TAKEOVER → Formula 1

Xi| oh Tesoro

Oh Tesoro: oh baby

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Italics: Italian

Marissa Romono was utterly infatuated with Daniel Ricciardo and had been for years. It might not seem right from the outside — that she was employed by him as a personal assistant — but it had been a complete accident. Marissa fell for his charm and Daniel fell for her smile. It just...happened.

Marissa and Daniel spent most of their time together during race weekends and between, unless Daniel was doing media duties or either of them were with friends. They had a good respect for boundaries side.

The biggest boundary they had to learn was managing having Marissa's mother as Daniel's boss and making sure everything remains professional at work. No one would know they were together while working and that was how they preferred it.

"Boo," Daniel whispered as he appeared behind his girlfriend. "What are you cooking?"

"Carbonara," Marissa grinned, turning back to kiss him. "I wonder if you'd have to work out as much if I wasn't cooking all the time."

"It's worth it, you cook the best food," Daniel beamed. "My parents constantly remind me."

"Your parents are lovely," Marissa hummed. "I'm glad we went to see them during the break."

Daniel nodded happily. His parents adored Marissa, which he was glad about, and they were always happy to have her around. He hadn't told them that they were starting a family because he wanted it to be a surprise when they finally did.

"When we have a baby, what are we going to call them?" Daniel questioned, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I was thinking Italian names, if it didn't bother you," Marissa replied softly. "Donte for a boy or Francesca for a girl."

"I love them," Daniel grinned. "It's better that you name them, I'd end up calling them something stupid."

"I know," Marissa joked. "Now you're going to have to move your arms I can finishing cooking."

"If I have to," Daniel signed.

Marissa gave him a playful glare as she plated up their foods. They were a chaotic pair at times but it's what made them compatible. Marissa spent most of her time with him in Monaco or he'd stay with her in Milan for a few days. Marissa wanted to move permanently to Italy once they had a child and Daniel had agreed to it.

The season had been a lot more enjoyable than last year for both of them. Marissa hated the disappointment she saw in Daniel with his time at Mclaren as he struggled to get to grips with the car. She was glad it gave him his relationship with Lando and Mira, who Marissa adored, but Daniel was clearly happier at Lamborghini, as was Mick.

Both of them had podiums, though only third, and the team was striving. It seemed Lucia Romono was the right woman for the job and Marissa had no doubt her mother had a striving force of passion for the force.

They were due in Qatar in a day so Marissa was soaking up their alone time. They put it to good use, in Marissa opinion, and she was sure Daniel would agree with her in that regard. A baby didn't make itself, did it?

"Stop looking at me like that," Marissa glared at Daniel. "No."

"We have time—"

"We don't, we promised to FaceTime Scotty," Marissa smiled, kissing Daniel's cheek. "After."

"Love you!"

"Love you too."

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Marissa was no stranger to warm weather but Qatar was another level. She was constantly suffocating with the humidity and all she wanted to do was sit in front of the aircon the entire time. She couldn't understand how her boyfriend was supposed to drive in it but it was his job and he had to. Besides, Daniel adored racing and it would take more than hot weather for him to back away from it.

It had been hard to stand in the media pen after each session and all the drivers were clearly needing their ice baths. Marissa stayed close to Daniel as she always did, apart from when he was in her car or she wanted to talk to her mother.

"You seem agitated," Marissa commented as she walked alongside her mother.

"This car doesn't suit this track," Lucia huffed. "There is nothing we can do other than adjust small things."

"You can't get every track to fit within what the car needs—"

"We can. Red Bull do it, Mercedes used to do it. It's just about development," Lucia argued strongly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't take this out on you."

"It's okay, Danny is frustrated too and so was Mick."

"They know they can use that car to get the points we need now," Lucia added. "They see the podium and we need them to reach for it. I can't expect them to do that if we give them a car that isn't fast everywhere."

Marissa nodded as she watch Daniel sign some hats for fans. He was always kind with the younger kids, crouching down to talk to them and making sure they got any selfies they wanted or shirts signed. He had no reason to rush at the end of the day either and he just wanted to make people happy.

"Have you told him?"

Marissa and Lucia locked eyes as the Italian woman spoke to her daughter in a quiet and soft tone. Lucia wasn't always the softest speaker but when it came to her daughter, she wanted her to know how much she cared.

"No," Marissa admitted. "He's sweet and I love him. I just wanted some time to let myself settle with the news before all his excitement takes over and I don't get a minute to breathe."

"Understandable."

"We both know that the minute he knows I'm pregnant, he's going to get all soppy."

"He should. You deserve the best Marissa and I won't let Daniel be anything but the best dad and — when the time comes — husband," Lucia smiled at her daughter. "Now put the poor man out of his misery and tell him."