Playing With Fire (Sebastian Vettel)

Epilogue

A/N: So here we are.  The final chapter. Thanks once again.  I appreciate every vote and comment. 🥰

The scene was set. The press were gathered. It was nearly time for the announcement. Thorne were going to unveil the worst kept secret of the season.  Scott McDevitt was going to be announced as their new driver. 

Following the announcement TBR were making their own announcement.  Again, a so called secret line up that everybody had been talking about for months.  They all knew it was going to be Mollie Rashford and Lirim Zendeli. 

Daniel Hunter sat scrolling on his phone, bored as anything.  Who cared about whether Rashford was going to Formula E or not?  She was a rude little bitch and he'd have been quite happy to see her out of a seat. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention please," said a man, whose name Daniel didn't know.  "Please welcome onto the stage, Matthew Thorne and Franklin Brooke."

The small audience, all staff of TBR or Thorne, applauded politely. 

As the two men walked onto the stage Daniel started filming on his phone. 

"Thank you everyone. Well, here we are.  We are all beyond excited for the coming season and the new challenge...."  Matthew droned on for a couple of minutes.  Then Franklin took over.  Daniel yawned and wished once again that he was anywhere but there. 

"So without further ado we'd like to introduce you to our drivers for our debut season."

The two drivers walked out and Daniel's jaw dropped. 

                                         ***

Seb closed his front door behind him and headed straight for the kitchen.  He turned on the tap and filled a glass of water. He downed it one.  He'd just returned from Paris and he was still hungover. 

He looked at his watch.  The announcement would be happening now.  Thorne and TBR were holding a joint one. Most teams just announced online but they were making a big fuss over the Formula E transition.

He went into the lounge and connected his phone to the television, clicking on the YouTube icon. 

He found the thumbnail for the TBR/Thorne launch and tapped on it.  Will's face appeared on the screen.  "Damn," he said, realising he must have missed Mollie being announced.  He looked at the time again. 

It must have started early.  Then the camera turned to the other driver.  Hang on. That wasn't McDevitt.  That was Lirim Zendeli.  Then he realised that Will was wearing the TBR colours, not the Thorne colours.  What the fuck?

"So yeah, I made the decision earlier in the year that I was going to be leaving Formula 1.  A lot of it is for personal reasons but also I feel by heading to Formula E I can make a difference.  As you all know, if you follow me on social media, I am doing a lot of campaigning for the environment and I feel like Formula E is the future of our sport ..."

Will had gone to Formula E!!  So Mollie hadn't got the drive after all.  He'd given her up for nothing.  His heart sank for her.  So where was she?  Had she gone back to Indy W after all?

He started scrolling through his phone.  He swore when he saw the latest tweet from Daniel Hunter. 

Bet Rashford wished she'd gone to Ferrari W now.  Still, she'd have been out of her depth anyway

Seb dialled her number.  It rang and rang.  No answer. 

He read through some more tweets.  Everyone seemed shocked that Mollie had been dumped.  He switched the television off and decided he needed a distraction. He headed into the gym and jumped onto his exercise bike. 

He was working up a sweat when his phone rang.  He jumped up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello boss," said Antti.  "Did you watch the Thorne announcement?"

"Saw the TBR bit.  I can't believe that Mollie was booted out because Will decided to go green."

"Boss , you should have watched.  Mollie was never even offered the TBR seat. "

"What are you talking  about Antti?"

"I think you need to see for yourself. "

Seb hung up and switched the gym television on and tuned to the sports news channel. 

The camera was zoomed in on Matthew Thorne.  As it panned out he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Scott McDevitt stood on one side of Matthew. And on the other side was Mollie. 

"I have great faith in Mollie.  I believe she can excel in Formula 1. She's been a star since the beginning and I believe it is her time to shine."

Seb grinned, not quite believing it.  Mollie was going to be racing in Formula 1 ! 

He grabbed his phone and texted her straight away. 

Seb:  I just heard the news.  Congratulations baby.  Will look forward to battling you on track. X

Maybe they weren't as over as he'd thought.  She was still going to be around.  He understood why she'd been worried now.  It wasn't the fact that they'd be apart.  It was the fact that they were going to be rivals.  They'd be battling each other. 

He found himself relishing the opportunity.  He knew she'd give some of the other drivers a run for their money.

He knew that this was the beginning of a new chapter for them both. The future held promise. And he was really looking forward to it.

To be continued...