UNBROKEN [ MAX VERSTAPPEN ]

12. One month later

[ Monaco, February 21, 2021 ]

- Victoria

I knock on the door of Max's apartment, and wait for an answer, after a few seconds the door opens and my astonishment is huge when I see Kelly's face, she looks at me equally surprised and ready to speak, but I interrupt her - "I'm here for a meeting with Max and the team." - I speak.

"Sure, Max is already in the office, the others aren't here yet" - she speaks and gives me space to enter the apartment - "You can go, Max will make your company" - she walks side by side as she points to the small meeting room Max has in the apartment, I don't know why, but Kelly is particularly nice to me, which I find strange.

"Vic" - I hear Victoria talking from the top of the stairs leading upstairs, and she comes down them quickly hugging me - " where have you been?" - she says and squeezes me quickly.

"Sorry" - I speak in her ear and she simply smiles at me - "I will explain everything to you later" - I walk towards the small meeting room and Max is sitting in one of the chairs, I take a step and his gaze faces mine, after that night in Hasselt and the rest of the trip, both Max and I avoided talking to each other, and when we returned to Monaco I quickly got on the first plane to visit my mother, I sat down in one of the chairs, next to him and put my computer on the table and began to review everything I had prepared for the meeting.

"How was your vacation?" - Max finally speaks and I look at him, he still hasn't taken his eyes off his cell phone

"What vacations?" - I speak without understanding what he is talking about.

"This"- he speaks and turns his phone to me showing a post that Charles posted 2 days ago.

"It wasn't a vacation, it was just a few days in a beautiful Italian city with a friend" - I speak, ignoring the fact that I don't owe any justifications regarding my life to Max or anyone else.

"Sure, buddy" - he speaks and puts down his cell phone crossing his fingers in each other and placing his hands on the table looking at me - "There were several pictures that were sold to gossip pages with the two of you together."

"And that's your problem why?"- I speak.

"I don't want people who work with me to have relationships with opposing teams" - he speaks again - "It could be some pieces of information leaked" - he says and laughs

"As I've said many times, what I do or stop doing with my personal life does not influence my professional life in the least, and Charles understands that and respects that."

"Next thing that we would do is invite you to work with him at Red Bull" - he speaks and rolls his eyes and I simply turn my eyes back to my computer - "I can't believe it, he's already invited you hasn't he? You can't do that" - he speaks and raises his tone