Trackside Temptation

Chapter Eight

FRANCESCA

I decided I much preferred a happy, winning Matthias rather than a still very good, but not good enough to win Matthias.

He had a terrible "second I should be to none" mindset, and these past few races had kept him satisfied.

We were now in Monaco, which was one of the hardest street circuits to exist. It was tight, which meant overtaking was much more difficult. It had a safety car probability of seventy-one per cent, and every team prayed it wouldn't be their driver who caused it.

I still found it difficult to believe I had travelled to so many countries this year, and it was only May. The strap on my duffle bag was filling up fast.

I felt my phone vibrate in my front pocket. It was my dad.

Dad: Wish Matthias good luck for this weekend.

Dad hadn't followed Formula One before this, but now he was obsessed: sending me texts after each race—or during live racing—to update me as if I wasn't at the circuit myself. It was adorable.

Dad: Oh, and Romain! I'm wearing a red shirt today in support of De Rossi. Let's go!!!

Me: Will do, dad. Thanks for the support!

I placed my phone into my pocket and stared out at the horizon. We were on a yacht for the afternoon as free practice was over and qualifying wasn't until tomorrow. It had something to do with the press, money and Netflix, but I couldn't fully understand.

There were at least thirty of us on the boat, all dressed up in fancy clothes like we were at a polo match or a horseracing event. The crowd was a mix of De Rossi Racing employees, reporters and rich investors.

I had quickly learned that this sport was so much more than just racing. It was about strategy and relationships. If you took your prospective investors onto a boat in Monaco and provided them with unlimited amounts of champagne, you increased your chances of acquiring more capital by eighty per cent.

I stood next to Lily as the boat gently bobbed up and down. Luckily, it was a calm day, otherwise, my motion sickness would have been painfully obvious.

I glanced over at Matthias, who was talking to two young ladies wearing matching pink rompers. I didn't know why, but I felt a bit odd seeing them engage with him like that. The way one of them ran her hand down his chest, while the other woman ruffled his hair.

He took a sip from his energy drink as his eyes locked onto mine. I hadn't even realised we were staring at each other until then.

I gave him a small smile before turning to Lily. "So, where do you live?" I knew she lived in Monaco, but I was curious to see the place she'd scored and whether my salary would one day allow me to live in an exquisite apartment too.

She laughed before pointing at a building that was much taller than the ones around it. "My apartment is just over there." The place was unique, with cream walls and large balconies that extended around the edges. I was too far away to fully analyse the design, but the intricate detailing was reminiscent of a coliseum. It looked perfect, and it gave me hope that one day, I could live in a place as beautiful and homely too.

"You must be so relieved to be here?"

Lily nodded. "I sure am. Funnily enough, Matthias also lives in my building."

Huh. Matthias and I had spoken about his many different properties around the world, but we'd never spoken about the place he resided in when he wasn't racing. I didn't realise he had a place in Monaco too.