A girl chasing her dream. A boy looking for the light.
When Florence Nyx started her internship at a Formula 1 paddock, she expected a lot. Fast cars. Exclusive impressions most people could only dream of. An entire array of skills she'd acquire...
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Ten Years Ago
The only one defining your worth is yourself.
It was the one thing I was the most certain of. The one thing I deemed as true as the night. "The only one defining your worth is yourself, Flo. Remember. It's you. All you."
I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair, the clacking of my boots on the marble ground a distraction from my thoughts.
"Miss Nyx." A male voice echoed through the hallway. "Please, come in."
It's all you, Flo. All you.
The security guard shot me a kind smile before he waved his hand through the open door. I could tell he was trying to be polite, but the thin smile on his face showed he wanted me to hurry.
"Thank you." I knew time was money, and especially in this business it was obvious how fast things needed to proceed. And so I had no choice but to take another deep breath before I stepped through the door with a smile, shoulders squared and head upright as I approached the man at the other end of the room.
"Florence! It's so nice to finally meet you in person." The tall man with dark skin and a wide grin on his face stretched out his hand to me, and I couldn't help but smile at the warmth in his blue eyes. "I'm Salim Miller, the recruit coordinator of Azure Racing Team Formula 1... Oh, wow. You have a firm handshake."
"I do." I couldn't help but join in his laughter. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Miller."
"Oh, please." He laughed. "Call me Salim. We don't really do the formal crap in this office."
A smile played on my lips from that revelation. "Okay. Thank you, Salim."
"Sure. Please, take a seat." He gestured for the chair in front of me before he laid back on his own. "So, Florence. You applied for our internship program — that's amazing. I've heard a lot about you."
"You did?" I furrowed my brows at that statement. "You mean you heard a lot about my dad. He's the world champion, not me."
"Well, yes, he is. He's a brilliant driver, and if there's one thing I know about him it's that his children are his pride and joy." The smile on his lips was sincere, but I didn't like the implication that this interview was made possible solely by the use of my last name.
"We try our best." It was the only thing I knew to say without coming off as rude to the man in front of me.
"Oh, and you succeed. Your brother already secured his spot at the Formula 2 paddock for the upcoming season. Unusual, for a nineteen-year-old."
"Well, I'm not surprised. He's got talent."
"He does." Salim nodded. "Do you, too? Have talent, I mean."
His question startled me for a moment, but I found the right answer within a split second. "Yes. I'm not a driver, but I'm a damn good mechanic."
Amusement danced in Salim's eyes, and I did my best to hold his intrigued gaze as he studied me for an excruciatingly long moment. I could tell this was a test; I could tell he wanted to know how I would work in a male-dominated environment like this, and I wasn't about to fail him.
