The next few days were hectic for Alessandra, but in the best possible way. The day after the tennis match, Alessandra invited Charles and his brothers for a friendly tennis session in the morning, which easily turned into their own tournament as they couldn't help the competitive side come through. Alessandra and Lorenzo came out the as the victorious double from the small tournament they created.
That afternoon, Charles and Alessandra flew to Turin, settling in a hotel in the outskirts of the city, then drove the dark blue Ferrari Roma, that the company gave them for the couple of nights they were staying in Italy, to Milan, spending the rest of the evening walking around the beautiful square and getting dinner there.
On Wednesday morning, Alessandra gave Charles a proper tour of Turin, as he's visited the city a couple of times but never had a proper tour of it, and she knew it very well from the number of times she came to watch a Juventus match. In the evening of the same day, the two went in the VIP box of the Juventus stadium, watching the team win against Sporting in the first leg of the quarter final of Europa League. Alessandra was very happy to say the least, especially after introducing Charles to the team and getting to chat with them after the game.
"You know who I was with yesterday?" Alessandra asked Manuel Locatelli after exchanging a hug with her friend, "Berrettini! We watched him play and then had a nice catch up over coffee!"
"Ah, that's amazing! I'll never forget how wasted we got the night we won the euros, and how we ended up in mine and Thessa's bed but you and Thessa kicked Matteo and I out, leaving us on the floor," Manuel laughed as he told the story from two years ago, which got Charles and the rest of the team laughing too, "are you in Turin tomorrow? I know Thessa would love to see you and you can see Theo for the first time!"
"How much has happened since we last saw each other," Alessandra sighed as Federico Chiesa joined the conversation with a side hug to the guest and a hand shake with Charles, "you got married and had a kid, I became team principal and Chiesa broke up with Benadette and got a new girl!" Manuel was in a fits of giggle whilst Federico rolled his eyes, but still smiled at the woman who he met after a few matches since he joined Juventus and considered as a friend.
On Friday, Alessandra and Charles visited Manuel and Thessa, which resulted in the new mother squeezing the team principal in a bone-crushing hug the moment the guests stepped into the hosts' apartment. They spent the morning introducing Charles to Thessa, getting to know him, Alessandra updating the two in person about her new role within the team whilst getting to hold the beautiful baby boy in her arms. In the late afternoon, Alessandra and Charles then went and caught a flight back to Nice, then got a helicopter ride to Monaco, before driving back to their homes. Charles spent the evening at Alessandra's house, watching the motogp free practice.
She enjoyed the free time she had, and the fact that she got to spend them with her friend, watching sports, playing tennis or padel, working out together, going out to eat, heading to another city. She loved doing all that the past few days, being hectic because of these reasons were Alessandra's favourite things.
On Sunday, Alessandra woke up energised, which she was quite surprised as she remembered having spent the evening drinking with Charles and Pierre, who came to Monaco from Silverstone the same day, at Charles's apartment whilst watching motogp quali, not really sure how she even got to her apartment. She wasn't complaining that she didn't have a hangover as she got out of bed, stretching her arms over her head as she strode towards her balcony, opening the doors and enjoyed the warmth of the sun overlooking her apartment as she walked out, taking a deep breathe whilst she looked at her view. She knew how lucky she was, starting from the family she came from and being able to live in such a beautiful apartment in such a luxurious city, but she was never one to take anything for granted, she worked hard, loved and respected her family and respected others the way she would want others to respect her. She'd like to think that the wealth she grew up in never affected her or made her become a snob.
After spending a few minutes soaking up the sun on her balcony, she went back inside, grabbing her phone when it started ringing profusely, pressing the green icon before putting it on speaker. "Morning, Charles!" She answered, her voice cheerful as she left her bedroom and made her way to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Ale," he replied, "how are you feeling this morning?"
"Really good considering how much we drank last night," she chuckled as she put her phone on the counter after washing up the fruit she took out from the fridge, placing them on the chopping board and started cutting up the berries, "I don't remember how I got home, though."
"I came with you in a taxi," he answered, "helped you in your apartment. You weren't so wasted that you could barely walk but I made sure that you had changed into your pyjamas and wiped the make up off your face before I helped you in bed."
"You're an absolute angel," she gushed at how sweet her friend was to her last night and making sure that she was okay, "how are you? Are you and Pierre still alive?"
"I feel fantastic," Charles beamed, "Pierre's still asleep, I think he'll probably have a hangover."
"For once in my life," she heard the Frenchman in the background of other side of the call, "I feel good. No hangover in sight!"
"Now I wanna know what we drank," she laughed, "because there's no way in hell we got that drunk and we've woken up so good!"
"Is that Ale on the phone?" Pierre asked Charles, "hi Ale!"
"Morning Pierre, darling," Alessandra giggled, "glad you've not gotten a hangover!"
"Me too," he grinned, "you're coming with us to the final, right?"
"I'm the tennis fanatic and player out of the three of us," she laughed, "what do you think?!"
"You're right," he laughed.
"Give me the phone," she heard Charles say, hearing movements for a few seconds before he continued, "Ale, you're meeting us there? Or do you want me to come for you?"
"I'll meet you guys there," she said, "11:30, right?"
"Yeah," Charles replied, "which is in less than an hour!"
"Ah, shit!" Alessandra hissed when she saw the time on her phone, "I'll have breakfast and get ready. I'll see you both and Kika in a bit!"
After hanging up, Alessandra took her berries mixed with yoghurt, along with her coffee, out on the main balcony that was connected to the living area, sitting on the sun lounger as she enjoyed her sweet breakfast whilst up a bit more sun. When she was done, she went back inside and ran in her room, opening her closet to decide what she should wear, as she was invited to attend such a prestigious final in Monaco.
She took out a white dress with a sweetheart neckline and wide off shoulder straps, a thin Burberry trench coat and a pair of white dior canvas high tops, placing them on the bed before she went and took a shower. She did light make up and straightened her her hair, which wasn't something she usually did.
When she saw that time was pressing, she quickly got dressed and grabbed a small white bag, making sure she had her pass for the day and her necessities were all in her bag before leaving her apartment and headed down to the garages under her building, getting into her Daytona and drove to the the court for the second time this week.
When she entered the private parking lot of the courts, she spotted a familiar chrome maroon Ferrari Purosangue parked right in front of the Valet, watching her friends getting out of the car, Charles handing the valet his key, dressed in a nude soft blazer and matching pants, along with a white Chinese collar shirt and sneakers which matched hers. She gently honked her horn, getting their attention, Pierre's eyes widening when he saw the car his friend and rival team principal was driving. She then stopped in front of the Valet herself and got out of the car, handing the valet her key before being pulled in a hug by Kika.
"So happy to see you!" The Portuguese beamed as she let go, "you look absolutely stunning!"
"Thank you Kika," the Italian grinned, "you look beautiful too!" She then turned to Pierre, pulling him in a hug, then wrapped her arms tightly around the Monegasque, who was quick to squeeze her to him.
"My brothers, their girls and Joris are coming for the single's match," Charles said as the four entered the premises, "we'll be changing seats for the second match."
"Joris joining our singles club," She whispered to Charles, who let out a scoff as they got on the terrace that overlooked the clay court. They quickly straightened their composure when they were stopped at the side, spotting the Prince of Monaco chatting to someone.
Alessandra stood close by Charles as she felt herself getting slightly nervous when Prince Albert was slowly coming towards them. Charles realised that she was getting a bit nervous, leaning his head down towards her as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "You're going to be fine," he whispered, "you already met him more than once, you have nothing to worry about." She turned her head towards him, giving him a smile before they looked in front of them when the prince approached them.
"Good to see you, Charles," Prince Albert said, giving his young home hero a hug, "excited for the final?"
"Yes, sir," Charles replied, "it's exciting to have one of our own competing in our home final!"
"You're right," the prince said, turning his head towards his home hero's friend, "Ah, Alessandra! Long time no see!"
"It's been almost a year, your highness," Alessandra giggled as he pulled her in a hug, "saw each other at last year's race!"
"Yes we have, and congratulations on your new role as team principal, you have been doing extraordinary work so far and I know it will continue to be that way as the season progresses," he said, "are you a tennis fan?"
"I am," Alessandra replied, "used to train when I was a kid. One of the singles qualifiers is a friend of mine, but had to exit the tournament due to an injury."
After the prince said hello to Pierre and Kika and had a chat with them, they were then pulled to the side to film some content for the tournament's social media handles. Alessandra was glad that she didn't have to do the content filming alone, but she was going to do it with Charles.
"Today, you are not here as driver and team principal," the social media manager started, "but you are here as friends, how do you feel about being at the final of one of Monaco's prestigious tournaments?"
"It's always exciting to be able to attend one of Monte-Carlos's biggest sporting events of the year," Charles started, "I'm from Monaco, so I'm really excited to be here, especially being here with my friends!"
"Sporting events in Monaco are always special, and it's an honour for me to be able to witness the Monte Carlo Masters finals," Alessandra said, "and as a person who trained tennis when I was younger, it's always great to be at a tennis match and watch the up and coming talent!"
After the social media filming, they were taken to their seats, sat in a balcony reserved for special guests. The drivers put Alessandra between them, calling her the tennis expert and warned her that they were going to ask her endless questions since they don't know as much about the sport than she does.
"You played it!" Pierre exclaimed, "you know everything there needs to know! I don't watch tennis as much, you know that!"
"I may watch tennis but you and I both know you're obviously the pro out of the two of us and have the knowledge about the sport," Charles said, "so yeah, we need you between us!"
And that's how the first match was spent. The four watched the match closely, Charles and Alessandra on the edge of their seats with every break point. Pierre was asking her endless questions whilst Charles was commenting with her about what was happening during the match, with Kika being confused for most of the match then started asking her a few questions during the breaks between each set. Alessandra felt a bit overwhelmed, she wouldn't lie, but she was happy to answer all the questions thrown at her about her second favourite sport.
When the match finished, they went to the lounge to have lunch, still chatting away about how good the game was even though the Monegasque player and his partner lost the final, they were still very proud of his achievements throughout the tournament.
After lunch, the group were taken to their seats right behind the finalists of the singles match, where they met with Charles's brothers, their girlfriends and Joris. Alessandra was happy to see them as she hugged them, Lorenzo introducing her to his girlfriend Charlotte before taking a seat next to Charles, in front of Pierre, Kika and the rest of the Leclerc brothers, with three empty seats on her left.
"This is such a good view," Alessandra gushed as she took off her coat, keeping it under her as she let the sun soak her bare shoulders. "I have a feeling we're getting a good final on our hands!"
"Who are we rooting for?" Charles asked, looking at Alessandra and the rest of the group around him, "I'm rooting for Rublev!"
"So am I," Alessandra quickly replied, "he deserves to win his first ATP 1000!"
"Agreed," Lorenzo joined in, "but Rune is good too. He's young and he's already got a 1000 under his belt!"
"We'll just have to sit back, relax, and enjoy whatever the final throws at us," Joris said as he drank half of his water bottle in seconds.
"Unless a ball comes flying in our faces," Arthur said, making everybody laugh.
Alessandra thanked Charles as he handed her a hand fan, flapping it in front of her face as the sun beamed on them as she prevented having layers of sweat on her whilst she enjoyed the cool feeling of the wind from the hand fan hitting her skin. She was so distracted with fanning herself whilst chatting with Charles that she didn't realise that the three free seats next to her became occupied. The men sitting in the row behind them, did, however.
"Didn't think you were a tennis kind of guy, Toto!" Alessandra stopped fanning herself when she heard Pierre call out that name, almost dropping the hand fan on her lap. She didn't want to turn her head towards the Austrian, the hot weather not helping her think straight, so she turned to look at Charles, which was also a bad idea because she found him covering his mouth as he stiffled in a laugh.
Toto snapped his head back when he heard a familiar voice talk to him, eyes wide slightly in surprise when he found the Alpine driver behind him, then recognising the other two men sat in his row as his friend and rival's brothers. "I'm not really into tennis," Toto chuckled, "but I got invited for the event, and decided to bring the kids with me. You know, some quality time before they head back home later today!"
"We've watched the doubles final," Pierre continued, "I'm not really a tennis guy myself, but it was fun, especially seeing Charles and Alessandra be so focused and get really into the game."
The mention of Alessandra flipped something in Toto, realising that she is most probably at the match too. He looked to his right, nodding his head when Charles gave him a wave whilst he fanned himself, and between them was a head full of hair, but he couldn't see the face. But he knew that the woman sat next to him was none other his fellow rival team principal.
"Should have figured out that I'd see you here," Alessandra turned her head, her blue eyes locking with his through their sunglasses, "is your friend playing in the final?"
"No, he unfortunately had an injury so he had to retire from the tournament," Alessandra said as she tilted her head to the side, lifting her glasses over her head when she saw that Toto wasn't alone, "oh, hi Benedict, hi Rosa! How are you two? I haven't seen you in ages!"
"Hi Alessandra," Benedict replied, giving her a small smile, "just really busy with university, started my masters last October!"
"I'm in my second year of my degree now," Rosa said, "also, congratulations on becoming team principal for Ferrari! It's so amazing to see women in these types of high roles!" Benedict also wished Alessandra congratulation on her team principal role.
"Thanks you two, also I can't believe you guys are doing your degrees and masters," the Italian sighed, shaking her head, "you need to stop growing, I swear!"
"That's what I tell them," Toto chuckled.
"Alessandra," Rosa started, "do you know anything about tennis? Because I must be honest, I've always wanted to come to a match but I have no idea about the sport!"
"Neither do I," Benedict jumped in, "and honestly, it would be useless asking our dad about it, he has no clue about it either!" Alessandra couldn't help but laugh as the eldest child threw his father under the bus about his knowledge on tennis, along with Charles and Pierre, who were eavesdropping on the conversation.
"Well, lucky for all of us," Toto started, turning towards his kids, "Alessandra used to play when she was younger, and she knows a lot about the sport."
"So we can ask you about it?" Rosa asked, her blue eyes looking up to Alessandra in hope.
"Of course," Alessandra smiled, leaning in front of Toto's body to get closer to the younger Wolffs', "you two can ask me anything about it!" When the three of them heard Toto clear his throat, the kids let out a laugh whilst Alessandra rolled her eyes before leaning back into her seat, looking up at the Mercedes team principal who raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"
"Only they can ask you questions about the sport?" He taunted, his gaze having a strong hold on her. She rolled her eyes once more at his question, shaking her head at how childish he sounded.
"You can ask me too," she laughed, patting his arm, "no one is going to deprive you of tennis knowledge!"
"Good," he nodded, sending her a wink before turning back to his kids. She slumped slightly in her seat, suddenly feeling a bit out of breath, and she wasn't sure if that was because of the heat, or because of Toto sat right next to her, and will be for the next three hours or so.
She snatched her hand fan from Charles, who took it while she was in conversation with the Wolffs' and decided to take the opportunity to fan himself with two hand fans, and quickly started fanning herself, the cool wind slowly calming her down.
Charles was chuckling when he saw the state his friend was in, her face slightly red which got him a bit worried, leaning his head closer to hers as he brought the hand fan he was fanning himself with close to the two of them. "You okay?"
Alessandra turned her head at Charles's question, giving him a small smile as she grabbed Charles's water bottle when she saw that hers was empty, opening it and took a couple of sips. "I think I'm okay," she said, "it's just really hot, but I'll be fine."
"Are you feeling hot because of the weather?" He asked, "or because of the man next to you?" Alessandra snapped her head at him, giving him a deadly look, which he replied with a sheepish grin. She turned and looked behind her, getting the others' attention at the discreet whistle she let out.
"Anyone want to trade places with Charles?" She asked, "before I throw him on the court?"
"Back to threatening your drivers I see," the Italian rolled her eyes when she heard the smugness in Toto's voice, which was also caught by the others as they let out a snicker. She looked at the Austrian, the smug smile on his face matching his voice.
"Do you want me to tell you the same thing?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him, which he shook his head too, "thought so."
Rune and Rublev came on the court, and a few minutes later the final commenced. Alessandra was watching carefully, analysing every shot the players took, letting out groans along with Charles when Rublev lost points, but then clapped loudly when he won the games, especially when he won the second set.
"Ale," The Italian's head turned towards the eldest of the Wolff siblings, looking at her with curious eyes, "are you rooting for Rublev?"
"Charles and I are," she replied, leaning towards Toto's chair so she can hear Benedict better.
"How come?" He asked, "I'm just wondering because I don't know anything about the two players!"
"Yeah!" Chimed in Rosa, "I'm watching as a neutral, but I'd like to cheer for one of them!"
Toto looked down when Alessandra leaned closer, her body hovering over his lap as she chatted with his kids. A smile tugged onto his lips as he heard her explain how Rune was only 19 and has already won an ATP 1000, whereas Rublev has been a finalist but never managed to win one, and her and Charles would love if he did win it during the current final.
He was fascinated at how much she knew about tennis, which he didn't have any doubt about as he knew that she trained herself when she was younger. But hearing her explain to his kids, and sometimes even to him, about what was happening, what certain moves were called and how they were executed, what the different types of points meant, why Rune was getting fussed and talking to the umpire every now and then. She even explained what they were taking between games when they saw players with small packets in their mouths.
He couldn't help the scenarios that came into his mind whilst she leaned over his body, thinking about if that was how she looked if she was hovering over his lap to do something to him. Those thoughts created a slight tightness in his pants, which he tried to remove as he attempted to discreetly shift in his seat. It didn't help his thoughts when his eyes fell on her bare shoulders, the tattoo of the f2003-GA showing in all of its glory, along with a few other tattoos around her shoulders and on her arms. He wasn't one to get tattoos himself, nor he was interested in the tattoos other women had, but hers for some reason, he wanted to know the meaning behind them, trace them with his fingers.
Everyone was on their feet when the match finished, Charles and Alessandra sharing a tight hug when Rublev fell on the ground when he won. She turned to her friends sitting behind her, exchanging hugs and high fives as they celebrated the win of the player they were all rooting for. She then turned towards Toto, who had his arms crossed over his chest, the linen material wrapping tight around his forearms, which her eyes lingered on for a moment before looking up to his face, finding his eyes on her, a soft smile playing on his lips.
"Enjoyed the match?" She asked as the small stage, along with the Monaco flags were being set up on the court for the trophy ceremony. "That was probably one of the wildest finals I have watched in recent matches!"
"It was a really good game," he said, chuckling at her enthusiasm, "I think the kids loved it too." Alessandra glanced at his kids, smiling at how excited they looked as they watched the players get their runner up and winners trophy, listening to the speeches they gave.
"I'm glad," she replied, "you should take them to a match in Wimbledon, that tournament is always one for the books!"
"I might if it doesn't clash with races," Toto said, "it's a very prestigious tournament, no?"
"It's one of the most important and prestigious tournaments of the year, if not the most important and prestigious," she said, "it's one of the four grand slam tournaments."
"Which are the other three?" He asked.
"Australian Open, which is at the start of the year, French Open, which is held at the end of next month," she started, "and the US Open which is in August."
"Ah," he nodded, making a mental notes of the tournaments she mentioned, "I'll look them up and see if they clash with any races."
"Ah, so you liked tennis so much that you're gonna see which Opens to attend?" Alessandra asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement, "it's a superior sport, I don't blame you."
When the ceremony ended and the players were taken inside, a host came up to the group, asking the drivers and team principals to come and meet with the winner. Charles and Alessandra were quick to follow, chatting non stop about the match as Pierre, Arthur and Toto followed behind.
"Is she always this excited about tennis?" Toto asked Pierre as he watched the Ferrari team principal walk with Charles through the corridor with a skip in her step, "I don't think I've ever seen her this excited about Formula 1!"
"Tennis has been a part of her life as much as racing has," Pierre explained, chuckling at Toto's curious face, "it was her escape from the madness, which at the time she trained, it was karting, then growing up it was working on the cars. You should see her when she's watching her favourite teams playing a football match!"
"Oh yeah?" Toto hummed, looking at the Frenchman, "what's she like?"
"I'd tell you," Pierre started, glancing at her before looking back at Toto, "but it would be even more fun if you saw it first hand!"
"All I'll say is," Arthur butted in, "you don't want to be near her when her favourites lose."
"As bad as when Ferrari screw up?" Toto pushed, "I've seen a few replays of her slamming her chair if something went wrong when she was still chief engineer. Haven't seen so much since she became a team principal, apart from her slamming her hands on her desk when Carlos retired in Australia."
"Oh you have seen nothing," Pierre laughed, "plus, she's a team principal now, she's composed. She doesn't want to get the anger issues title some people have put on you after being notorious for slamming headphones."
"Fair enough," Toto chuckled, shaking his head as they entered the room.
The group talked with the Monte Carlo Masters winner, listening to him tell Alessandra and Charles that he's a big fan of Ferrari, whilst looking at the Mercedes team principal with wide eye and quickly told him that he admired the Austrian's work ethic, which made everyone chuckle at his nervousness at the boss. Alessandra rolled her eyes at how smug Toto looked as he watched the winner get nervous over his powerful demeanour, knowing how it works on everyone he meets, but would never work on her. Because she doesn't fear him.
They took pictures with the winner, congratulating him once more before leaving him to get some rest after a long and tiring final. The drivers and team principals met with the rest of the group and made their way out to the parking lot.
"So," Norman Nato started, clapping his hands together as he got everyone's attention, "what are everyone's plans for the rest of the day?"
"Well, I'm going to waste 90 minutes of my life watching Juventus execute another shit show," groaned Alessandra, which Pierre laughed loudly at, knowing how much he's going to tease her about how shit her favourite team were later on, "but tonight, Charles, Joris and I are going to watch Motogp. You guys should come over and watch with us if you want?"
"I'm in," Arthur said, "I haven't had time to watch a full race yet!"
"I'll pass," Lorenzo said, giving the Italian a soft smile, "got date night!" The eldest Leclerc rolled his eyes when he was answered with hoots and whistles from his friends, giving them the finger.
"You know Kika and I are in," scoffed Pierre, which earned him the middle finger from Alessandra.
"I'll pass too," Norman said, "got an early flight to England tomorrow."
"I've got to take the kids to the airport in a few hours," Toto said, glancing at his children who stood by his side with a sad smile, which Alessandra caught, her heart dropping for him. She knew that his kids meant everything to him, and how hard it was to separate from them.
Alessandra walked towards the Valet, who handed her the key to her car after he pulled up with it, earning herself a chorus of hoots and whistles from the group when their eyes fell on the red Ferrari Daytona SP3. Toto quirked an eyebrow at it, not surprised that the car is part of her collection, but seeing her open the driver's door flipped something in him again. He found the moment incredibly hot.
"That's one sexy car," shouted Pierre, making the Italian laugh at his comment.
"So I'll see you guys later tonight," she said after throwing her coat and bag in the passenger seat, Toto's eyes falling on her ass when she bent down to do so, the hem of her white dress almost bouncing over her ass, "let me know what you want to order!"
"Do you want me to bring some booze?" Joris asked.
"The day Alessandra says no to booze is when hell freezes over, pigs start flying and Haas wins a race," Charles scoffed, getting everyone laughing at his sarcastic comment, "so yes, booze is appreciated very much."
"Are you sure you aren't referring to yourself?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow before going round everyone to give them a hug. She then stopped in front of Toto and his kids, who quickly gave her a hug each. She smiled at the two young adults, before looking at their father. "I know you said that you like Motogp, so if you want to come round and join us, feel free."
"Thanks Ale," Toto replied, placing his hand on her bare shoulder. "I'll think about it." She nodded, giving him a smile before she got into her car, pulling down the butterfly door. She slid the window down, waving to everyone before giving everyone a listen of the V12 before she drove away.
Alessandra spent the rest of her afternoon in front of her tv in her living room, cursing at her favourite team as they played a horrible game and earning them another loss for the season. After the match, she called the Ferrari hypercar team, congratulating them as one of the cars got p2 in the 6 hours of Portimao, proud that her team was getting good results in another racing series, especially entering the hypercar competition for the first time in 50 years.
The evening rolled in, and she cleaned her apartment before her guests arrived, taking out the drinks and snacks on the kitchen island and got a few throw overs from the closet, leaving them on the sofa in case they wanted to cozy up whilst watching the race. She even made sure that her guest rooms were stocked and prepared in case anyone wanted to spend the night.
At 8pm, Charles, Joris and Arthur walked into her apartment, with the photographer bearing bottles of booze as promised, which earned him a kiss on the cheek from the host before helping him put them on the kitchen island along with the rest of the drinks and snacks. She smiled when she looked at their attire, which matched hers, sweatpants and oversized sweatshirts and hoodies.
Pierre and Kika arrived a few minutes later, also dressed in the same attire as the others, the Frenchman greeting her with teasing regarding the loss her team had a couple of hours before. Pierre started dancing in the middle of the living room to the music that was blasting through her speakers, creating the perfect pre-race atmosphere as Charles stood behind the island and poured everyone drinks. Alessandra was quick to join the Frenchman, along with Arthur and Kika, producing the weirdest moves as Pepas filled the room.
Toto was laying down on his bed in his apartment, accumulated by loneliness after taking his kids to his jet and watched them fly back to Austria a few hours ago. He was used to being alone, he liked being alone, but being alone after spending a few days with his children was something he hated. He wanted to sleep the loneliness away, it's what he's been trying to do for the past thirty minutes. He tried reading a book, made himself some camomile tea, but nothing seemed to work. He was wide awake, and the last thing he wanted was to be alone.
Alessandra's offer from a few hours ago replayed in his mind over and over, as if it was the solution to his current problem. He tried to push it in the back of his head, knowing that the invitation was given out of curtesy as she had invited everyone else, and if he went he would be crossing a lot of lines he should not cross with his rival team principal.
But he was out of options. He knew he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight no matter how much he tried. He let out a groan as he kicked his legs to the side of the bed, sitting on the edge of it as he grabbed his phone, scrolling through his list of people he messaged on whatsapp. His finger tapped on the messages he exchanged with her, which wasn't something they did often. They only speak through messages in the team principals group chat.
The last private conversation they shared was when he congratulated her in being team principal the day it was announced during the Ferrari car launch, on Valentines day. He ran a hand through his hair as he tapped on the message bubble, his fingers moving on automatic as they typed on the keyboard, pressing send before his mind could even register what he was doing.
Alessandra Ferrari
Is the invite still standing?
Alessandra looked at the phone in her hand when she felt it vibrate, thinking that it was Lorenzo or Norman telling her that they would come over, or someone from work. But she was not expecting a message from the man she was surprised to see at the tennis final a few hours ago.
Toto Wolff
Is the invite still standing?
She had to read it a couple of times to make sure that she was reading correctly, and when she did, she glanced around the room, unsure if she should make the decision herself or ask someone about it.
She walked over to the living room, where everyone was standing, moving slightly to the music as they talked over their drinks. She tapped Charles's shoulder, motioning him to follow her when he looked at her, the two making their way to the kitchen for some privacy.
"What's up?" The Monegasque asked as he sipped on his third vodka coke of the night.
"Toto texted me," she started, rolling her eyes when the mention of the Austrian got Charles raising his eyebrow in amusement, "he wants to join us."
"Tell him to join us then," he shrugged, "it's a motogp watch party. You said that he said he likes motogp, so why not. We're on break, no work is involved, it's a group of friends hanging out."
"But he isn't part of our friend group," Alessandra shot, "he's our rival team principal."
"But for tonight, let him be an acquaintance if not a friend," Charles said, "like I said, no work is involved." Alessandra looked at Charles hesitantly, but then nodded when he gave her a small smile and a squeeze on her shoulder, following him back in the living room when Pierre yelled about what they should order.
She opened her text messages, pressing on the chat between her and Toto, and typed out a message.
Toto was quick to unlock his phone when he felt it vibrate, following with a message from Alessandra.
Alessandra Ferrari
Yeah, the invite still stands.
Race is starting soon so you better get going.
Also, we're ordering pizza, what would you like?
A smile made its way on the Austrian's face when he read the confirmation, getting off the bed whilst replying to her messages.
Alright I'll be there soon.
Can you give me your address?
I'll have a pepperoni
When Alessandra replied with her address, along with a comment about how basic his choice of pizza was, which he rolled his eyes to, he kept the grey sweatpants he was wearing, changing the t-shirt to a dark blue sweater with a quarter zip, throwing on a jacket and slipped into a pair of white puma trainers and made his way to her apartment on foot.
The host joined the rest of the group on the sofa, listening to the others tell Pierre his order as he tapped on the delivery app.
"And what are you getting Ale?" Pierre asked after Joris gave him his order.
"Two pepperoni pizzas," Arthur, Pierre, Kika and Joris all snapped their heads at her, giving her a confused look, whilst Charles chuckled next to her, "uh, yeah, Toto's joining us, and wants a pepperoni pizza."
"Oh, he's coming after all?" Pierre asked, wiggling his eyebrow at her, which earned him a smack on the head from his girlfriend, "ow, Jesus. I'm gonna just order."
"Good," Alessandra said, "while you do that, I'm gonna send a few good luck messages to the guys."
"Should've sent them before they went on the grid," Charles scoffed, "look at them, they're already on their bikes!" Her gaze averted to the television, showing the riders preparing for the warm up lap.
"I'll bet you a hundred euros that Marco will see the message whilst he's on the bike," the Italian shot back, opening her messages and sent good luck messages to Marco Bezzecchi, Pecco Bagnaia and Luca Marini.
"You are so on," Charles said with determination, the two shaking their hands as they commenced their bet. Pierre announced that he placed the order and it will arrive 5 minutes before the race starts, which everyone was happy to hear.
Alessandra went back to the kitchen, making herself a pink gin and tonic, sending a quick picture of it to Max, as it was their shared favourite drink, which the Dutch replied with heart eye emojis and a selfie of him, Kelly and Penelope, which she gushed over, replying that she sends them her love.
Her head shot towards the entryway of her apartment when she heard the buzzer go off, which also got the attention of the others. She walked towards her front door, feeling her heart skip a beat when she saw Toto through the intercom. She let out a small sigh as with her free hand pressed the unlock button, along with the microphone button.
"Hey," she started, "press floor 16 in the elevator, then it's apartment 7M."
"Alright," she heard him reply, "Thanks." She let go of the buttons and turned around, almost jumping out of her skin when she found Charles in the middle of the entryway, a smirk on his lips. She smacked him on his chest when she passed him, motioning with her finger to get back into the living room, rolling her eyes when she watched him skip down the hallway.
Her eyes widened when she looked down at her phone after feeling it vibrate, taking a large gulp of her alcoholic beverage when she saw that the message Charles sent in her group chat has created havoc.
Les Idiotes
Cazzo di Cane Carletto
GUESS WHO'S COMING OVER TO ALES
TO WATCH MOTOGP WITH US????
Massimiliano ciacciarrone
who?
Cazzo di Cane Carletto
Toto
Piccolo schumi
WAIT FR?????
El smooth matador
LMAO WHAT????
WHAT DID WE MISS
Cazzo di Cane Carletto
oh yah
he's on his way up now
ale invited him to join us
Piccolo Schumi
DUDE IM SO CLOSE TO FLYING TO MONACO RN
ALE WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO????
La Cavallina
Charles i hope there's poison in your pizza
AND I INVITED HIM OUT OF CURTESY
BC I INVITED EVERYONE IN THE GROUP
Massimiliano ciacciarrone
since when is he part of "your group"??
La Cavallina
he was with us at the final
i didn't know he was gonna be there!!!!
and he just kinda fell into the group
he had benedict and rosa with him too
El smooth matador
are the kids coming too???
Cazzo di cane carletto
no they left a few hours ago
so its just him
all for ale
La Cavallina
charles i swear to god
im gonna throw you off the balcony
IF YOU DONT SHUT UP
Cazzo di cane carletto
is that knocking I hear????
ale u should get that
Alessandra was going to write that there was no knocking, when she heard soft knocks coming from the front door. She rolled her eyes when she heard Charles let out a loud laugh, locking her phone as she walked down the entryway. She opened the door, finding the tall Austrian behind it, surprised to find him holding six pizza boxes.
"Uh, the delivery man arrived right when I did," Toto said, a faint stutter in his voice, "so I got them up with me."
"Thank you," she said, a silence lingering on them for a moment as she took him in, an attire that she wasn't so familiar to see him in, but basically matched everyone that came over. "Uh, come in." She awkwardly moved to the side, closing the door behind him after he entered.
Toto felt awkward as he followed Alessandra down the hallway, his eyes roaming around, glancing at the pictures and artworks they passed, taking in the vibe of her apartment, which he got was minimal, but filled with memories and memorabilia.
"Guys, Toto's here," she started when they entered the living room, her guests turning their heads so fast to look at the team principal that they almost got whiplash, "and he's got the pizzas!"
"Amazing!" Charles beamed as he stood up, taking the boxes from the Austrian's hands and placed them on the coffee table, "they came earlier too!" Alessandra took a seat on the couch, whilst Joris stood up to grab a drink. Toto stood next to the couch, glancing at the group and what the living room consisted of.
"Ale look!" Pierre shouted, pointing at the television, "Marco's grabbing his phone!" Her eyes widened when she looked at the television, indeed watching the Italian rider take the phone that his assistant handed to him, watching a smile form on his face as he typed.
"HE BETTER NOT!" Toto looked at Charles confused as the Monegasque yelled, watching him look at the television with wide eyes. A few moments later, Alessandra's phone vibrated, which got the group's attention as they all looked at her in curiosity. Toto also looked at her, but in confusion, as he had no idea what was happening.
"HE MESSAGED BACK!" Alessandra screeched, waving the phone with the text message from Marco who thanked her and hoped to meet up soon, which earned a loud groan from Charles, who plopped between her and Pierre on the couch in annoyance. "Pay up loser!"
"Uh," Joris started when he entered the room whilst the rest watched Charles transfer a hundred euros to Alessandra from his phone, taking a seat on the armchair. "Toto's confused at what's happening."
"Ah shit," Charles chuckled, "come join us on the couch!" It hit Alessandra that the only place available in the living room was that between hair and the arm rest, turning her head to Charles, the annoyed look on his face replaced with mischief.
Toto made his way to the other end of the couch, taking a seat next to Alessandra, his large frame squeezed between her and the arm rest. The two glanced at each other, giving each other an awkward smile before looking away whilst Pierre passed everyone their pizza box.
"So basically," Pierre started whilst he took out a slice, "Alessandra sent a good luck messages to a few of her rider friends a few minutes ago and Charles told her that she sent it at the wrong time because they were preparing for the warm up lap. So Alessandra made a bet with Charles that Marco would reply before he rode off, and he did, so she won."
"Ah," Toto chuckled as he opened the box, grabbing a pizza slice, "you seem to know everyone from everywhere."
"I'm sure you also know everyone from everywhere, Torger," she scoffed as she opened her own box, grabbing a pizza slice and took a bite, "don't sound so surprised that it's the same for me."
The Austrian looked at her pizza, letting out a loud snort when he saw what her choice of pizza was. "You gave me shit and called me boring for ordering a pepperoni, and you ordered the same thing! How does that work, Alessandra?" The room erupted in heaps of laughter as the Italian's cheeks turned red in embarrassment, realising that what she told Toto before was going to turn on her.
"Fuck off," she muttered as she munched on another bite, "the warm up lap's starting!"
Everyone was focused on the screen, muttering to each other who they were rooting for as the bikes lined back up, ready for the 20 laps at the circuit they will race in later in the year.
"Oh shit!" Everyone gasped as during the first lap, they watched four riders slide off the track, ending up in the gravel traps. "All that in the first lap, this is going to be wild!"
"Looks like it," Alessandra replied to Joris, "happy to see that Pecco got a good start, and Marco made some good places too!"
More laps passed, and more dnfs occured, with the tally rounding up to seven.
"God, that Yamaha is ass," groaned Alessandra when she saw that Fabio was struggling to keep third place as Luca Marini inched close behind him. "He should not have signed the new contract."
"Agreed," Pierre said, annoyed at how bad his friend is struggling, "he needs to go to Ducati, they loo-"
"FUCKING HELL!" Charles shouted, along with chorus of groans and profanities when they watched the race leader and the reigning world champion slide towards the gravel trap, his bike further ahead of him. "Almost halfway through and this shit happens?!"
"It's racing," Toto chuckled, "you of all people should know the unpredictability of it."
"He's right," Kika said, "this is what we have to deal with when we watch you idiots race."
"But there's more unpredictability with Motogp," Arthur said, "sometimes, with a car, you can try to control and avoid crashing, but when you slip off the bike, that's it really."
"Jesus the bike would go faster if I pushed it for him," Alessandra whined as she continued watching the gap between French rider and Valentino Rossi's half brother decrease. "Luca's bout to get him any second now."
"I thought you would be rooting for Luca to try and get Rins," Alessandra looked up at Toto ask he spoke, her curious eyes meeting his dark ones, "since he's Italian, and all that."
"I like Luca, not only because he's Italian but he's part of Valentino's team," she said, "but Fabio's an amazing rider, and a friend too, and he's given a shit bike that does not show how good of a rider he is. However, I'm fully rooting for Marco, you would not believe what a talent he is, especially in his second season in Motogp!"
"Shouldn't be surprised that you're a Valentino Rossi fan too," the Austrian chuckled, "you're a fan of the greats!"
"She's not just a fan," Charles jumped in, "Valentino taught her how to ride bikes, they even go dirt biking a couple of times a year!" Toto raised his eyebrow in amusement, his mind creating images of her riding bikes, which was a bad idea, because the images coming to his head were turning him on.
He needed the race to be done soon.
Alessandra, Charles, Joris, Pierre and Arthur were on their feet, clapping and cheering when the top three crossed the finish line, two of the riders they were cheering for making it on the podium. Toto relaxed in the sofa, arm over the top of it as he watched Alessandra jump in Charles's arm in glee, then exchanging hugs with the other guys who were dancing around in celebrations. He took this moment in, embedding it in his brain, Alessandra, dressed in oversize sweats with fuzzy socks on her feet, her long hair splattered behind her back in a bit of a mess, the glasses over her face fell right at the tip of her nose from all the jumping, pushing them back up to her face when she calmed down.
She ran out of the living room, walking back in moments later with a champagne bottle in her hands, loud cheers erupted in the room as she popped the cork screw, taking a swig from the bottle before passing it to Pierre. She plopped down back in her place, leaning her head back as she caught her breathe, only to feel her head hitting something stiff. Without moving her head, her eyes glanced to her left, and sure enough, she saw Toto's long arm stretch over the top of the sofa, confirming that what she hit her head against was his forearm. But she didn't, and neither did he.
"That was fun," Arthur said after they finished watching the podium, "but I'm dead beat. Ale, can I crash here?"
"Sure," she chuckled, watching the young Monegasque thank her as he got off the sofa, bidding everyone goodnight before disappearing in the corridor where the rooms were, "I've got the other spare bedrooms ready if you guys wanna crash."
Joris was next to take Ale on her offer, wishing everyone goodnight, giving a gentle kiss to the host on her forehead, which Toto raised his eyebrow at in surprise, before he also went in the hallway, hearing the door close shut a few moments after.
"Tonight's been amazing!" Pierre beamed as him and Kika slowly stood up, "thank you so much for inviting us, Ale. Next one has to be watching a PSG match at my place!"
"We have to plan it when we're both in Italy!" Alessandra beamed as she also stood up, a wave of coldness washed over her after parting ways from the warmth that came from Toto's arm. She shook it off, making her way towards the couple, "thank you guys for coming!" The Italian followed behind the two, hugging them goodnight before they left the apartment. She sighed, running a hair through her tangled hair as she made her way back to the living room. She looked at Charles, who was busy on his phone, "safe to assume you're staying?"
"No doubts about that," he laughed, "I'm gonna go and unpack my stuff, how about I make us some hot chocolate when I come back?"
"I'd love that," Alessandra grinned, "have I ever told you that you're an angel?"
"Only a few times, mon ange," he chuckled, "I'll be back." She nodded, watching her friend disappear in the hallway. She looked at the last guest who was sat on the sofa, finding him looking up at her. She gave him a small smile before she grabbed the empty pizza boxes, taking them to the kitchen to dispose of them.
She then cleared everything that was laid out on the kitchen island, placing everything back in its place, and threw the dishes in the dishwasher. She turned around, about to head back to the living room to continue cleaning, almost jumping out of her skin when she found Toto at the entrance of the kitchen, holding six glasses in his hands.
"You didn't have too," she said as she stepped towards him, taking a few of the glasses from his hold, "there isn't a lot to clean out there."
"It's fine," he shrugged as he put the glasses in the dishwasher after she did, "I wanted to help." She closed the dishwasher and pressed a few buttons to get it to work. She stood up, turning around, only to find Toto's chest almost an inch away from hers.
She felt her heart beat faster, scared that it was so loud that Toto could heart it. She slowly looked up, their gazes locked. None of them moved, both scared of what the next action would be. Alessandra's mind was going wild, with so many lines having been crossed by having Toto over, her brain was telling her to cross some more, and her heart agreed too. Her eyes fell from his, looking at his lips, which were parted slightly, then quickly took her eyes back to his.
"Alright!" The two jumped away from each other at the loud voice of the Monegasque right before he entered, almost catching how close they were. "Let's make some hot chocolate!" As Charles was grabbing the powder, he felt a familiar tension in the room, and he glanced at his friend, who was frantically opening her cupboard to get the mugs out, and their rival team principal, who looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. "Toto, do you want one?"
"No thanks," he replied, clearing his throat to try get the awkwardness, and tension, off him, "I best start heading home. Goodnight, Charles."
"Night, Toto." Charles replied as he poured the powder in both mugs.
"I'll walk you out," Alessandra muttered, earning a nod from the Austrian before exiting the kitchen, leaving Charles confused.
The two stopped next to the door, and once again their eyes locked as they glanced at each other. Alessandra was scared that if she opened her mouth, the wrong words would come out. But she needed him to leave, she needed to be away from him so she can gather her thoughts.
"Uh," she stuttered, scratching her neck, "do you have your car close by?"
"I walked it," he chuckled, also trying to feign from what was happening at that moment, "Monaco's a small place."
"Yeah, so.." she paused, "Good night, Toto. And thanks for coming over."
"Thank you for the invite, I had a good time." he said, taking a step closer to her. Her breathe hitched in her throat when his face leaned closer to her as his hand held her hip, placing his lips on her cheek, threading closely to the corner of her lips. The contact almost made her weak to the knees, her body feeling like it was on fire. He took a step back and let go of her hip, giving her a small smile as he gently squeezed her shoulder before leaving the apartment.
"Toto, wait," Alessandra exclaimed before she could comprehend her words as the team principal was already close to the elevator, getting him to turn around, "message me when you're back? So I know you're still alive and still have a rival who's ass I'm determined to beat."
Toto chuckled at her choice of word, nodding before turning around and walked towards the elevator. Alessandra sighed as she closed the door, leaning against it for a few moments before going back to her friend in the kitchen, who handed her a warm mug.
"Should I ask what happened in the kitchen before I came in?" Charles asked, almost causing the team principal to choke as she was sipping on her warm drink, "I felt such a strong tension, that I almost left the room because I felt like I was suffocating!"
"Nothing happened," she quickly replied, "Toto helped me clear out the living room." A yawn slipped out of her mouth, "how about we head to bed?" The Monegasque nodded, following his friend after she turned off the lights in the kitchen and living room before making their way to their respective rooms, hugging each other good night before separating and disappeared in their rooms.
Alessandra sat on the edge of her bed, placing her half drunken hot chocolate on the bedside table as she crawled under her sheets, grabbing the mug once more and continued sipping on it. She stopped when she felt her phone vibrate, looking down at the new message, which got a small smile on her face.
Toto Wolff
Just made it back home
you still have a rival you're determined to beat :)
Good night Ale, needed tonight.
She was confused at the last part of his message, feeling curious to know why he needed tonight, but she decided that for now, she wouldn't push the topic.
Glad you're still alive and that you had fun.
Goodnight Toto
Alessandra's head was spinning with the crazy amount of thoughts coming through her head, but she muttered a thank you to whatever god exists in the world as she felt her body slowly shut down, but still feeling his lips lingering on her skin when she fell into a deep sleep.