Book 2: Beginning Again -Carlos Sainz

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: August 20th, 2022

Marie looked out the window of the plane, watching the fluffy clouds pass her by. She took a sip of her mimosa, which did not have nearly enough champagne in it to help her cope with where she was going.

"He was so proud of me when I finished my MBA a few months ago, maybe our relationship is different now. Maybe he will see me as an equal to him, not just his daughter," she thought, taking another big sip of her drink before asking the stewardess for another one.

The perks of first class were real, not that she had ever flown economy before. Marie's dad was the one person in her life she respected more than anyone else, even though he oftentimes only saw her as a little girl and not the adult she now was. He had built his company from the ground up, making him one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. He sacrificed a lot, so he wasn't around much, but he made it to the important things. Oftentimes late and with his suitcases still with him, but he was there. He was her role model, her real-life superhero. And with her being their only kid, the responsibilities of the family business would land on Marie.

What started with her dad and a few employees was now a publicly traded company worth millions of dollars, and had a full time executive board. Her father was still a majority owner and claimed the title of CEO, one that Marie coveted since the day she knew what it stood for. All she ever wanted was to follow in his footsteps and be just as great as he was, but she knew it would be different for her. Even though he held such a huge title, he spent his days and months following around the Ferrari Formula 1 team. His company was one of the biggest sponsors of Ferrari, and her father one of the biggest fans of the sport. Marie herself was never fully interested. She only kept up with it so she could impress her dad.

That's where she found herself, on a plane, on her way to Belgium to meet her father before the grand prix. It was, apparently, the midpoint of the season and all of the teams were gearing up to start again. He thought this would be the best time for her to come out and start a temporary job with him, before taking her job as a junior executive in the company. Her father wasn't huge on nepotism, insisting that her resume would be judged by the hiring board in exact fairness as all of the other applicants.

Marie knew that she was smart as she had just graduated in the top of her class at Oxford for her MBA. She had been preparing for this job her entire life, and she smiled at the idea of finally getting to start chasing down her dreams. The whole Formula 1 thing though? Not particularly ideal. But this was the only way to get to know the company better, spend some quality time with her dad, and to prove what she was worth.

The plane skidded on the tarmac as Marie sat anxiously in her seat. The champagne did nothing for her nerves. As soon as the plane started taxiing to the gate, she pulled out her phone and took it off airplane mode. She sifted through all the notifications and emails before texting her boyfriend.

Hi babe, just landed: Marie

Chad: Have fun in Belgium, miss you already

Marie sighed at his quick response, feeling a pang of sadness at the fact that it might be quite some time before she would be able to see him again. They hadn't been dating for very long, but they had spent practically the whole year together during their MBA program. He was whip smart and deadly with it too, knowing exactly what he wanted and making sure he got it. Marie really liked that about him, and she enjoyed it when he set his sights on her. He would go far in the business world and they both knew it, but he was having a hard time landing a job after graduation. The market wasn't great, but he was staying positive.

She walked out of the plane and found the car that her dad had sent for her. Once her belongings were loaded up and she was buckled in the back seat, Marie decided to throw in her headphones and listen to her favorite playlist to help settle her nerves. The car quickly made its way to the brunch spot she had picked out too fast for her liking. As she got out of the car in front of the restaurant, she took a deep breath hoping a sense of calm would enter her mind like the oxygen inflated her lungs. Marie walked inside and grabbed a table, knowing that her dad would inevitably be late. She ordered mimosas for the pair, desperately needing more alcohol before she sat through this brunch talking about Formula 1 for hours. Ten minutes later the front door swung open and her dad walked in. She sent him a smile as he found her sitting at a little table in the back. As he made his way towards his daughter, Marie stood up to greet him with a hug.