apocalypse | charles leclerc ✓

chapter 6 | champagne problems

«And the funny thing is I would've married you...»

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They never had any need to come announcing their relationship with great fanfare as an official thing. After they were seen for the first time, the maths were pretty clear. She continued going to races and they were photographed together whenever they went out on dates and so on. They didn't hold hands in public unless it was necessary, and they walked like two friends who were keeping each other company, but she knew she was doing it with Charles, Ferrari driver Charles, so people noticed all the time. Sure thing, they did.

The first few times didn't take a genius to comprehend what two attractive people were most likely doing with one another, and now it was just usual for everybody. People said things about her, of course, how she wasn't actually that pretty or that his ex-girlfriend seemed far nicer and more beautiful. That she came across as a bit mean by plain sight. Others decided to come to the conclusion that she was using Charles, after learning about her modelling career and all that, but she always brushed it off because out of all the reasons to be with someone like him, that had to be the last one for her. Both sides of her family were a household name in their country and her parents were economically well-settled so if one day she did need something, she could seek it somewhere else, not with him.

Like, she was doing fine on her own. Thank you very much. Did he bring a new wave of attention to her life? Yes, but not one she had asked for or tried to take advantage of.

Vivianne and Aurora always asked her not to pay attention to the negativity, and Sloane promised not to, but if sometimes she did, that was between her, her phone and her inner thoughts. It wasn't always bad though, because with negativity also came positivity, and a fair share of people were nice about her. They mentioned how she was stunning and that she and Charles were cute, all of those aspects. That she seemed supportive of him.

She was learning, step by step, how not to care about those things, but her mother...oh her mother was on a roll with it. It started when Charles invited her to one of those fancy Formula 1 events, a sort of gala with sponsors, big names, drivers...this and that. Sloane saw it as another outing with him, but her mother took it as a reason for her to look presentable and proper because she was Sloane Devrij above everything else and she carried a name. She'd planned on wearing one of the many dresses she already had in her closet.

The ones she got gifted from designers, she purchased herself or her parents had given her as a present, but instead of that, her mother surprised her with a brand new Valentino. At first, she didn't complain, because duh, who would? Nobody in their sane mind would reject a Valentino, especially if it came from her mother.

When she tried on the dress for the first time, it felt a little tight. Her mistake was mentioning this detail to her mother who used the opportunity to tell her: maybe it's a sign you should drop some weight. She regretted talking to her about it after those words. In the end, she managed to squeeze into the dress just fine. Her mother was a cunt, but at least the woman had great taste. In everything except men probably.

And not that Sloane needed to inflate her ego a bit more — it was already big enough — but she looked pretty hot, in her totally humble and unbiased opinion. It felt funny, she thought, how something could make someone feel insecure and confident at the same time.

"My god, you're so beautiful." Charles placed a hand on his chest, staring at her from head to toe. Sloane struck a funny pose, the ones reserved for photoshoots.

She gave him a once over, looking all cute with his suit. They matched flawlessly together. "You look so handsome." Her fingers reached to play with his tie, and he beamed proudly.