MEDICINE ──── GEORGE RUSSELL.

X.

chapter ten. two time formula one race winner, george russell.

Althea glances at her mother as she sits at the breakfast table; her gaze on Matteo, Suleika Perez' gaze on her children. "So..." Matteo begins as he pokes at the scrambled eggs on his plate. "We're not going to talk about the man in Althea's room last night?"

Althea chokes on her sip of juice. "Matteo!" she hissed, kicking him under the table, earning a soft yelp. 

Suleika's gaze turns to her daughter and Althea shrinks in on herself. "Mama," she groans. "He's... just a friend." she says as she moves the scrambled eggs around on her plate. "He's friends with Checo, I..."

Santiago glances at his older sister. "He's a pilot?"

Althea nods and glances at her brothers and then at her mother. "For Mercedes." 

Santiago's eyes lit up. "Cool." 

Suleika's gaze focuses on Matteo and then Althea. "So... he spent the night?" she asks. 

Althea pressed her lips together. "Yep. But not like in my bed!" she says defensively. "He slept on the couch."

Matteo snorts. "I saw him leave your room this morning."

If looks could kill Matteo Perez would've been in the ground; Althea looks at her mother. "Anyway..."

Santiago glances at his sister. "Are you sleeping with a Formula One driver?"

"She's dating him dumbass." Matteo corrected.

"Not that it matters." she interjects as Suleika glances at all of them. 

"Enough." Suleika says loudly enough to scare the three of them into pausing dead in their tracks. "Matteo, she's 24, she isn't a child, leave her be. Santiago, eat, ask questions later." her gaze flicks to Althea. "And as for you, don't do anything under my roof. I know you have hormones and whatnot, keep him out of your room. Its all I ask."

Althea glances at her mother and nods. "But we didn't do anything." she promises. "We were just... talking." she says finally. 

A smile graces Suleika's lips. "Sure you were." she says quietly. "But for the record, we heard everything."