Uploading this minutes before the race!! I've decided to schedule my updates so I'll only be uploading every Sunday. I will be giving two chapters though so at least I won't leave you guys hanging ☺️
Hoping for a great race 🤞🏻
Enjoy!
*****
December 31, 2027 - Monaco
Dressed in a black halter dress made out of satin, I stepped through the front doors of Max's house. The party was already in full swing, music vibrating against the walls and people dancing around. We left half an hour late since Gabby only started getting ready when I was about to finish dressing up to which she ignored all of my glares as she ran around our apartment.
Max was waiting near the entrance so when he spotted us, he immediately walked towards our direction. I saw his eyes widen a fraction after landing on the blonde beside me and a smirk formed on his face.
"Incoming." I whispered to Gabby who was too busy looking around the place to notice the Red Bull driver.
"What?" She asked but before I could reply, Max was already in front of us as he greeted Charles first.
"Hey, mate." He said as he clapped the Monegasque on his back. "Good to have you back." Max said and Charles showed him a tight smile which caused my eyes to linger on him longer as Max turned to me. "Nads."
"Max." I smirked as he pulled me in for a hug. "You're welcome." I said, patting his back before I pulled away and winked at him. From my left, I noticed Gabby make a move to grab my arm but I stepped aside and turned to Charles. "Wanna do the rounds?" I asked, grabbing his arm and walking away without waiting for his answer.
I turned my head to see Max standing beside Gabby, hands hidden inside his pockets, as the latter glared at me. "When did that happen?" Charles asked from beside me as he grabbed my hand and properly looped it around his arm.
"The night of our wedding, actually." I replied and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"Charles!" Both of our heads turned to Carlos who was waving his hand, the other linked with Isa's who was smiling at us. "Mate, it's so good to see you again." Carlos greeted as he hugged Charles. I pulled my arm away from him, moving over to Isa to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.
"You're glowing." I said, as I held both of her hands and took a small step back, looking at her outfit. Isa was wearing a yellow dress that complemented her skin, the hem ending just by her ankles along with white block heels.
Isa showed me a smile before glancing at Carlos. "It's the hormones." She said and I cocked my head to the side at her statement before I gasped. "We're pregnant." She confirmed and I immediately pulled the blonde in for a hug.
"Congratulations." I gushed, pulling away after giving her one more squeeze. "How far along are you?"
"Nine weeks." She said in a lower voice. "We're still finding the time to tell everyone so–"
"My lips are sealed." I said and Isa smiled gratefully at me.
"How about you guys? Any plans?"
I gave her a sad smile as we linked our arms together and turned to our respective husbands who were both animatedly talking to one another. The six years they've spent together in Ferrari has strengthened the brotherly bond between the two that proved stronger than any driver pairing they've ever had. "I believe life is on hold for us right now." Charles doesn't even remember me, what more the previous plans we've already made?
"You two are one of the strongest people we know." Isa said, rubbing my arm up and down as she lightly bumped her hip with mine. "You've been through so much. I don't think there's anything you won't be able to conquer."
We both left our husbands to their own bubble as Isa and I moved around the room, talking to Alex, Lily, George, and Carmen. I caught Lando's eyes from across the room as he held a conversation with Daniel and Heidi, flashing me a smile before returning to the couple. Waiters went around passing food and drinks and I was left chatting with Isa once again when Gabby popped up beside me.
One would've thought that she had just arrived but as the person who witnessed her get ready, I knew something had changed. Her hair was still neat with the few pins she used to pin a few strands behind her head. The same goes for her makeup, completely intact, until my eyes moved to her ears where she was missing one earring. I cleared my throat and subtly touched my ear, causing her to do the same to hers before realizing that she was only wearing one.
"Where's Max?" Isa asked her, matching the same smirk I wore, as Gabby removed her remaining earring and placed it inside her purse. Most of the drivers and their significant others knew something was going on between the two who refuse to acknowledge the feelings they obviously harbor for one another.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Gabby said, snatching a glass of champagne from a waiter that just passed by, immediately downing the drink.
"Dry season's over, then?" I joked and Isa snickered beside me.
"Shut up." She grumbled in return, grabbing another glass but not downing the champagne this time. "But yes, season's over." She whispered and that was all it took for me to burst out laughing and the same goes for Isa.
"Thank you for that." I said, smiling at her as I checked my makeup on the screen of my phone to see if anything was smudged.
"I'm glad you find my life amusing."
The entire night, I didn't get to talk to Charles. I walked around with Gabby when Carlos pulled Isa away to talk to Pierre. Conversation after comversation, I had to answer questions about Charles' health. It was agreed among family members that the loss of his memory should be kept from the public. Only specific drivers, family, and top personnel in Mercedes were made aware of this. The public and media would go on a frenzy if they found out that Charles has no memory for the past three years. He still has yet to try out the car for the new season to see if he's eligible to drive along with a panel discussion with the FIA regarding the matter.
When I repeated the words yes, his recovery is going well for the seventh time, I was so close to crushing the champagne glass I was holding because of the frustration that slowly poured into me. Gabby sensed my agitation as I excused myself from Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, Gabby completely taking over the conversation.
I already knew where I was going, having been to Max's house a hundred of times. My eyes wandered around the house as I walked, immediately landing on Charles who was now talking to Daniel. He had a smile on his face but it was obvious he was growing tired as well. I was about to make a detour towards him when he patted Daniel on the back and headed for the direction of the downstairs bathroom.
I went back to my previous route and turned right at one of the hallways, going straight to the end where two glass doors led to Max's huge balcony. His house was situated by a cliff which allowed for a balcony on the first floor.
As soon as I closed the doors behind me, I let out a deep sigh and let the cold air greet me. It was freezing but I didn't turn back to head inside, instead walking forward until I reached the railings. The lights from Monaco welcomed me as I leaned my elbows on the railings and appreciated the view.
I just needed a few minutes of silence to myself. When I was waiting for Charles to wake up, all I wanted was to talk to him again— to have the random conversations we'd always have. But at the time, him losing his memory never crossed my mind and it caught me completely off guard. Now, all I crave is silence because I'm aftaid that every time we both open our mouths to speak, he'll slowly realize that I'm a stranger to him. He's stopped asking questions, sometimes he'd ask where things are but none of them are about us. There have been so many attempts on my part to try and tell him a short story, but I find myself retreating whenever I remember his face from the hospital.
Unrecognition.
I can slowly feel myself pulling back into that small shell I've avoided for years and what's sad is that Charles isn't aware anymore that it exists.
The door behind me opened, the soft sound of voices from inside flowing out. I turned my head and immediately rolled my eyes after seeing the person walking out.
"What are you doing here?" I grumbled, turning my body around and crossing my arms over my chest.
"Looks like we had the same idea but now that you're here, I was hoping to get some legal advice." He smiled, hands hiding inside the pocket of his trousers.
"You literally have an army of lawyers in your company."
"Yes, but none of them have the talent of Nadia Kaplan."
Nikolai Drivas was a challenge. I met him the same night I met Charles– at a party in Monaco. Nikolai exuded generational wealth, always dressed to perfection with his dark brown hair perfectly styled and expensive watch always attached to his left wrist. He was from Greece and the sole heir to Drivas Motors, the leading manufacturer for electric components in Europe. He's been following his father's footsteps for years and it's been rumored that he'd be taking the company reigns soon. He was a good businessman, graduating from Oxford and immediately getting an MBA. If it wasn't for his attitude, I would've considered him a decent person. Despite his good reputation in the business world, Nikolai was also a magnet for scandals when he was younger. He wore the face of an heir who grew up getting everything he wanted and I wasn't an exception.
His intentions were obvious from the first night I met him and red flags were immediately raised in my head. It didn't help that he's become a friend of Max because of Jos Verstappen and I'd see him during some of the parties Max have thrown. Charles hated him because of how Nikolai blatantly disregarded the ring I wore on my finger. He never made a move that was over the line but I knew he was always there waiting to cross it. I've accepted my fate that he will always bother me and have learned how to zone out whenever he was around.
"Sorry, but I don't handle business matters in the UN. I suggest calling our hotline to see who else is available." I snapped back but Nikolai only smiled in return, walking forward to stand right beside me. I took a small step to my left to put more distance between us as he looked at the view behind me.
"What if you take up my offer and work for me instead?" He said, leaning his side on the railings and showing me his signature cocky look. Maybe if I just pushed him a little, he'd accidentally fall over the railings.
"No thanks. Corporate law is full of messes and coverups that the big leagues want to disappear. I'd rather stick to cases that don't involve businessmen who have the ego the size of Jupiter." I rolled my eyes at him and Nikolai laughed. I knew that his company was clean but some of his competitors weren't.
"Where's Leclerc?" He asked, changing the subject because he knew my answer would always be no.
"Doing the usual rounds." I said, trying to get a glimpse of the people inside. Because of his presence, I'm tempted to join the pack once again and offer myself to the wolves instead of staying out here. "Where's your date?"
"Jealous?" I scoffed and gave him a look which he only smiled at. "I didn't bring a date this time."
"My, oh my, is Nikolai Drivas changing?"
"Would he have a chance if he did?"
I shook my head at him and actually laughed because the words that were coming out of his mouth were hilarious. "Never."
He was about to speak up when the door to the balcony opened and Max walked out. His eyes glanced between me and Nikolai before giving me an apologetic look which I waved off with a gesture. "Nik, there's someone I want you to meet." Max was never really a good liar so it was obvious in his eyes that he was only saying that so that Nikolai would leave me alone. Nikolai was smart enough to notice this as well but complied, giving me a small salute before walking through the door. Max followed him with his eyes before turning back to me. "You okay?" He asked and I flashed him a thumbs up.
"Just trying to get some air."
"Should I send Gabby here?" He asked and my heart warmed at the concern in his voice.
I shook my head. "You guys go and have fun." I said and a smile formed on his lips, knowing what I meant.
Max left and I was once again alone. I glanced down at my phone to see that there were only a few minutes left before midnight. Using the time I had on my own, I recalled the celebrations we had during last year's party.
Charles and I decided to ditch the party early, driving down to a near viewing deck that tourists normally visited to see Monaco during the day. Since it was New Year's Eve, the area was deserted and we had it all to ourselves. With the food we stole from Max's kitchen, we opened the backdoor of his Mercedes G63 and sat there as we waited for the fireworks to start once the clock hit midnight.
"This is the first time we're welcoming the new year as a married couple." He smiled as we both snacked on some bread and spinach artichoke dip.
I winked at him before popping a chip into my mouth. "Any new year's resolutions come to mind?"
"Is this your way of telling me to clean up after myself?"
"I'm glad your comprehension skills are still intact, my love." I said and he rolled his eyes at me, dipping a finger into the dip and swiping my nose. "I'm wearing makeup." I glared at him and Charles laughed before wiping it away with his thumb and licking it afterwards.
"There, all cleaned up."
"You should be thankful that we already left the party or else I'd have a random spot on my nose."
"Dramatic as ever." He said, smiling as he grabbed a chip for himself. "As for my new year resolutions, one of the things I plan to do is to finally start reading the books you buy me." Every month, I dedicate a day to buy books for myself and would always grab one for him. I've been doing this for as long as I could remember and involved him when I moved in. He has about thirteen books that were neatly piled in the book shelf in my office.
"What are the others?"
"You'll just have to wait and see, my love."
"Is there a possibility that cleaning up after yourself is among those?"
"Maybe."
I nodded my head and we both settled into a comfortable silence. A few minutes later when we finished the food, Charles and I just watched the view before us. It was when we heard the people from nearby houses begin shouting the countdown that we knew the new year was about to arrive.
"Happy new year, my love." He whispered in my ear, hand cupping my cheek so that I'd turn to face him. I smiled in return as his nose brushed against mine.
"Happy new year."
I was pulled back from the memory at the sound of fireworks. In front of me, they all colored the sky one by one as I heard cheers from inside. I felt a tear slide down my cheek and I immediately wiped it away, eyes watching the mix of colors in front of me. The lateness of the night only made the air colder so I curled into myself as I celebrated the new year alone, the memory floating in the back of my mind.
"Happy new year." I whispered to myself, not knowing what 2028 had in store for me.
For us.
*****
This isn't even the most painful scene in the book yet I can't 😂
✧Reese✧