Bonjour ma chérie || Charles Leclerc

•Chapter 34•

°And when you are young, they assume you know nothing
But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss
I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs
The smell of smoke would hang around this long
'Cause I knew everything when I was young
I knew I'd curse you for the longest time
Chasin' shadows in the grocery line
I knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired
And you'd be standin' in my front porch light
And I knew you'd come back to me°

The next morning, Diana woke up early. Practically, it was her first day at work, and she didn't want to be late. She took a quick shower and wore her navy blue tayer. She chose to do a natural makeup look and let her hair down. Thankfully, Diana had prepared her briefcase from the night before, and that saved her some time. After waisting some time searching her gabardine, which she eventually found, she left her apartment with a confident air that faded as soon as she arrived at the business office.

She had been planning everything for months now, and she managed to execute every step perfectly. The only thing that she forgot was to be prepared mentally. She hadn't seen him for months, and she wasn't sure whether she could handle this pressure. She took some steps, entering the building, trying to build up some confidence by thinking in a more positive and optimistic way.

The navigation in such a huge building was difficult, so it took her some time to find the exact location of the meeting room on the entrance map. Once she did, she immediately headed to the meeting room and opened the door silently. The room was filled with people dressed in Ferrari's uniforms, so she stood at the back of it, waiting for the meeting to start. She felt like the black sheep for a moment because she wasn't wearing anything similar.

Shortly later, Fred began talking. He started off by thanking everyone for doing their best during this tough season. Then he listed the problems that they faced as a team throughout the season and then he proceeded to introduce the new staff one by one, saying that those people were the first step to making Ferrari a team worth of a title.

As Fred was calling people beside him, Diana couldn't help but notice Charles, who was sitting in the front, very far away from her, next to Carlos. It was clear that he hadn't noticed her until the whole room heard her name coming from Fred's mouth. "Diana Stanford."

She walked towards the team peincipal, full of confidence and pride.

"Diana is our new legal advisor, and as always, I want everyone to treat her like one of us, like family." Fred said and smiled to her, a gesture that she returned with pleasure.

Fred continued with the rest of the names as Diana looked directly to Charles, who was already staring at her. It was difficult for her to read the emotions on his face. It was a mix of hatred and shock, but most importantly, wretchedness. He was tired, and you could tell by the bags under his eyes. The image made her sad to the bone, so she lowered her head for the rest of the meeting.

Once the meeting was over, Diana made her way to the restroom to throw some water on her face, trying to regain her strength. It was undoubtedly difficult for her to remain calm. She knew that seeing him after so long wouldn't be easy, but his appearance really affected her. She knew that he was not doing well despite trying to prove people otherwise. Once she walked out of the restroom, she got pushed against the wall by a pair of strong hands. Then she met once again the blue eyes that she had loved so deeply. This time, those eyes were filled with pain.

"Do you mind telling me what kind of shit you have in you fucking head?" Charles said directly to her face, without releasing her wrists from his grip.

"You're hurting me." Diana said, but he was out of control. She took a moment to examine his face. He was tense, full of angry emotions and definitely not himself at that moment. His facial expression, which apart from anger was screaming melancholy, made Diana want to hug him till everything was fixed, but she knew that this thought was utopian.

"You have the audacity to come and work for my team after what you did to me that damn night? After betraying me in the worst way possible?" He said, getting more and more angry as time passed.

"I'm here to explain everything. It wasn't what it looked like." Diana said, feeling her eyes full of tears that were on the edge of running down her cheeks, but that didn't seem to calm him down at all.

"There is nothing to explain here. I know what I saw. His lips against yours. His hands holding yours. Do you have the slightest idea of how torturing it was for me to watch this was? Do you know how many sleepless nights I got to experience because of you and how much i suffered by yours selfish actions? Do you understand that you destroyed me and left nothing but ruins behind?"

"You have every right to be mad at me, but I swear it wasn't like that. Just let me explain, and we can solve this." Diana was almost begging at this point, the tears in her eyes now slowly escaping.

"Oh, don't even bother to swear and cry. It would be a blasphemy. I'm not even impressed by your filthy theatrical skills. And for your information I'm not mad at you. I have nothing but pure hatred for you at this point, Diana. Pure hatred." He repeated before releasing her hands and walking away, leaving Diana standing like a statue that was slowly decomposing.