𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗘 | M.V.

ғᴏʀᴛʏ ᴏɴᴇ

"Okay, that was the last one. Good job for today, see you in Spa," Bradley's voice said through the speakers of Max's phone.

"See you then," Max said, lying on his stomach, and ended the conversation. He laid his phone in the grass in front of him and reached for the water bottle beside him, from which he took a big gulp. From his stomach, he turned to his back and let himself catch his breath from the workout he had just done with Bradley.

Although he had permission from his trainer to be on vacation for the last week, it didn't mean the training sessions didn't continue. They trained at least once a day via FaceTime, whether Max liked it or not. For your information, he did not.

Max always ensured Madelyn wasn't around so she couldn't accidentally come into view during training sessions. Often she was inside or sitting on the other side of the garden, from where she gladly watched her boyfriend's workout. Although Max knew that Bradley had suspicions about a relationship between him and Madelyn, he continued to do his best to hide any clues from his trainer.

When Max finally caught his breath, he got up and walked toward the house with his water bottle and phone in his hands. Just as he reached the back door, his phone vibrated. He looked at the screen and saw that Christian was calling him. Surprised, he picked up.

"Christian, hi."

"Hey, Max. I hope I'm not interrupting your holiday with this call," Christian said on the other side of the line.

"A little bit," Max said. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, surprisingly not this time," Christian chuckled. "It's about Madelyn."

When Max heard Madelyn's name, he stood still, and his whole body tensed. "Shouldn't you be calling her right now if this is about her?" He asked.

"Vicky is on the phone with her right now," Christian told him. "I wanted to tell you the news myself now and explain the decision rather than you finding out through Madelyn or at Spa."

"What decision?" Max clenched his teeth together, afraid of what Christian was about to tell him.

"We, and by that, I mean Vicky and me, decided to temporarily place Madelyn on our office team. We didn't think it was a good idea to have her in the paddock now that all this drama is going around about her and Lando."

"But those gossips are bullshit. You and I both know that. And what about that Instagram story Lando posted the other day?" Max raised his voice during his protest.

"I knew you wouldn't be happy about this decision, but it's necessary. Vicky will accompany you during the interviews in the coming weeks, as she did last year."

"When can Lyn come back?" Max asked.

"We don't know yet. At least not until all the rumors are put to rest," Christian explained. "I understand you don't like the decision."

"That's putting it mildly," Max muttered under his breath so that Christian couldn't hear it.

"Let's get through the triple header first, and then we can see if Madelyn can return to the paddock."

Max sighed. "Fine, but I want to talk about this in person when I'm in Milton Keynes next week," he said.

"That's okay. As long as you understand that we're not changing our decision," Christian said.

"Whatever," Max said a tad irritated. "See you next week, then."

"Enjoy the rest of your holiday," Christian said and hung up the phone. For a few seconds, Max looked at his phone before putting it away in frustration. They couldn't be serious about this. The drama had pretty much died down after that post from Lando. So why was this action necessary?

Angry and irritated, Max walked into the house. Madelyn wasn't home at the moment but was off to the supermarket to get some final groceries for the last few days here in Monaco. Gosh, how much he would like to be with her right now. She would be devastated when Vicky broke the news to her. Tiredly, he rubbed his hands over his face before deciding to walk upstairs and shower. Madelyn hadn't been gone very long, so it would probably be a while before she got home. So plenty of time for Max to cool off and freshen up before he could take Madelyn here in his arms and comfort her.

When he came downstairs from his shower dressed in a fresh set of clothes, he heard the car pull into the driveway at that exact moment. Anxiously, he waited for her to enter the house. When she did, Max immediately could see she had been crying. He stepped her way and took her in his arms after she dropped the bag filled with groceries onto the ground. Seconds after he started hugging her, he heard her start crying again.

"They suspended me and put me on office duty," she sobbed. She buried her head against his chest as she held onto him tightly.

"I heard," Max mumbled and kissed her crown. "Christian just called me to tell me the news."

"I know I should have seen it coming. But because it took so long for them to call me, I thought they maybe had let it go."

"At least you're not fired," Max tried to cheer her up. But the look she gave him when she looked up showed him it wasn't helping.

"When I get to Milton Keynes next week, I'm going to talk to Christian about this. I'm not letting them get away with this so easily. You did nothing wrong, and they're punishing you for it," Max said firmly.

"Max, no," Madelyn said as she escaped from his grip. "That's basically telling him we're together. They'll fire me right away when they find out about us."

"Maybe it's time they find out," Max said seriously.

"Okay, you've officially lost your mind," Madelyn scoffed. "Do you want me to get fired?"

"No, of course not," Max said. "But I think if Christian and I have a good conversation about this, I might get him to change the rules for us. It's time for that stupid rule to go."

"I know you have a lot of power within the team. But are you sure you have enough for them to actually do that?" Madelyn asked him doubtfully.

"Maybe," Max shrugged. "If you don't ask, you don't get."

"Maybe isn't enough for me," Madelyn said. "You may have nothing to lose, but my job is at stake here. I can't let you do this if you're not sure this is going to work."

"I do have something to lose here. You. And trust me, I don't want that." Madelyn weakly smiled at his words as Max continued. "I know it's a huge risk, but I think we have to take it."

Madelyn sighed deeply. "I need some time to think about this."

"Of course," Max said as he cupped his hands around her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. "But know it's going to be you and me through this entire process. I'm not going to let them separate us like this. I love you. I want to be with you, and I don't want to hide you from them."

"I love you too," Madelyn said and stood on her toes to kiss his lips. "I don't want to lose this either."

Max smiled at her before he let her go and grabbed the bag with groceries from the floor. "C'mon. Let's unpack and enjoy our last few days here before we're going to kick some asses in Milton Keynes," he said and walked toward the kitchen with Madelyn laughing behind him.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

HI! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry it took sooo long for me to update. I was hoping to upload a chapter before Christmas break, but I was too busy with all the deadlines for my studies. Anyway, here we are again! Unfortunately, we are getting closer and closer to the end of this story... Only 9 chapters to go :(

Did everyone have a good Christmas and New Year? Hope to see you again sooner this time ;) I'm gonna try my best!