𝙾𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢┃ Charles Leclerc┃

Chapter Thirty Three - The Article

I stormed through the corridors of McLaren's Headquarters in Woking with a face of absolute thunder. Colleagues tried to say hello to me, giving me a tentative wave or an awkward smile, but I was not having any of it. I was on a mission; and that mission was to hunt down Zak Brown.

I was seething with anger. My jaw was aching from being tensed, my eyebrows tired from scowling, but it didn't stop me. Fists clenched, legs pacing, I had my eyes set on the CEO's office.

Mel was running along behind me, trying to keep up, despite my furious stride.

"Ana, I know you're angry, but remember what we talked about." She said, her voice shaking in time with her high-heeled steps. Her shoes click click clicked across the linoleum floor.

"Speak your mind, but don't make it worse. I know." I repeated the premise of Mel's lecture from this morning. "Though I don't really know how it could get much worse, if I'm totally honest." I grumbled.

I slammed into Zak's office, Mel trailing close behind me. My heart raced with fury, my hands trembling as I held up my phone, thrusting the glaring headline in Zak's face. "Is this serious?" I demanded, my voice sharp with anger.

The news article blared the announcement: Anastasia out of a seat for 2025. I felt a bolt of betrayal and disbelief coursing through me. How could Zak let me find out like this? Through a bloody article? He never had the decency to sit down and have a conversation with me, or with Mel. I learned the same way as the public, and I was seething with rage.

Zak's office felt stifling, the air thick with tension as I confronted him. His expression shifted from surprise to an attempt at placation, but it only fueled my fury further. "Ana, please, let's talk about this-" He began, but I cut him off, my voice rising in indignation.

"Talk about what? Your complete disregard for me and my career?" I snapped, my eyes flashing with anger. "You promised transparency, Zak, and yet you blindsided me with this." My words echoed off the walls of the office, each syllable dripping with frustration and disappointment. "To announce my departure on a social media post, without even speaking to me first? I genuinely cannot fathom what went through your mind."

Mel placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, her presence a calming force amidst the storm of emotions raging inside me. "I'll be honest, Zak, neither can I. We needed to have a conversation about this." She added.

I took a deep breath, attempting to rein in my anger, but it still simmered beneath the surface, a volatile mixture of hurt and resentment. "I deserve better than this, Zak." I stated firmly, my voice quivering with suppressed emotion. "And I won't let you sweep this under the rug. You owe me an explanation." The weight of his silence hung heavily in the air, the tension palpable as we stood locked in a battle of wills.

The room felt like a pressure cooker, the suspense thickening with every passing moment. I held Zak's gaze, waiting for a response, but all I received was a hesitant silence. It was infuriating. I wanted answers, I needed them, and yet Zak seemed content to sit there, avoiding my eyes.