Alessandra loved Spain. Something about being under the Spanish sun made her feel content, which is why she decided to head to the country a day earlier. She wanted to spend a day in Barcelona, enjoy the culture, admire the architecture and treat herself to some traditional dishes. After a hectic grand prix weekend like Monaco, along with recovering from the massive hangover she had the morning after the win, she enjoyed spending the day and night alone, away from racing, being a tourist for a day.
On Wednesday evening, she checked in the hotel she was staying with the team, meeting her drivers for a dinner, something that has become a sort of a ritual for them before the race weekend starts. It's a way to keep the morals high, and have a good start to the race weekend. Alessandra cherishes her moments like that with her drivers, always reminding herself how lucky she is to have the job that she has, but always remember to make time for her friends, even if her friends are her own drivers.
The sun was beaming down on the paddock as Alessandra walked through on Thursday morning. She knew that it was feeling like summer in the Catalunya region, but she didn't expect it to be so hot. She was glad that she paired her team button up, which had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, with a pair of black linen trousers, the material breathable around her legs as she knew that he had lots of interviews planned for the day and she didn't want to be sweating like a pig through them all.
She met with her drivers inside the motor home, enjoying the cool air from the air conditioning as they ate breakfast before being pulled away by their respective PR managers to start off their media duties. She walked to the press conference room with Chiara, listening to the rundown her PR manager was giving her about her interviews for the day.
"Thanks Chiara," Alessandra said as they entered the room, "oh and remind me to give you the restaurant recommendations I promised for your trip next week!"
"I will," Chiara replied with a chuckle, "now go have a seat. I'll let the chefs know that you're having lunch in your office straight after these interviews."
"And you said I was pompous because of my specific pumpernickels," The Italian rolled her eyes at the sound of the Austrian behind her, glancing at her PR manager who was chuckling before heading to the back of the room with Toto's PR manager, "letting chefs know when and where you're having lunch? Tsk Tsk."
"And here I was enjoying my day," she scoffed as she turned to face him, "you have a knack for ruining things for me."
"I'm right on schedule then," he smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now tell me, what's on the menu for lunch?"
"I'm having a perfectly cooked piece of none of your business," she shot back, cocking an eyebrow at him, "and if I feel like it, for dessert I'll have a slice of you're an idiot." She gave him a wicked smile as the smirk on his face became a scowl, shrugging her shoulders innocently before taking a seat on the couch, with the Mercedes boss following behind her.
The two team principals wished Fred a good morning as he joined them, taking a seat on the other side of Alessandra, then came in Jenson Button, who shook the hands of the male bosses before giving Alessandra a hug. He then took a seat on the one seater, taking the microphone one of the producers handed to him, and then started the press conference when the team bosses got their microphones.
"Welcome to the 2023 Spanish Grand prix press conference. And with us we have Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal Alessandra Ferrari, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff," the British champion introduced, then glanced at the Italian. "Alessandra, I'm going to start with you. It's your birthday tomorrow! How are you celebrating it with it being on race weekend?"
Toto quirked an eyebrow at the Ferrari team principal, who's cheeks brightened slightly at the mention of her birthday. He knew that her birthday was in June, but hadn't realised that it's literally only a day away. She cleared her throat before bringing the microphone to her lips. "I'm going to be fully focused on the race, just like I've been every race weekend," she answered, "maybe I'll celebrate it next week, but this weekend's all about the race, especially since it's one of my driver's home grand prix!"
"A double podium could be a good birthday present for you," Jenson replied, making her chuckle, "your team is leading both championships, but the gap between Max and Mercedes isn't a big one. Do you think that you can maintain the lead at least until summer break?"
"If everything goes the way it should, I believe that we can keep the lead, but we know how unpredictable Formula 1 is, so anything could happen," she said, smiling slightly as Jenson nodded at her, "but yeah, a double podium would be a pretty great gift!"
"And what are we expecting from Ferrari this weekend?" He pushed, "are there new upgrades coming also?"
"Yeah, the final set of upgrades for the first part of the season," she started, "basically we had a set of upgrades which we separated in 3 weekends, but each upgrades leads to the next, and if they work well, we know we're in the right direction. This weekend is the last part of the first set of upgrades and I believe that we can extract more performance with all of them combined now."
"What about Mercedes?" Jenson asked, turning to Toto, "any upgrades to try and battle Ferrari?"
"We've brought some upgrades as well," the Austrian replied, glancing at Alessandra for a moment before continuing, "we have what it takes to give them and Red Bull a hard battle."
After thirty minutes of questions about the upcoming race, along with journalists wishing her a happy early birthday, Alessandra made her way out of the press conference room, replying to the text she got from Chiara that she would meet her in the motor home to discuss some things for the next interviews.
"I hardly believe that you, Alessandra Enzo party girl Ferrari, is doing nothing for your birthday tomorrow," Toto said when he fell into step with her as he walked down the paddock by her side, "if you lied because you're doing something and I wasn't invited, just tell me. It won't hurt my feelings."
"The world does not revolve around you, Torger," she scoffed, turning around to look at him, "and not because it's any of your business, but I'm truly not doing anything. And honestly, I don't care if you believe me or not. I'm going to be focused on the race."
On Friday, the day started out two pleasing practice sessions, happy that the car and its new upgrades are responding well to the Catalunya circuit. Since the temperatures were high and she knew that they would be even higher on Sunday, she was in constant contact with her engineers and Pirelli, making sure that no tyre would blow up or increase tyre degradation because of the heat.
At the end of the day, whilst she was standing in the middle of the paddock with Max and Daniel, her drivers, followed by the rest of the team, came out holding a large three layer cake, with pictures of her time as a road car engineer and the memories from her progression up until team principal covered on it. She was embarrassed as everyone around her started singing happy birthday, and then blew out the candles after making a wish, causing for everyone outside of their motor homes were giving her a loud cheer.
She glanced behind the sea of red, her eyes locking with his dark brown ones as he stood in front of his team's motor home, a soft smile on his lips. She quirked an eyebrow when he motioned with his head to join him, then waved his phone in the air before starting to type on it. She took it out of her pocket when she felt it vibrate, giving Toto a questioning look before reading his message.
Toto Wolff
Jack made you something and I promised I'd give it to you
She looked up at the Austrian, giving him one more nod before thanking every person in her team whilst the cake was being passed on. She hugged her drivers tightly, thanking them for the surprise and for picking out the perfect flavour for the cake: chocolate bonanza.
Afterwards, when the team went back to work to make sure that everything was ready for qualifying on Saturday, Alessandra made her way out of the motor home, glancing at the silver arrows' motor home, but Toto wasn't no longer there. She glanced at Chiara, who was typing on her phone, dealing with some journalists who almost put out the wrong version of an interview, then spotted Hannah just leaving the Mercedes motor home.
"I'll be right back," Alessandra said, getting Chiara's attention, "Toto said he wanted to talk with me about something." The PR manager nodded, whilst she tried to fight the smirk making its way on her lips. Alessandra caught it, rolling her eyes at her fellow Italian before leaving the motor home and rushed towards Hannah.
"Hey Hannah," the British woman's head looked up when she heard her name being called, smiling at the Italian stopping in front of her. "Where's Toto? He told me that he needed to give me something?"
"I was just about to come get you," she giggled, gently grabbing the arm of the Team Principal, "he's in his office, I'll take you up there."
"Is it ideal to go to his office?" Alessandra asked, quirking an eyebrow in question and doubt, "I cannot have any rumours come out just because I was seen in the Mercedes facilities."
"Team principals visit other team's motor homes all the time," Hanna chuckled as they entered the motor home, "if you're spotted, a tiny rumour about possible collaborating to fight against a rival would come out, but it dies down couple of hours later. You'd be surprised how much people love seeing team principals team up!"
"Yeah well," Alessandra replied, running a hand through her curls, which have become clammy from the heat, "I'm not planning on conspiring with anyone." The Italian felt eyes on her as she followed Hannah up the first floor of the motor home, knowing very well that they were confused to see their rival team principal walk up the stairs of their motor home.
"He's right in here," Hannah said as the two stopped in front of a matte glass door with turquoise tint, "you can go in. He shouldn't be in any meetings right now." The Italian nodded, thanking her before she walked down the corridor, entering another office.
Alessandra sighed as she slowly raised her hand, which was rolled up in a fist, gently knocking on the glass, then waited for a response. "Come in!" She heard the thick Austrian voice exclaim. She grabbed on the door knob and turned it, slowly pushing the glass door open. Toto looked up from his iPad when the door opened, an amused smile making its way on his lips as he watched her walk in, her uniform contrasting with all the silver and turquoise in his office.
"Quite an office you have here, Wolff," she commented as she let her eyes wonder around the room, taking everything in. She then glanced at the team principal, who laid back in his leather chair, arms crossed over his chest, the white button up threatening to tear around his bulging biceps. "What do I owe the pleasure of being brought up here?"
"I told you," he shrugged as he sat up straight, resting his forearms on the table as he looked up at her, "I have something from Jack for you."
"I know, and I'm grateful to be getting something from Jack, even though he did not have to," she chuckled, taking a step closer to his desk, grabbing on the top of the empty chair across from his as she looked down at him, "you could have given it to me outside the motor homes. I felt the looks I got when I walked in."
"Since when do you care about what looks people give you?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow, "I've always known you to be someone who didn't give a fuck about what people thought of you."
"I still don't," she scoffed, "I'm just not in the mood to have rumours spiraling about conspiring or god knows what."
"I mean if anyone asks," He started, getting up from his chair, "we can always say we're teaming up against Christian."
"You're unbelievable," she laughed, shaking her head. She watched Toto reach down under his desk, then stand back straight, with a white envelope and a silver box in his hands, making the Italian quirk an eyebrow at him. She couldn't help the wide smile making its way on her face as he stopped in front of her, handing her the items in his hands.
"Happy birthday Alessandra," said Toto as he watched her start off with the envelope. He was feeling nervous, his heart felt like it was going to come out of his throat at any moment. He didn't know what came over him when he decided to buy Alessandra a gift for her birthday.
He's never bought rival team principals birthday gifts, not even Fred who he's been good friends with for way longer than he's known Alessandra. But he remembers how he was walking in Italy the week of Imola, a couple of days after his meeting with Alessandra and the drive in Maranello, he saw this jewellery store which had this dainty bracelet, the chain painted red, and had small charms of the Italian flag and the prancing horse.
Everything about that bracelet screamed Alessandra, and he bought it in that second. As he glanced at the Italian, who was reading the card his son made for her, he was thinking if he should say that the bracelet is from him, or that Jack chose it for her. He didn't want her to think that she was special to him, or that he had a soft spot for her, which he did but he wouldn't admit that to her, or himself. He also didn't want to make her feel like lines were being crossed, even though that's become something of their doing once in a while.
"This is so precious," Alessandra beamed as she looked up from the cars, Toto noticing the glossiness in her eyes, her bottom lip tugging out slightly in a small pout, "Jack is the sweetest, ah, please thank him for me!"
"I will," he chuckled, "you've got something else." Alessandra glanced down at the silver box in her hand, feeling butterflies fluttering in her abdomen as she slowly opened it.
A small gasp left her lips when her eyes fell on the beautiful bracelet. Her index finger traced the small charms over it, a smile on her face as she glanced up at Toto, who was looking at her with concentration, watching her react to the gift.
"It's beautiful," she said, her voice above whisper, but it still managed to send shivers down his spine. She took it out of the box, enjoying the feel of the cool silver metal between her fingers before stretching her arm towards him. "Can you put it on?"
Toto nodded, giving her a small smile as he took the bracelet in his hand, unclasping it then wrapped it around her wrist, under the Forza Ferrari beaded bracelet. Their bodies were electrified as his finger grazed the skin of her arms. Alessandra glanced at his face, his face deep in concentration, his jaw clenched, his tongue poking out slightly between his lips. Her lower abdomen heated up, and she wanted to look away and focus on something else, but she was fixated on him. Her cheeks heated up when his eyes left her bracelet and met hers, his brown eyes turning darker as he looked at her.
He let go of her arm and took a step back, his eyes falling on her wrist once more, smiling in triumph at the bracelet, like he has won some sort of prize. He couldn't explain what he was feeling as he looked at how the bracelet wrapped perfectly around her wrist, like it was made for her. It almost looks like he left his mark on her, a piece of him on her. If anyone knew it was him who gave her the bracelet, they would think that he's making sure everyone knows she's his. Although he knew that it was obviously not the case, he liked the image of claiming her as his so subtly.
"So, who's the bracelet from?" She asked, bringing Toto out of his wild thoughts, eyes widening at the question, "because as much as I would love to think that the bracelet's from Jack, I can't really imagine him in a jewellery store at his age."
"Does it matter who's the bracelet from?" Toto asked, quirking an eyebrow, although with his counter question, he's subtly telling her that the bracelet's from him.
"No, I'm just curious," she shrugged, taking a step closer to him, her blue eyes looking up at him softly, "please tell Jack that I loved the card and give him a big kiss from me, yeah?"
"I will," he chuckled, nodding his head, "good luck for the weekend."
"You too," she said, taking another step forward. She placed her free hand on his arm, pushing herself as she got on her toes, leaning her face towards his ear, "thank you for the gift." Her whispered voice, along with her breathe fanning over the skin of his neck send shivers down his spine once more, and the contact of her hand grabbing onto his exposed forearm bolted up his body with heat.
His breathe hitched in his throat when he felt her lips on his cheek, letting them linger dangerously close to the corner of his lips. His body was electrified, and he grabbed onto her waist to hold on, feeling like his knees were going to give out from under him. He quickly let go of her when she pulled away, his heart skipping a beat when he saw her lips turn up into a gentle smile. She gave his arm a squeeze before turning around and exiting the office, leaving him stranded in the middle of it, accumulated by his thoughts as the heat still buzzed through his body, his cheek stinging from where her lips were.
Saturday was a good and day for Ferrari, with Carlos getting pole in front of his home crowd. There was a slight issue with one of the components on Charles's car, which worried Alessandra as she didn't want her driver to have issues with the car and give him a bad race, so Charles has to start from p7 on the grid because he qualified p2 and due to the component penalty, he dropped 5 places. She spent the evening after qualifying cooped up in her hotel room, having endless calls with the team back home making sure that everything will be fine after the component change. The last thing she wanted was Charles to DNF and have his gap ahead of Max decrease.
On Sunday, she was sat with her drivers inside the garages, a couple of hours before the race starts and a few minutes before the drivers' parade. They were at the back, the three drivers all looking at Alessandra, who was swiping through pictures of dresses in her phone.
"What about this one?" Carlos said, making her stop at a picture of a baby pink floral dress that stopped right at her knees, with the bell sleeves sat off shoulder.
"That's the dress I'm wearing for one of the parties" Alessandra sighed, "you know what? I'm done thinking about it, I'm going to wear the blue dress."
"I've been saying that's the best option for the ceremony and the dinner," Charles scoffed, rolling his eyes, "you're set Ale. If worst things come to worse, you can buy a dress from there."
"You're right," she chuckled, "now come on, you guys need to head to the drivers' parade!"
The drivers spent the usual 30 minutes on a truck going round the circuit, getting interviewed about how they felt about the race that was about to happen in a couple of hours. Afterwards, it was truly time, the crews were setting up on the grid, the drivers were heading in their grid place and then everyone stood in their positions for the anthem, with Carlos and Fernando standing in the middle as they sang to their national anthem.
Alessandra felt like she was in cloud nine when Carlos crossed the finish line, coming in first and getting his first win of the season, with Charles following right behind him, and Max closing off the top 3. She was sat speechless as she listened to the Carlos and Charles cheer on their radios, the garage celebrating loudly. She had never expected that in her first year as team principal, she would witness her drivers winning every race of the triple header, and each driver winning their home grand prix. She was taken out of her thoughts when she felt the arms of her German best friend wrap around her.
"Come on," he whispered as he held her tight, "let's head under the podium!" Alessandra nodded, the two pulling away from each other as the ran out of the garage for the last time in this triple header. She took the Spanish flag Carlos's cousin and manager, Carlos Onoros, was holding, wanting to be the one to give it to him when he gets out of the car.
She cheered loudly when she watched her Spaniard stand on the car, throwing his fists in the air before getting down and ran into the arms of the team. Alessandra was patting him on the head as she told him how proud she was of him, and when he pulled away from her hug, she could see his eyes smile brightly under the layer of tears as she handed him his flag.
"This means the absolute world to me," Carlos said as he wrapped the flag around his shoulders, "thank you Ale." The Italian nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze before pushing him to do his interviews. Charles then came and hugged the team, giving Alessandra a tight squeeze before he was pulled away by Andrea to give him the watch and jewellery he wears before heading to do his post race interview.
After celebrating the podium and took group pictures with the whole team to commemorate a special win for Carlos and for the team, Alessandra was standing in the middle of the paddock, chatting with her drivers as they talked about their plans for next week.
"So the plan is to celebrate in Monaco?" Charles asked as he sipped on his water bottle, "I thought we were heading to Venice!"
"I know, but I think it's better to be close to home," she shrugged, "I'm going to be away for three days and we need to prepare for Canada. We can do a proper celebration at my place if that's what you guys are really feeling!"
"We just want you to have a memorable birthday," Mick said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "but if you're fine with celebrating at home, then we'll do that when you come back from Venice!"
"It's settled then," she chuckled, "on Thursday we're doing something at the apartment. I'll let Max and Daniel know."
"Leave the invite to me," Carlos said, playfully bumping his shoulder with her. He looked up for a moment, then smirked down at his boss when he saw a familiar figure. "Look who's been hiding at the Red Bull garage!"
Alessandra looked at where Carlos was looking, eyes widening slightly when she saw the Spanish rider she hasn't seen since her visit to Madrid. She rolled her eyes when she heard Carlos call his name, but smiled when he turned around, their eyes locking gaze as he grinned widely at her. She watched as he came towards them, congratulating Carlos and Charles before turning towards her. What Alessandra didn't realise was that whilst he made his way towards her, she started fidgeting with her new bracelet.
"Alessandra," he said, "it's good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too," she replied, taking a step forward before he wrapped his arms around her. She chuckled as she returned the hug by wrapping her arms around his neck, "didn't know you were coming to the race!"
"It was last minute," Marc chuckled as he pulled back, "and Red Bull made sure I stayed with them for the race after the last time I visited a grand prix I was with you guys."
"Better you have a pissed off Horner than me," she laughed, shaking her head, "but at least I got to say hi to you before I leave!"
"You're leaving?" He asked, sucking his bottom lip out in a pout, "I thought we would be celebrating the win and your birthday." He loosely wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer as he leaned his head towards her, "and I was planning on giving you a special gift for your birthday."
Alessandra turned her head to look at him, quickly realising what he meant when she saw how dark his eyes became. She chuckled, patting his chest as she parted slightly. "Sounds fun but I really can't," she said, "I have to head to Venice for a wedding!"
"Ale!" The Italian whipped her head when she heard someone call her name, spotting the Aston Martin driver get closer to her and the group, "Meet me in the lobby in an hour?"
"I'll see you in an hour!" Alessandra replied, earning a nod and a smile from the Canadian driver before he walked away. She looked back at Marc, who gave her a confused look, "it's his sister's wedding, so we're flying to Venice together."
Toto had just exited his motor home whilst he chatted with Bono when he saw the group dressed in red in the middle of the paddock. He smiled slightly, barely taking what Bono was telling him into account as he looked at her, her face radiating excitement as she spoke to her drivers. However, his blood started boiling when he spotted the Spanish rider make his way towards them, seeing the way his arms wrapped around her waist when Marc pulled her for a hug. He could see him get closer to her as he whispered, then her face got so close to his when she turned her head. He was silently seething, and his fists were balled up beside him.
Toto shook his head, watching Lance stop a few steps away from her as they chatted for a moment before turning to his engineer. "I have to get going," Toto grumbled, "I've got a flight to Venice in a bit."
"Enjoy the wedding Toto," Bono said, patting his boss's shoulder, "I'll see you next week!"
ººº
An hour after Alessandra arrived back at the hotel, she got into the car with Lance, who laughed loudly at her when he saw the number of bags she got with her. She told him to blame it on his sister and Scotty for hosting a three day long wedding, which made the Canadian burst into laughter. The two, along with Lawrence, spent the short flight resting after a long day, letting out a sigh of relief when they landed in Venice.
They checked into the hotel and went their separate rooms after Alessandra and Lance agreed on the time they would meet in the lobby for the rehearsal dinner. She managed to get a couple of hours sleep before she got ready and attended the rehearsal dinner. Alessandra was so happy to see Chloe and Scotty so radiant and excited to get married, and there was not a single dull moment in sight with Daniel around. Alessandra spent the most of her evening with Lance, Daniel and Heidi, dancing and drinking together after the dinner finished.
On the day of the wedding, Alessandra woke up early, wanting to have some time to herself before the celebrations started. So she went on a run in the heart of the city, going through the narrow roads she loved so much, and enjoyed more as barely anyone was out. Venice was one of her favourite cities in the world, a city she had fond memories of growing up. Her parents used to visit during the carnival period when she was younger, getting to see all the beautiful costumes and dresses around Piazza San Marco. She loved the gondola rides, and the old architecture of the city. She also visited it a few times with friends, enjoying the night life the city offered, creating memories that would last a lifetime, which were always bittersweet for her as she didn't spend time with those friends anymore since she fully focused on her job, and they got their own lives, but every now and then, they would text each other pictures from those vacations, reminiscing about the good times.
When she got back to her hotel, she went up to her room and ordered room service, taking a shower whilst she waited for the food to come. Afterwards, she was sat on her bed in the hotel robe, going through her emails and text messages she received from those who wished her a happy birthday.
She enjoyed the breakfast on the terrace, which overlooked the grand canal. It was a beautiful day, perfect to celebrate the love her two friends had for each other. However, she couldn't help herself as she thought about how she was attending a wedding alone. A day celebrating love and union, and she was attending alone. She wasn't one to dwell on being single, because she loved the life she lived, and she never felt that she needed a man in her life. But events like these were a reminder that she hasn't found someone who would accept her lifestyle, who would support her as she worked day and night for the team she adored and lead, someone who would understand why she loved Ferrari the way she did, and why she loved the sport so much, even though it took so much of her time. She would like to be in love someday, and have her own fairytale wedding, and the thought of possibly never getting that scares her.
After breakfast, and a visit from Heidi which consisted of the two ladies showing each other what they were going to wear for the ceremony and dinner and what they were changing into for the after party, Alessandra started getting ready. She finished curling her hair, letting it drape around her back as she then went on to do a bit of make up. She was humming to her favourite Italian tunes that were blasting in her room as she slid on the long strapless baby blue satin dress, zipping it up before sliding into her silver heels. Right as she was looking at herself in the mirror, there was a knock on the door. She quickly hurried over, opening it, grinning widely when she saw Heidi dressed in a beautiful dark blue dress.
"Oh my goodness Ale you look so beautiful!" Heidi exclaimed as she entered the room, "I love how it makes your eyes pop!"
"You look absolutely stunning," Alessandra giggled as she grabbed her friend's hand and gave her a twirl, "I just finished getting ready, are we heading down now?"
"Yeah, Daniel already left with Scotty, Lance and the rest of the guys," Heidi replied, "we can head down and grab a drink whilst we wait for the water taxi and the others who are joining us!"
"Let's go then," Alessandra said as she grabbed her bag, linking her arm with Heidi's as they made their way out of the hotel room.
The ladies arrived at the restaurant next to the dock where their water taxi will collect them and take them to the location of the location of the ceremony. They took a glass of champagne from the tray a waiter was carrying, glancing around the buildings surrounding the canal.
"I saw that there was a spot empty next to you at the rehearsal dinner," Heidi started, "do you know who's going to be sat there?"
"No idea," Alessandra shrugged, "I'm hoping it's someone I kind of know, because I do not know anyone at my table. Although they seem really lovely!"
"It's only for the dinner," Heidi chuckled, giving Alessandra's arm a gentle squeeze, "right after we can spend the night dancing together!"
"I cannot wait," the Italian grinned, playfully bumping her hip with hers. From the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar figure walking out of the hotel, and she wasn't sure if it was the person she was thinking it was, until she fully turned her head and got a good look at him. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."
"What?" Heidi asked, turning her head to look at where Alessandra was looking, her eyes widening slightly, "oh damn."
"I can never escape him," Alessandra groaned, turning back to her friend, who was chuckling at her, "I swear it's like wherever I am, if I turn a corner I'll find him there!"
"But you guys are friends right?" She asked, glancing at the Austrian who was chatting with someone a few feet away from them, "or have you become sworn enemies since Monaco?"
Alessandra rolled her eyes at the mischievous grin Heidi was giving her, knowing very well that she was referring to the party after the Monaco win. "No, we're still friends," she shrugged, "I don't know, I should have expected him to be here since Aston and Mercedes have their agreements." She glanced at him one more time, her eyes scanning his face, watching the wrinkles form around his eyes and lips as he smiled.
She glanced away for a moment as she finished off her champagne, then when she glanced at him one more time, her gaze locked with his, and she could feel the heat rise up to her cheeks as he smiled at her.
God, she needs to get a grip.
Toto was pulled into a chat the moment he exited the hotel and got out on the terrace of the restaurant, which he really didn't feel like at that moment, at least before he could be able to get a drink in his system. They were asking him about the past races, and what was expected of Mercedes for the upcoming races. He managed to grab a glass of champagne, sipping on it whilst he nodded at whatever the person in front of him was saying.
He glanced around, eyeing the group of people who were dressed for the wedding, waiting to be taken to the location by the water taxi. His eyes fell on two women who were laughing about something, recognising one of them to be Daniel Ricciardo's girlfriend, but the other woman had his back towards her so he couldn't see who it was, all see saw was long curls cascading down her back, dressed in a long baby blue dress.
His breathe hitched in his throat when she pulled her hair to the side, revealing the all too familiar tattoo of the F2003-GA on her shoulder. He hadn't expected that she'd come to the wedding, however his mind reminds him about how yesterday at the paddock, Lance came and talked to her, and moments after he left the paddock, she left as well.
He couldn't see her face, but even from behind she looked beautiful, the way the waist of her dressed tightened her perfectly, and the rest of the silk material flowed around her legs. However, he got a good look of her when she turned her head, and their eyes locked. Her blue eyes looked bright at his brown ones, the look sending shivers down his spine, his heart skipping a beat when she smiled back at him after he smiled at her.
He tucked his free hand in the pocket of his pants as he made his way towards her, trying to show his confident demeanour with a smirk on his face. Even though, he feels weak to the knees as he looked at her, not even to look at any other woman to think that she's the most beautiful tonight.
"Everywhere I go," the Austrian started when he reached her, "even away from the track, I find you wherever I am."
"Funny," she chuckled, taking a step forward, "I was just saying that about you."
"I didn't know you were attending the wedding," he said, "I would have told you to fly with me if you did. I left right after the race."
"I did too," she replied, "Flew in with Lance and Lawrence yesterday. We had the rehearsal dinner last night."
"Yeah, I knew about it," he said, sipping on his champagne, "but I had a call with the team in Brackley that time so I had to skip it."
The two looked towards the dock when the water taxi driver called out that the next group are to go in the water taxi. The two team principals looked at each other, realising that they were in the same group heading to the location of the ceremony. Alessandra followed behind Toto, with Heidi next to her as they waited until it was their turn on the boat. Heidi got in first as Daniel had messaged her to make sure that everything was sorted, then Toto went in. Alessandra grabbed the hem of her dress, lifting it up slightly as she made her way to the boat. When she looked up right before she was about to head in, she found Toto in front of her, with his arm stretched, hand open for her to take.
She felt her cheeks heat up as she took his hand, using his help to get on the boat, and the two made their way further inside, taking a seat on the leather seats. More people joined them, and Alessandra was squeezed between Heidi and Toto, the team principals' arms were almost on top of each other. Alessandra's heart rate sped up at the contact, glancing at the Austrian from the corner of her eye, finding him looking down at her with a small smile, which she returned before turning to Heidi, needing to be distracted.
When the water taxi docked in front of gardens where the ceremony was going to be held, everyone started piling out, again with Heidi out first as she needed to talk to Daniel. Toto was quick to get off the seat and jump off the boat, and Alessandra was right behind him, grabbing on her dress once more, chuckling when she found Toto, once again, with his hand stretched out for her to take.
"Thank you," she said as she got on the dock, getting on her toes slightly so her heel wouldn't get stuck between the boards. She let go of his hand and the two entered the gardens together, the Italian admiring how beautifully it was decorated for the ceremony, the flowers bordering the aisle, the huge arrangement at the altar. The white setting sat beautifully on the grass, and she could see how excited the guests were.
A host came over and took the two team principals to their seats, and the Italian let out a silent sigh when she saw that she was sat right behind Heidi, but had Toto on her left. She didn't know how to feel having Toto by her side throughout a whole ceremony dedicated to love. She wouldn't have mind having one of her friends next to her, but for some reason it felt weird having her team rival, who makes her feel ways she hasn't felt before. She's threading waters whenever he's around, the lines that are forbidden to cross become blurry. Her body craves him in ways she does not understand, and the more she wants to keep her distance, the more he appears out of nowhere, and the more her mind and body command her to get as close as she can.
All of this is happening inside her, and she cannot understand why, or at least why now, in the year she started the most important job of her career and cannot have anything jeopertize it. She's known Toto for 7 years, met him when she joined the engineering team track side, and they've talked a few times when they crossed paths, but as years passed, and she grew older and became more mature, their conversations became longer. And when she became chief engineer, their encounters became more personal, even getting lifts from the Mercedes team principal after staying late in the paddock and everyone would have left. She won't lie, she always had an attraction towards him, but never that made her feel the way she felt now.
Her friends have been joking about them having crazy sexual tension whenever the two were around each other for over a year, but she never thought anything of it. She let them comment about it, and she would sometimes join in on the fun with sarcastic jokes, but for her it was just that, a joke between friends. But she couldn't help that what they were telling her was a form of foreshadowing to what she was feeling now. And she hated herself for being so attracted and infatuated at her main rival.
"Alessandra!" The Italian was taken out of her thoughts by the all too familiar Australian accent, grinning widely when she looked up and watched him make his way towards her. She stood up, putting her bag on the chair before he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, "you look so beautiful!"
"Thanks Dani," she replied, patting him on the shoulder when they pulled away, "you clean up real nice!"
"Of course," he said as he dramatically flipped his imaginary long hair. The grin on his face grew when he saw the Austrian behind her, "good to see you, Toto!"
"You too, Daniel," Toto replied, also standing up as he shook the Red Bull reserve driver's hand, "how's the groom?"
"Ready to get married to the love of his life!" Daniel exclaimed as they glanced at the snowboarding champion who was chatting with Lance.
"Let me go say hi," Alessandra said, "I'll talk to you later Dani!" The Australian nodded, giving his friend a kiss on the cheek before she walked down the aisle. Heidi stood up from her chair and got next to Daniel, who quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her at his side.
"She really looks beautiful," Heidi said as the three watched the Italian give the groom a hug, followed by a hug to Lance before engaging on a conversation. "I really love the dress on her!"
"She really looks beautiful," Toto thought to himself, or at least that's what he thought when the couple next to him looked at each other with a wide grin, having heard what the team principal muttered to himself.
Minutes later, everyone was told to get in their seats as the bride has arrived. Toto was sat on his chair as he watched Alessandra give Scotty and Lance a hug one more time before rushing to her seat. He took the bag from the chair before she sat down, giving her a sly smile as he handed it to her.
"I kind of wanted to leave it there so you could sit on it," the Austrian shrugged, making her roll her eyes at him, "but I decided to be a gentleman and not let you do that."
"I appreciate your kindness Mr. Wolff," she replied with a posh accent that didn't mix well with her Italian accent, making the Austrian chuckle.
Everyone's heads turned when the music started playing, and everyone was on their feet as Chloe walked down the aisle, looking so beautiful in her white gown with flowers embroidered around the material, holding onto Lawrence's arm. Everyone was smiling widely when Lawrence handed her to Scotty, then everyone sat down, listening to the pastor start off the ceremony.
Toto couldn't keep his focus on the couple getting married, as every so often he would glance at Alessandra. He could see her eyes glossing up, nibbling on her bottom lip as she tried to fight back the tears, but as the couple said their vows, a few slipped down her cheek. He took out the handkerchief from the pocket on his blazer, handing it to her. Although in reality, he wished that he could cup her face and wipe the tears away with his thumb, hold her face in his hand as she silently cried.
Alessandra looked down at the hand above her lap, holding a white cloth. She looked up at the Austrian, who gave her a small smile as he nudged the cloth towards her. She returned the smile and took the cloth from his hand, muttering a thank you as she dabbed under her eyes. She glanced at him one more time, the two chuckling as their gazes locked before turning back to the couple, getting on their feet and cheering as they shared their first kiss as a married couple.
After the couple walked down the aisle, everyone started slowly piling back inside the building, leaving the couple to take some photos before they head to the next location for the dinner. Heidi locked her arms with Alessandra's making their way out of the premises, with Daniel and Toto behind them.
"How long have you been with Heidi?" Toto asked, taking the Austrian by surprise, "I'm just wondering cause I'm assuming that Alessandra knows Heidi through you and the two look like they've been friends for ages!"
"I've been with Heidi a bit over a year," Daniel chuckled, "but that's Ale for you. If you're good with her, she'll treat you like you're the only person in her life. That girl has the biggest heart I know and I will stick by her side for as long as I live because you won't find anyone else like here."
Toto looked back at her, watching the ladies help each other out as they got into the boat, bursting into fits of giggles as Heidi was close to losing her footing and Alessandra quickly caught her. Daniel let out a loud laugh before rushing in his pace, quickly getting in the boat too. Toto got in, spotting an empty place by Alessandra, which he took, once again getting squished to her side, which made her look up at him with a shy smile, a rare form of smile on her face, which got him curious, but didn't push further.
"I still got your handkerchief," she said, taking the white cloth out of her bag, "I need to clean it before I give it to you, cause it's got some mascara."
"Keep it," he chuckled, whilst she raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, and amusement, "I'm pretty sure you'll need it for the dinner."
"You're making me seem like I'm some crier," she scoffed as he gave her a look which insinuates that she's lying, "oh come on, if I cry it's happy tears or because I'm really angry."
"I didn't say anything," he defended, raising his hands up, "all I said that you might need it for later."
"It's funny that you're acting like you didn't spend at least five minutes blinking back your tears," she shot back laughing, "I saw you trying to be discreet when you wiped the tears away, you big baby!"
Daniel and Heidi watched as the two team principals shot back at each other about who's the biggest crier between them, the couple glancing at each other with big grins whilst the boss' laughter filled the water taxi. The Australian leaned his head towards his girlfriend, who leaned her head slightly on his shoulder, grabbing onto his hand.
"I'm telling you," he whispered, "someday, they'll realise that they're perfect for each other and we can say we told you so when they get together."
"I hope it happens," Heidi whispered back, "but I hope that if anything does happen, Alessandra's job doesn't suffer. She deserves to run Ferrari more than anyone."
"We'll protect her from the bad guys," he replied, "she deserves to lead the team and deserves to be in love. And from the years I've known her, I believe that Toto's the perfect one for her."
The water taxi docked once more, and everyone was quick to get out and make their way inside the venue, which was set beautifully with numerous round tables. Alessandra hugged Heidi and Daniel, promising to see them later before she took a seat at her table which she was sat at last night at the rehearsal dinner. She said hi to the people she met yesterday before ordering a drink, taking out her phone to text the group some pictures she took of the wedding so far.
The Italian froze in her spot when the all to familiar scent that belonged to one person accumulated her senses, and she felt him take a seat in the spot that was empty yesterday. She glanced to her right, her heart beating in her chest when she saw Toto making himself comfortable in his seat, turning his head as he looked around, stopping right on her.
"I really cannot escape you tonight," Alessandra chuckled, shaking her head, "who would have thought that the missing guy at our table yesterday was you."
"I genuinely have no idea what to say about how the seating arrangements were made," the Austrian shrugged, "you'd think with two team rivals attending, you'd put them on each side of the room as they would fear that they'd bring the competition to the wedding and create some sort of havoc."
"They have no idea of the chaos we can create," she replied, a smirk making its way on her lips as she sipped on the drink the waiter brought her a moment ago, the look she gave him making his eyes widen slightly.
"They don't watch Formula 1 that's for sure," he grinned, letting his eyes roam over her for a moment, "I didn't tell you before, but you look beautiful today, Ale!"
"Good to know that it's only today that I look beautiful," she playfully scoffed, causing his eyes to roll back, making her laugh loudly, "thank you, though. But unfortunately, this dress won't last for long."
"What do you mean?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion at her, but all he got from her was a shrug and an innocent grin, making him even more confused, and curious.
Alessandra took her time to look at him properly, the double breasted blazer closed over the white shirt, a bowtie tied perfectly around his neck, making his neck bulge out slightly. His hair was slightly messy on his head, but it still looked good for a formal event. She always appreciated a man in a tux, and she knew very well that Toto Wolff was even more handsome that he already was in the tux.
She was about to return the complement when the doors of the hall opened, and in walked the married couple, who were captured with loud cheers, claps and even banging on the tables. As they went to their table, the food started being served, and moments later, they started making their rounds around the table.
Alessandra stood up when the couple reached her side of the table, being pulled in a tight hug by the couple. "Congratulations you two!" The Italian beamed, "Chloe, you look absolutely breathtaking!"
"You look amazing!" The bride exclaimed, "Thank you so much for coming. I can imagine what a busy schedule you have, and I know I thanked you already yesterday for flying out after the race with Lance and dad, but it really means the world!"
"I'll move anything for my friends," Alessandra grinned, turning to Scotty, "look at the king of the snow cleaning up nicely!"
"The best team principal in Formula 1 cleans up nicely too," the Australian replied, then let out a loud laugh when he saw Toto behind, "Sorry Toto, but Ale's my good friend. I have a bit of a bias!"
"Don't worry, she's giving most of the guys leading the team a run for their money, apart from me," he commented, making the Italian next to him roll her eyes, "big congratulations you two!"
"Thanks Toto," Scotty grinned, before turning to Alessandra once more, "I know December is far away, but would you consider joining us on a trip in the Dolomites!"
"I go there every year with Charles for training!" She exclaimed, "you should see if you could come the same time we're there! I would like the champion of the half pipe helping me out when I'm attempting to do a simple trick on it!"
"Yes we should!" Chloe beamed, "we'll discuss it later for sure!" The couple gave the two team principals a hug before moving to the next guests as the two sat down.
"So you're a snowboard girl," Toto commented, a smug smile on his face, "I took you for a ski girl."
"Shows how much you don't know about me," she dramatically said, followed by an excessive hair flip, which he chuckled to as he shook his head.
After the dinner, and the newly weds getting to do their first dance, it was time to switch from the dinner setting into a dance floor. The bride and groom left to get changed, and Heidi came rushing to Alessandra's table, grabbing her arm.
"Come on," she said as she pulled the Italian on her feet, "we gotta go now." Alessandra nodded, turning her head to Toto, who looked even more confused than before as he watched his rival team principal get dragged away by the reserve driver's girlfriend, but all he got was a smirk from the Italian.
Toto was at the bar, a drink in his hand as he talked to Lawrence, with most of the guests dancing on the now dance floor. The bride and groom haven't returned yet, and neither has Alessandra. He was contemplating to go and ask Daniel, who was talking to Lance on the other side of the hall, but decided against it, continuing his chat with the Aston Martin CEO.
However, his focus on the conversation was long gone when he glanced at the entrance, almost dropping his drink in shock when he watched his rival team principal enter the hall, her baby blue dressed swapped for a long champagne colour dress with glitter detail that shined under the disco ball. The spaghetti straps on her shoulders were so thin, they were almost invisible, the round neckline with the loose material hanging giving her breasts a tease. She walked with her arm linked with Heidi, who also swapped her dark blue dress for a silver one, which was in a similar style to that of Alessandra's.
Alessandra already looked beautiful today, but she looked insane in this dress. And the Mercedes team principal felt like he was going to lose it.
He watched Heidi let her arm go as she walked in the direction of where her boyfriend stood, whilst Alessandra walked in his direction, which made his heart beat faster and faster. He was sure that the closer she got, the more the possibility grew that she could hear it.
"Oh, I need a drink," Alessandra said when she reached the bar, squeezing between Toto and Lawrence as she ordered herself a drink. Toto's eyes widened slightly when they fell on her back, which was all bare as the dress stopped right at her lower back. He stared for a moment until she turned around, looking up at him as she sipped on her drink, realising that she's become a couple of inches shorter. And she realised why he looked confused at her, making her chuckle slightly, "in case you're wondering, I'm wearing sneakers now."
"Ah," Toto replied, scratching the back of his neck as he felt slightly embarrassed, "what happened to your other dress?"
"Nothing," she shrugged, "some of us had planned to change for the after party, and that's what we did."
"Speaking of planned to change," Lawrence butt in, looking behind the Italian team principal, "the couple of the hour changed too!" Everyone's attention turned towards the entrance once more, the music changing to What is Love by Haddaway as the married couple, who also changed their attire, came dancing in.
Hours passed, and everyone was on the dance floor having the night of their lives. Alessandra was dancing the night away with Heidi, Daniel and Lance, and every now and then, even Chloe and Scotty. She was slightly drunk, but she was buzzing on the adrenaline and happiness she was feeling just by celebrating love and being with friends. However, she couldn't help herself as she glanced at Toto every now and then, who was either moving to the music with Lawrence, or leaning against the bar.
When the intro to the song Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! by Abba started blasting through the speakers, and everyone screamed when they recognised the song, she looked at the Austrian, who was sat at the bar, finishing his conversation with Lawrence, who was pulled to the dance floor by his wife. She rolled her eyes as she made her way towards him, lifting her dress up slightly as to not step on it as she strode in his direction.
He saw her make her way towards him, and he was ready to shoot a comment as he thought that she was tired from all the dancing, but his eyes widened when she grabbed his arm and started dragging him away from the bar.
"What are you doing?" He hissed, realising now how strong she is as she kept pulling him.
"You're dancing with us to one of my favourite songs," she answered, stopping him right in the middle of the dance floor, "and I won't take no for an answer." The Austrian was about to tell her that he didn't want to dance, but when he watched her move sensually to the song, he couldn't help himself as he stepped closer towards her, taking her hand in his and spin her around, causing her to release a squeal in surprise.
She stopped right against his body, her free hand on his chest as she slowly looked up at him, his eyes dark looking down at her. He put his free hand on her waist, his fingers grazing over her bare back, sending shivers down her spine, but she didn't show, on the contrary, she had a determined smirk on her face, and the two moved in sync to the music, letting him spin her around every now and then. And it wasn't only for that song, it was mostly for the rest of the night.
At around six in the morning, Alessandra held onto Toto's arm as they walked out of the venue a few minutes after the married couple left. They let out a chuckle when they saw the sun rising as they got in water taxi, plopping on the leather seats as they felt their bodies about to give in any moment. When Daniel and Heidi, who were the last people left, got in the water taxi, they made their way back to the hotel.
Toto looked to his side when he felt a bit of weight on his shoulder, seeing a head of hair resting on it, most of her face covered by her curls, but he could tell that her eyes were closed. That moment made his body heat up, and he lifted up his arm, wrapping it around her shoulder so she could be more comfortable. He then glanced up at Daniel, who had a sleeping Heidi laying on his chest, the Australian grinning widely at the sight of the two team principals next to him, tempted to take a picture of the two but obviously decided against it.
Alessandra woke up right when the water taxi docked in front of their hotel, not realising that she fell asleep on Toto, so the Austrian decided not to say anything as they piled out of the boat.
"How long are you staying in Venice?" Alessandra muttered as they entered the hotel, her voice slightly groggy, and her eyes barely open as she looked up at the Austrian.
"I'm heading back to Monaco on Wednesday," he said, "what about you?"
"Me too," she said, "are you coming to the party tonight?"
The Austrian nodded as they reached the elevator, entering the compartment and pressed their floor numbers. "How about we travel to Monaco together? Decrease the carbon footprint since we're heading to the same place together?"
"Yeah sure," she shrugged, barely processing what was happening as she was too tired to function, "my jet or yours?"
"I came on your jet last time," he chuckled, "it's only fair if we go with mine." Alessandra nodded, leaning her body against the cool wall as she tried not to sleep on the spot, "we meet for coffee tomorrow and then head to the airport?"
"Give me a time and place and I'll meet you there," the elevator doors opened on Alessandra's floor, and the Austrian watched her push herself off the wall before she slowly dragged her body out of the elevator. She turned around, giving him a small smile, "I'll see you tonight."
"See you later," he nodded, returning the smile as the doors closed, getting the last glimpse of her bare back. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he leaned against the wall himself, the tiredness he was feeling was not helping his wild thoughts.
ººº
After three long, but beautiful days in celebration of love and having the best time ever, it was time to head back to reality. Alessandra packed her bags and finished getting ready to get back to Monaco, dressed in a slightly oversized knitted creme sweater and dark blue pants, finishing her outfit off with a pair of baby blue and white sneakers and black sunglasses. She grabbed her backpack and dragged her suitcases out of her room and then out of the hotel after checking out. She then went to the terrace of the coffee shop the hotel had, her eyes roaming around, spotting Toto sat right by the gondola dock, dark glasses over his eyes as he read the local news paper. She made her way towards him, getting his attention as she placed her luggage next to the table before taking a seat on the cushioned chair, making the Austrian chuckle as she let out a sigh of relief as she sunk in her chair.
"Everything hurts?" He asked her as he put the newspaper down on the table, then grabbed his coffee. "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to order, I was desperate for my first caffeine doze, especially after the last two days!"
"Don't worry about it," she shrugged before ordering her coffee to the waiter that passed by, "and yeah, everything hurts."
"We're heading home now," he said, giving her a soft smile, "we can finally rest!"
"I wish I was heading back to rest," she grumbled, making the Mercedes team principal look confused at her, "The boys are planning something in my apartment to celebrate my birthday when I get back. I have no idea what it is but knowing them? I'm going to be recovering tomorrow."
Alessandra thanked the waiter when he brought her the coffee, with Toto looking at her in amusement as she downed at least half of the triple espresso iced latte in one gulp. He took the moment to get a good look at her as she lazily fell back in her chair. The oversized sweater made her look cosy, but the pants tied the outfit down, making it look more sophisticated. Her curls were slightly wet, but she still looked beautiful. Her bright blue eyes were hidden behind her wide glasses, and he had a feeling that they looked tired, just like his, but he knew that she would look gorgeous nonetheless.
The two spent the hour at the coffee shop, enjoying their breakfast over some comfortable small talk before they caught a water taxi and headed to Veneto, where they then caught a taxi to the airport. The driver drove them on the runway, spotting a white jet waiting for them to ride on it so it can take them to their destination. Toto let Alessandra get on the jet first, giving the Italian time to analyse her new surroundings whilst Toto got their bags up.
They made themselves comfortable on the leather seats across from each other, taking out their headphones and put them over their ears. And they spent the short flight to Nice trying not to fall asleep, and stealing glances of each other - whilst Toto watched Alessandra fidget with the bracelet he gave her, something he's noticed ever since he put it on her wrist - tension that followed them around heavy over them, and they were fighting a lone battle against each other to not let their bodies take over and cross over the lines which are about to become too blurred to recognise.