After the festivities of Bahrain had ended, Reina returned to Italy the next morning. By the afternoon, her phone was exploding with notifications.
Carlos was right—the paparazzi were quite talented at finding out Reina's identity. Pictures of her and Carlos together in his car circulated the internet, with a never-ending string of false rumors. They found out she worked for Ferrari as a photographer, along with her age, her family, and even her birthplace back in Brazil. Some tabloids speculated that she and Carlos were having a quick fling, while others went as far as saying she had been his secret lover for years.
Moreover, a wave of users left a series of comments on her latest post on Instagram.
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📍Sakhir, Bahrain
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❤️ Liked by carlossainz55 and 7,392 others reinaamaral bahrain was lovely... can't wait to return :)
View all 1,293 comments user3932 THIS is who Carlos went for?? His ex was prettier ngl user853 ummm okay.. user7561 yall they aren't actually dating leave her alone user412 If Carlos doesn't get podium next race I guess we know why
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Reina had never experienced hate on social media before, as she was never famous, nor did she know anybody famous prior to this job. But she wasn't even concerned about that, she was worried what her boss Lucia might think. Reina didn't want to taint her reputation around the office, having people think she either slept with Carlos for the job or would no longer be able to work with him without being distracted. Reina didn't know the stance on office relationships at Ferrari, but with someone as important as Carlos, she didn't think it would be appreciated.
She paced around her bedroom in her brother's apartment, wondering what to do. Would it be appropriate to email Lucia, or is this something that should only be addressed when asked about it first?
But, again, like a hero, Carlos managed to save Reina.
carlossainz55 Hello Reina
reinaamaral hi carlos
carlossainz55 I'm guessing you've seen the news?
reinaamaral it's a bit hard to miss it
carlossainz55 Sorry :( Just wanted to let you know that I talked to your boss to explain what's been going on, and that we are not together. That they are just making rumors carlossainz55 She said she understands, so I think you won't be in any trouble
reinaamaral oh wow reinaamaral you didn't have to do that
carlossainz55 It was my fault and I didn't want you to risk your career over a bunch of lies
reinaamaral it wasn't your fault reinaamaral but i appreciate it, thank you
carlossainz55 Of course
Reina threw her phone on her bed. She was relieved and so grateful that Carlos was able to talk her boss into understanding what was happening. Reina had her first taste of fame, and she wasn't sure she liked its bitterness.
As she sipped on a glass of water, now much calmer, her thoughts drifted. She recalled the previous night. Carlos's hands were wrapped around the small of her waist as they danced together, swaying around, her head on his chest. When she looked up, he was looking down at her, smiling. She felt so oddly comfortable, and her heart was hungry for more. She remembered him twirling her around on the dance floor, them swaying their hips together and moving to the rhythm as two separate bodies connected as one. But her head told her no, that it was the drinks, that she couldn't get comfortable with him.
She also remembered her conversation with Charlotte and Katerina. Was Carlos really looking at her that much? In that way?
Reina, trying to be rational, decided that any feelings beyond frienship—those of intimacy or closeness—was the alcohol talking.
That's right, as soon as she and Carlos had got there, they started drinking. The so-called "staring," the dancing—everything was just alcohol, Reina deduced. Charlotte and Katerina were wrong.
Reina made a mental promise to herself to be more careful around Carlos—less than one month on the job and she had already gotten too close. Now, more than ever, Reina needed to make sure not to give people any more reason to suspect or question her.
She headed to her brother's kitchen to brew a cup of coffee. Water wasn't cutting it at this point.
"Estás bien?" asked Adrian (Are you okay?). He had just come home from work. While all the employees who travelled abroad for the last race got the day off, Adrian stayed in Italy as he was needed for a different project.
Reina sipped on her hot latte. "Why do you ask?"
He sat down opposite from her at the dining table. "You look stressed. Also, you're drinking coffee at 5 in the afternoon."
Reina rubbed her eyebrow. "You've seen the news?"
"No, what? I've been swamped all day."
Reina pulled up a gossip blog's post of her and Carlos in Ibiza, accusing the two of being the paddock's newest couple. Reina's name, pictures, and job were all included.
Adrian shook his head as he scrolled through the article. "Pendejos," he muttered. "Do these idiots not have anything better to write about?" (assholes/idiots)
Reina frowned, shrugging. "I don't know. My boss understands it's all just rumor, but I'm getting a ton of backlash on my socials. And I'm sure that lots of people at work are still going to look down upon me."
Adrian rubbed his chin. "Well, love life speculation happens all the time in F1. I've seen it happen with plenty of drivers. Just... try to ignore it, okay, Reinita? It'll blow over in no time. Trust me, these people will move on as soon as the next piece of hot gossip comes around."
Reina drank more of her coffee, then nodded. "Okay."
That night, Reina couldn't sleep a wink. She regretted drinking the coffee, she truly did. In the dark, left alone with her thoughts, Reina tossed and turned, dreading work the next day.
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a/n
thank you all so much for 1k reads ❤️ i decided to go ahead and release the next THREE chapters (10 and 11) for you!!
