making such a big deal out of nothing...right?" Marisa said, her voice indignant, yet a slight dig as she pried for more information.

But I wasn't in the mood for being interrogated right now. I nodded, trying to push her question away. "Yeah, well, welcome to my life," I replied, my tone bitter.

Marisa reached out to touch my shoulder, offering what little comfort she could. "Just remember, Ava, you know the truth. That's all that matters," She said.

I managed a weak smile, grateful for Marisa's support despite the strained atmosphere between us. "Thanks...Marisa," I replied, my voice soft.

With a heavy sigh, I gathered my things and prepared to face the day, my mind filled with worries about how the Red Bull staff would react to the media frenzy. As I felt my room, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling, guessing that the day ahead would be anything but ordinary.

As I tried to leave my apartment, I was met with a swarm of reporters, all clamoring for a comment on the matter. Their cameras flashed incessantly, blinding me as I tried to make my way to my car. I had to push my way through, using all of my strength to hold off the relentless attempts at getting me to comment, each of them demanding information.

Once inside my car, the reality of the situation began to sink in. The photo of Charles and me was everywhere, and the media frenzy surrounding our supposed relationship was reaching an all-time high. Reports banged on my car windows startling me, their faces rabid as they were fighting one another for the last remaining meal. I felt a knot of anxiety tightening in my stomach as I realized just how big of a deal this was becoming.

At my training session with Max, the chaos only escalated. Everything was normal for a while, giving me a false sense of confidence that maybe today wasn't going to be anything crazy. But of course that didn't last.

Christian Horner burst into the room, his expression stern and determined. He wasted no time in stomping over to interrogate me about the Charles situation, demanding answers and assurances that it wouldn't affect my performance on the track. The intensity of his questioning only added to my mounting stress, and I struggled to maintain my composure in the face of his relentless scrutiny.

"Ava! Why on earth was Charles Leclerc holding your hand last night?!" Christian's tone was sharp, his eyes drilling into mine as if searching for any hint of deception.