Racing hearts

Part 5 - Worst Idea

"That's fucked up," Lando shouts causing many heads within the hospitality to turn our direction. I had just told him about what had happened on the night out a few days prior about both my brother and Charles but I left out the backstory of my brother's texts as to not dive into something I didn't want to.

"And the worst bit is that because fans caught us arguing, I have to go to a meeting with Emily and his manager to talk about how to resolve the negative publicity we are getting from it," I rolled my eyes at my own words as I leaned back in my chair.

The whole situation was absurd, Lando's expression softened as he saw the anger spread across my face. "Have you spoken to Charles since last night?" I was slightly confused as to why he was asking, you'd think that it would be obvious that I wouldn't choose to talk to the man that claimed I was throwing myself at all of the drivers.

I sighed, twisting a few strands of my hair between my fingers, "No and I don't really want to but I'm guessing he isn't too overly pleased about the situation either." Lando nodded the faint bit of frustration evident. "Look, you know I'm here if you ever need anything and with this meeting thing, if you tell them the truth, I'm sure they'll understand."

I managed to crack a small genuine smile appreciating his words, "Thanks Lando, I just really hope this all blows over."

Just as I stopped speaking, my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen and saw Emily's name flashing. With a resigned sigh, I picked it up.

"Hey, Emily," I tried to keep my tone neutral as I spoke to her. "Hey," she replied, her tone brisk and serious, "Remember that meeting we have with Charles, his Manager and his Team principal in an hour. Are you ready for it?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," I felt a knot of anxiety tighten in my stomach. "Good, We need to sort this out before it escalates," Those were her last words before she hung up the phone.

I looked at Lando who was looking at me with both sympathy and assurance, "Time to face the music," I muttered topped off with a fired smile. He gave me a firm nod, "You've got this and remember it's just a meeting, they can't change how you feel or what happened, all they can do is listen to you.

I stood up and took a deep breath, he pulled me into a reassuring hug, "Thank you, I'll let you know how it goes," I whispered in his ear before pulling away and walking in the direction of the Ferrari garage.

As I approached the garage, the knot in my stomach tightened. I could already see Emily standing outside, her expression as serious as ever. She caught my eye and gave me a small nod, a signal to brace myself for what was to come. I took another deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "Ready?" Emily asked as I reached her.

"Yep," I replied, forcing a confident tone. Together, we walked into the meeting room where Charles, his manager, and his team principal, Fred, were already seated. Charles looked up as we entered, his eyes dark with a mix of irritation and defiance. The tension in the room was palpable.

Once we took our seat, I glanced at Charles, who was staring intently at the table. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as the memory of the conversation replayed in my mind. I needed to stay composed and not let my feelings scratch through to what we discuss and the final agreement we come to.

"I think it's important to acknowledge that this dispute was the result of a misunderstanding," I began, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me as I attempted to defuse the situation by not fully telling the entire story. "We are both under a lot of pressure, and things were said that neither of us meant."

Charles finally looked up, his eyes meeting mine. "I agree. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I said things that were out of line. I'm sorry for that." I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just trying to end the meeting as quickly as possible.

"Both of your fans are at each others throats while many others are talking about the immaturity of the both of you and that's why I think that we need to think of a way to diffuse the situation," Fred's gaze fell on Emily and in response she nodded. I looked at her in utter confusion.

"Me and your managers have been discussing the option of a PR relationship which we all believe will sort the issue," Fred's words hit me like a train, it was the worst idea ever.

"No fucking way and I pretending to be in a relationship with him," I pointed at the driver across from me while his face remained expressionless as he looked down at the table. He bit the side of his cheek lightly but still didn't say anything.

"If necessary we can give you some time to think about this as we all believe this could help fix the situation," I blanked through Fred's words,  Charles was just sat there and it made my skin boil. After another few minutes of Fred and our managers hyping up the idea, Charles finally spoke.

"I'm up for it."