𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 - 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐂

𝐈𝐈

"How are you, Lord Perceval? Wait... who's this?" and he looked at Nettie.

That nickname came from my teammate, Carlos Sainz, who believed that my name - Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc - was too "lord-esque" and thus christened me "Lord Perceval". And overtime, the nickname has stuck around.

"Max, this is Nettie. Nettie, this is Max, one of my best friends." I introduced them.

Max started teasing. "Is she some kind of your secretary? And where's Alex?" He winked on me, came closer and whispered to my ear. "Or is she your lover?"

"Alex is back home in Monaco," I replied curtly. "Antoinette is my fiancée."

He whistled in surprise. "Well, whatever happened between you and Alexandra, Antoinette is a looker, keep an eye on her."

"Sure, sure..." I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to tell him the truth about our engagement. I planned to keep it all to myself to avoid any scandal or the formation of various theories that could damage either of our reputations.

In the meantime, our fellow female passengers disappeared into the nearest café...

Antoinette

Kelly seemed likable to me at first sight.

Throughout the time our partners were chatting, she smiled at me and then gestured with her eyes for me to follow her. We headed to the nearest café we could find at the airport. After all, it was late at night, and by coincidence, we both felt like having strawberry smoothies.

"Hi, I'm Kelly Piquet. I'm Max's girlfriend. You must be Nettie, if I heard correctly," she greeted.

"Yes, that's my name. Nice to meet you."

"Well, how long have you been with Charlie? Sorry, but I'm quite surprised. He and Alex seemed like everything was fine in their relationship," Kelly asked.

"Oh, not long. Just a few days."

"Ah, I see..."

"I wanted to know more about her. "Do you have any children together? With Max."

"Oh, I have a daughter, but she's not Max's. She's from a previous relationship, also with a Formula driver... His name is Daniil. And the little girl's name is Penelope," Kelly explained. "And you? Do you have any children?"

I quickly shook my head. "No no no, I'm too young to have a child."

"So then, how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen," I answered her question.

Now she looked genuinely surprised. "Wow, Charlie, you're going strong," she said quietly. "You seem like a kind person, there are only a few of those in the world. If you ever need advice on something, feel free to text me. Here's my number," she showed me her phone.

I typed the number into mine and saved it. "Thank you," I said.

We both grabbed our smoothies and hurried to catch up with Charles and Max.

"You're here!" Max said. "Have you spent a lot, Liefje?" He asked Kelly, and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Don't worry," Kelly reassured him.

I envied them. Surely Charles did too. They were together willingly, nobody forced them from above. They spent time together because they wanted to, not to satisfy their deceased father or spare him from a certain heart attack. I wanted to have what they had. But now I'll just waste a year of my life with someone who doesn't want me. I know I'm only here with him because his mom told him to. I liked Pascale; she was kind, hospitable, understanding to both of us. But she won't change her son's feelings towards me. She tried to make this year easier for both of us, but I knew Charles would rather be here with Alex. As soon as we landed, he texted her to let her know he was okay. It's funny that we're engaged, but we don't even have any contact with each other. Besides the ring, nothing binds us. We're strangers to each other.

I also took my phone in hand and texted my pére. "Just to let you know I'm okay," I wrote, "So you wouldn't worry."

"Perceval, do you want to take a private taxi with us? Before the flight, I got some info from acquaintances and found out we're staying at the same hotel," Max offered.

"You know very well that I wouldn't refuse anything like that in my life," Charles chuckled.

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and pulled it behind me towards the nearest exit.

The taxi ride wasn't long. We drove through the illuminated streets of Melbourne. Charles and Max were passionately discussing something, while tired Kelly leaned against me.

We got out in front of the hotel. It was huge and, of course, luxurious. The taxi driver helped us unload our luggage, then disappeared. Another staff member offered to take our bags up to our rooms.

The guys quickly settled us in, and we took the elevator up to the thirtieth floor. Max and Kelly parted ways with us in the hallway, and a few rooms down, Charles inserted the key into the lock and turned the handle. We entered the room. It wasn't just a room. It was a suite, just as big as the one Charles had back in Monaco.

As soon as I entered the bedroom, all the excitement drained from me. I shouted at my fiancé. "Charles, I think we have a problem."