Julia Erin Wolff is daughter of Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes. As a result, she grew up mostly in paddocks or travelling with her parents and always felt a certain connection to driving and F1. Now, when it's time to be on her own, she deci...
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"Hey, dad," I hopped onto the chair next to him.
"Oh, hey, Juli. You did great today," he blurted out, noticing me by his side. He was busy wrapping up his post-race analysis, so I simply let him continue and took a moment to check my phone instead. To my disappointment, there was still no message from Carlos.
"And we're done. So, how did you like the race, Schatze?" Dad turned to me, with a smile.
"It was absolutely amazing, oh my gosh! Perfect podium today, congratulations on P3!" I replied, raising my eyebrows as I grinned. "I'm so thrilled for Carlos too, he truly deserves it..."
"That's great. So, are you up for a nice dinner with your old man, or do you prefer hitting the club and partying with the younger and cooler crowd?" he asked, playfully pretending to be poor and old. I chuckled, as I always enjoyed his sense of humor.
"Hm, let me think. I reckon I could grace you with my presence for dinner and then head out to the club. How does that sound?" I responded, playing along with the banter.
"Oh, thank you, your majesty. Make sure you're ready at seven, sharp," dad expressed his gratitude, emphasizing the last word, knowing well that time management when getting ready isn't my biggest strength.
However, this time, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear. I had packed my beautiful baby blue midi dress, which was absolutely perfect for this occasion. The moment I laid eyes on it, I fell in love, and the dress's flowing skirt made me certain about my choice. I had been saving it for special moments like these, as I didn't want to risk ruining it. The thought of wearing it to tonight's party, considering its significance, had crossed my mind. But, once again, there was no message from Carlos.
-☆-
Exactly, at seven PM, dad knocked on my door, ready in suit. Once again, I was glad I picked out my gorgeous dress, as it seemed we were going to the best restaurant in Great Britain.
"Unbelievable, you're ready on time!" dad greeted me with disbelief, as I opened the door for him.
"Hi, dad, good evening to you too, you look great, as well!" I replied, with a subtle tone of sarcasm. He chuckled, and we headed out to the garages. Little did I know I was completely right about the restaurant.
We parked outside, next to breathtaking Audi and Porsche cars, which made me realize I was about to have one of the best food experiences of my life. While living in Singapore, I had been to many fantastic restaurants, but everything was often too spicy for someone like me, coming from Europe. I wish I could have appreciated it more, as the restaurants there were truly incredible. But even more than that, I was excited about the food awaiting me in the coming week, with authentic homemade Austrian dishes. There was nothing else in the world that could compare to a classic Apfelstrudel. During the party the day before, I had already mentioned it to Lando, and he came up with a brilliant idea to bring him some for the race next week, in exchange for a secret.
"Welcome to Murrays," my dad held the door open for me.
"Oh, wow, this place is incredible," I whispered to him, still in awe as I looked around.
"Hello, welcome! May I have your name, please?" a waitress greeted us.
"Wolff, Torger. Reservation for 19:30."
"Ah, here you are! Please follow me this way," she gestured with her hand, and we followed her. The table setup was elegant yet simple, perfectly complementing the typical British luxurious interior.
"Dad, can I ask you for some advice?" I closed the menu and asked hesitantly.
"Of course, what's on your mind?" he replied, with serious concern in the tone of his voice.
"Yesterday, when we went to the club, I invited Carlos to join me to the dancefloor, since I saw George and Checo there.However, once we arrived, he disappeared, so I ended up staying with Lando and Alex," I began explaining. "I couldn't find him anywhere until the end of the night when I found him sitting outside on the stairs. I asked him why he disappeared, and he told me that his team members called him over to celebrate, but he didn't want to drink because he had to drive. It didn't really seem believable, though. So I asked him if something had happened, and he said he was fine, but I could see it in his eyes. He insisted he was just tired, but I have this feeling that something is not right, and I want to help him, but I don't know how."
Dad nodded, and a sense of relief washed over me as I finally shared my thoughts.
"Juli, don't worry too much about it. Maybe he received some bad news and isn't ready to talk about it yet. Just let him know that you're there for him. You two have been through a lot together, like sneaking out, right?" Dad raised an eyebrow, and I sheepishly looked away. We both chuckled, and I thanked him for his advice. The food arrived shortly after, and it was absolutely delicious. By the end of the evening, I was stuffed, but I didn't regret it one bit.
In the meantime, I finally got a reply from Carlos. He apologized for the delayed response and mentioned that he had thought Lando would be the one accompanying me. However, he said he would be happy to take me instead. I was a bit confused as to why he had that idea, considering he was the one who invited me to the party in the first place, but at least I was glad to know he wasn't purposely ignoring me.
