Her || Charles Leclerc

27. The Monza Dream

Matilde stared outside, biting off the loose skin of her lips. She took a deep breath and felt a knot of nerves tighten in her stomach. Yesterday, nobody had to perform that hard, but today... Qualifying meant everything to the team. Therefore, the pressure was relentless, a constant companion that shadowed her every move. Usually, a race weekend didn't do much to Matilde. But this was Monza, all eyes were on her and her team. She couldn't shake the unease that gnawed at her insides, the fear of failure looming large in her mind.

A knock on her office door brought her back to reality. "Yes," she said and cleared her throat.

The door flew open, and Galileo entered the office. "Fifteen minutes until qualifying," he mentioned and closed the door behind him. For the first time as her assistant, he had to remind her of the times and meetings. He took a seat on the chair in front of her desk.

She nodded. "Perfect."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fucking nervous," she blurted. "And I fucking hate it."

He also hadn't heard her use bad words this much. "Understandable, but you will rock this. You prepped your team the best you could, Charles and Carlos are ready for this. There's nothing else you can do then just let it happen."

"I know," she mumbled. "It's just... The media is stalking me this week, throwing bullshit rumours in the out and the open. Fans are everywhere, they are counting on the team to deliver a win. Within the team, there are so many discussions and clashes over the strategies and everybody is just snubbing to each other. And let's not forget the board, they are watching me closely and they want me to fail so they can fire me," she summed. "Oh, and my family is here, so if we don't win or if we fail, they will think I'm a loser. I haven't slept properly in days and the pressure is just building up every minute. What the fuck am I supposed to do? Can I even handle this?"

"Matilde..." Galileo sighed. "Do you know who you are? Because the woman talking now isn't the Matilde Jørgensen, we know."

"Even the Matilde Jørgensen has fucking mental breakdowns and doesn't know what to do anymore." She groaned. "I hate Monza week."

Galileo softly chuckled. "You will love it tomorrow. And don't listen to all those media people, fans and whatever they are. They want to crank up the pressure because they expect a lot from you and the team. Turn this stress into motivation, determination."

"By the way, why did you cancel the interview with Sky Sports?"

Galileo tilted his head. "Because you needed some time for yourself, to have a mental breakdown, right?" He rose from his seat and made his way towards the door. "Stop overthinking. Talk about it. Or you will stress even more."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Thanks... I guess?" For a moment Matilde didn't want to admit that this was the right call. It showed that Galileo knew her better than she knew. "Good thing for me I will see both my psychologists next week," she said relievedly. "In person, this time."

Galileo pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. "If you need to talk this weekend, you know where to find me. Anyway, come on, girl, let's get a snack and drink and go to the garage."

"I don't know what I would do without you." She got up and followed him to the restaurant area. "Where are the boys?"

"Already at the garage. It's so busy outside that we wanted them to be there in advance for some peace."

"Good," she said. They both got a snack and a lemonade. "I'm so nervous and excited at the same time," she mentioned.

Galileo smiled. "It's gonna be exciting."