Deals with Daisy // LN4

51 ~ Oopsy Daisy

Hey all - posting because I've had the worst day and really want the sera-t-on in from comments. Don't know how I feel about this chapter because fortunately I've never been in this situation but I hope I captured Daisy's pain. It's a long chapter 7.5k words so settle in!

Also a big trigger warning on drug use and addiction... on basically the whole chapter, synopsis posted at the very bottom if you don't want to stop reading the book though.

We're still in Monaco for this chapter in case you forgot because it's been so long! It feels like a decade for me because this whole chapter was really jumbled which maybe makes sense for Daisy's headspace right now but it would have been really difficult to follow because it didn't flow well so I've spent a couple of hours on my day off to try and fix it - hope you like it and it was worth the wait!

I think some of you did call the special guest for this chapter though!

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Daisy's POV

I didn't envy any of the drivers or workers on track today, much more enjoying the white linen button-up vest and skirt combo I had paired with the new LN4s that were due to be released the first week of the summer break over any of those fireproof monstrosities they were all sweating it out on the track below me currently. I take a sip from my gin and tonic on the McLaren balcony overlooking the busy pitlane while flicking through boring emails on my iPad. The sunglasses over my eyes to protect me from the harsh glare of the sun are just making it harder for me to discern the words on the screen though and combined with the hangover and come down, it was especially aggravating. I was feeling particularly desperate for the end of the race to come around as soon as possible because I just wanted to get back to the hotel and sleep after a fucking draining weekend. It had been so bad that I'd successfully driven Laurent away yesterday after a painful couple of days of pretending, not just to the cameras but also to each other, that everything between us was okay.

I wanted this weekend over so that I could curl up in Italy and keep to myself for a good week. I just wanted to stick my head in the sand and avoid everything and everyone, to not be under the watchful eyes of what felt like the whole world. I could drown in my own self-pity and collection of gorgeous vintage red wines alone in the sunshine and get away from Lando before he could offer any more ultimatums that were going to change more of my life. He'd done enough of that recently with his unilateral decision-making on things that affected me as well and I was done with letting it slide. I was too tired to keep on disappointing him.

It didn't totally stop me from making accommodations for him though. It's why I was here in trainers rather than heels but it was good for promotion - I'd been shown the correlation in my stats enough to do it every race day so far this season. Plus the boost to my personal bank account didn't hurt either - not that I think I ever needed to make another penny for the rest of my life at this point. I wasn't the sort of person to make money for money's sake but... this was so easy I couldn't help it.

Money was actually a big reason for my arguments with Laurent this weekend. It was what he had been trying to discuss with me when Lando first approached us on Friday. Laurent wanted to take a break from filming after this current movie and he wanted me to take one as well. To go travelling with him or to chill in a way that we'd never had an opportunity to before. The way he clearly craved to. I couldn't argue with him either because if I did a good enough job this year, I wouldn't really need to be on call for Lando next year. Especially if he stayed with McLaren like right now it seemed that he might, everything was going to be sorted and simple. Just a continuation. I could go and enjoy my success, as could he, and we could relax. Make some memories away from each other and recalibrate.