In the scenic south of Italy, political adviser Ana escapes her demanding career for a much-needed vacation. In a quaint village, she meets Lando, a charming and energetic F1 driver who is also seeking respite from his fast-paced life. Their encount...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
AnaVillanueva: Mondays 📍
Ana's POV
Monday after the Spanish Grand Prix is as hectic as expected. I walk into the office, ready to dive into work and put the weekend behind me. By lunchtime, my phone buzzes incessantly with notifications. Curious, I check and see a slew of messages and a news article claiming that Lucas Alegria and I are dating. The photos from the paddock club and the celebratory party are plastered all over, showing Lucas and me looking cozy.
I roll my eyes. Media needs to pick something up, I think, dismissing it. This isn't the first time the press has fabricated stories based on out-of-context photos.
Minutes later, my phone buzzes again. This time, it's Lando.
Lando: Is the article true?
Ana: No, absolutely not. I feel like I've been repeating myself for ages.
Lando: Would you deny it in public?
Ana: Of course, because it's not true.
As I hit send, a thought strikes me. This might be a move from my team, given the optics—it could help our campaign because the public loves a 'love story.' I decide to confront Reyes about it.
I knock on Reyes' door and walk in. "Reyes, can we talk?"
"Of course. What's on your mind?" He looks up from his paperwork.
I hand him my phone with the article pulled up. "This. Is this part of some strategy I wasn't aware of?"
Reyes frowns as he reads the article. "No, Ana. This isn't a strategy we discussed. Is there anything going on between you and Lucas?"
"No," I say firmly. "There's nothing between us."
He nods and hands the phone back. "I'm not pawning you out, Ana. You're the one who moves this campaign, and I respect you too much to pull a stunt behind your back. Go figure out who tipped this."
His words reassure me, but now I'm left with the task of finding out who leaked this story. I return to my desk, my mind racing with possibilities.
After work, Lando texts again, asking if we can meet before he flies to Austria for the next race. It's obvious the news has him on edge, especially not after what happened last night. We kissed. I know people kiss, but I haven't been kissed in a long time and it felt... pretty damn good.
Given the news and no response from Lucas, I decide to invite Lando over to my apartment for dinner. I need to talk to him in a private setting, somewhere I don't have to worry about random paparazzi following me around.
Lando arrives, carrying a bouquet of flowers. He looks tense, and I can tell the article is bothering him.
"Hey," I greet him, taking the flowers from his hand. "Come in."
