Style: M.Verstappen

Chapter 3

RACE DAY, MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Paddy had always been Lilianna's protector and confidante growing up. Even now, as a famous footballer playing for Middlesbrough, he still managed to find time to check in on his little sister.

So, when Paddy called Lilianna and told her that he had a surprise for her and Isla-Rose, she couldn't wait to see what it was. As they walked through the paddocks of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix circuit, Lilianna was practically bubbling with excitement.

"Where are we going?" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You'll see," Paddy teased. "But I think you're going to like it." He handed her a lanyard with a paddock pass and a grin lit up her face. "Oh my God," Lilianna breathed. "This is amazing! Thank you so much." Paddy ruffled her hair affectionately and took Isla's small hand in his. "Come on, Isla," he said. "Let's go see some cars."

Lilianna headed off towards the paddock of her favourite team, RedBull, eager to catch a glimpse of her beloved F1 drivers. As she walked among the team's cars, Lilianna was in awe at the sight of them all. The famous RedBull logo was emblazoned on the front of each one, and she felt a sense of pride that one of her favourite drivers, Max Verstappen drove for them.

Suddenly, Lilianna heard a voice calling her name from behind. She turned to see Max standing there, his smile bright and infectious. "Lilianna!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" She laughed, "My brother surprised us with paddock passes. I wanted to come and see you guys up close." Max's grin widened, "You're welcome to stay and watch the race from our paddock, you know."

Lilianna's heart skipped a beat. "Really? That would be amazing." Max led her towards the RedBull paddock, and Lilianna felt a sense of excitement growing within her. She had met Max a few nights ago in a club, where she had ended up searching for her brother or one of his friends. The two had hit it off immediately, and they had talked about Max's driving career for hours.

Now, as he showed her around the paddock, Lilianna couldn't help but feel like this was destiny. As she settled into the paddock to watch the race, Lilianna knew that this was going to be an experience she would never forget. And she also knew that, no matter what, she was always going to be grateful to her big brother for surprising her with something so amazing.

Max headed out onto the grid and got into his car. As Lilianna watched, she got a text from her brother.

••••••••
iMessage
Pads

Pads
hey lils
where are you?

Lily
hey pad
i'm in the redbull paddock
you should know that
they're my favorite f1 team

Pads
oh yeah 😆
me and isla are in the mclaren
hospitality when you're ready
to come and join us

Lily
i will
message you later

••••••

Putting her phone away, Lilianna puts her headset on to hear the team radio between Max and his engineer while watching the grand prix from the paddock. "Okay, everyone. Exciting race ahead. Hopefully we bring home a good few points." team principle, Christian Horner, says.

Lilianna stood at the back, hiding from the crowd. They were aware she was there but wasn't keen on socializing as much and more focused on the grand prix.

AFTER THE RACE

With the podium celebrations done, Max finished in P1 with Lewis Hamilton in P2 and Valterri Bottas in P3. Max came down from the podium with the trophy in his hand. Once he got a quick photo with his team, he ran over to Lilianna.

"Hey, Lily. Can I ask you something?" Max asks, once he reached the girl who was in her way to meet her daughter and brother. "Yeah. What's up?" Lilianna turns back to the dutchman. "I was wondering if you would like to join me for some drinks tonight?" Max asks as he rubs the back of his neck. Lilianna smiles as she thinks about her answer. "Yeah. I'd like that." Lilianna smiles as does Max. "Okay. Can I uh, get your number so I can message you the location?" Max stutters as Lilianna chuckles. "Sure." Lilianna smiles.

The girl gets her phone out and both she and Max exchange numbers. "I'll see you later." the redbull driver says as Lilianna nods. "See you later." the Northern-Irish girl smiles before heading to find her brother and daughter.

BAR, MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Walking into the bar, Lilianna had left her daughter with her brother while she went out. Looking around, the girls eyes meet Max's who waves at her. "I was expecting to be stood up and you go out to celebrate with the drivers. Clearly, you were true to your word." Lilianna smiles as Max laughs. "Well, I'm not the type of guy to stand up a girl." Max jokes as Lilianna laughs as they hug.

"What would you like to drink?" Max asks as they walk up to the bar. "Sure. I'll have a Manhattan cocktail." Lilianna smiles. Max nods and orders the drinks for them as Lilianna finds a table. The pair talk for hours on end, even when the dutch driver is walking the girl back to her hotel. Lilianna felt comfortable in Max's presence. Only, she didn't know how he would feel if she told him that she had a daughter just yet.

"I had a great night, Lilianna." Max says as they stand outside the hotel. "Me too." Lilianna smiles. "How long are you in Monaco for?" the dutchman asks. "4 more days then I go back home." Lilianna says. "Can we maybe, hang out before you go home?" Max asks, nervously. He didn't know why he was so nervous around a girl he just met. "Sure. I'd like that." Lilianna smiles.

The pair bid each other goodnight before Lilianna heads into her hotel and goes up to her room.

A/N: Happy race week everyone. Time for Silverstone 🥳. What a crazy weekend it's just been with the FIA yet doing another "great" job and dishing penalties to pretty much everyone all weekend.
Hopefully this weekend isn't penalty dominated and the FIA do their jobs accurately.
Enjoy chapter 3 and I'll see you tomorrow for another update ☺️