Bonjour ma chérie || Charles Leclerc

•Chapter 35•

°It's been a long time
And seeing the shape of your name
Still spells out pain
It wasn't right
The way it all went down
Looks like you know that now
Yes, I got your letter
Yes, I'm doing better
It cut deep to know ya
Right to the bone
Yes, I got your letter
Yes, I'm doing better
I know that it's over
I don't need your closure°

That incident was just the start of a long and heated rivalry. Charles' words had deeply affected Diana and her pride. She knew that he was heartbroken as well, but his arrogance made her feel disgusted. His refusal to listen to her or to believe her made diana even more angry and disappointed. He never even had second thoughts on whether or not Diana could lie to his face. For Diana, this meant that he never truly knew her because if he did, he wouldn't even believe that she was capable of cheating on him.

That's when Diana's plan changed. She was going to stay only to play with his nerves and make him regret having this attitude. She had cried so much for him, so this was a form of revenge for her.

In the four long months that passed before the actual season started, Charles and Diana did nothing but argue when they happened to be in the same room. Just like they did at the Christmas party that was hosted in the office. After having some drinks, they stood by accident under a mistletoe, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the stuff. As their colleagues began cheering for a kiss, Charles and Diana looked at each other with hatred before Charles actually spoke.

"I don't hate myself that much to do such a thing." He said and turned his back, ready to walk away.

"Funny how you used to do such a bad thing to yourself every day." Diana replied, gaining a death stare by Charles before he eventually left.

As February was slowly coming to its end, Diana traveled for the first time to another country for her job. She arrived at Shakir and made her way to her hotel, where she unpacked her suitcase. She was feeling exhausted by the flight, so she wore some comfy clothes and laid on the double bed.

This week, there was a 3 day long pre-season testing that was very important for the team. They needed to check whether their upgrades had actually managed to improve the new car and, most importantly, whether they were competitive.

Those 3 days went by pretty quickly without anything special happening. The team was pleased by the results since Carlos topped the rest of the drivers on the second day and Charles on the third one. This season looked promising, but Fred's orders were to stay humble and not lay back.

Thankfully, Diana had some time to adjust to Bahrain's time zone since the first grand prix was held at the same place, the next week. She took some time and went  sightseeing after work, trying to discover the country. This job might not be her dream one, but it was definitely relaxing and was offering a bunch of traveling for free.

Diana also had some time to meet with the rest of the stuff and start making friends. She usually spent time with Bianca, one of Carlos' mechanics. She was Italian and a couple years older than her. She didn't miss the opportunity and went shopping with her once.

The shops were luxurious, full of people that were definitely wealthy. Diana ended up buying a pair of heels that she randomly saw while walking around with Bianca. She even tried the traditional food of Bahrain at a nice restaurant before returning to her hotel.

The first week of work had gone pretty well, but Diana could not say the same about her second week at Shakir. The actual race week had just begun, signaling the kick off of the 2024 season. Everyone was almost crazy at the paddock, running around, trying to be on time for meetings and their media duties. As Diana parked her car at the paddock's parking space, she was soon greeted by some reporters.

"Diana, why did you delete your social media profiles?" One of them asked.

"Was it because you broke up with charles?" Another one added.

"Why did you decide to work for your ex's team?" A third one said.

Diana really tried to avoid them by saying nothing, but it was impossible for her. Therefore, she stopped to answer their questions.

"I don't think the personal matters of the drivers should be in the interest field of the fans. Everyone should be allowed to live a private life and feel safe. And to everyone's information, I am here to support the team I work for and help win a title. I believe that this is what everyone should care about. Gossiping and judging won't get you anywhere." She said and walked away, entering the paddock.

She rushed to the Ferrari garage, where she found Bianca, and told her about what had happened. Just then, Carlos walked up to her.

"Hello Diana." He greeted her warmly.

"Oh, hello Carlos! How are you doing?" She asked in a friendly way.

"I'm good, thanks for asking. I accidentally overheard what you were saying to Bianca. If you want a piece of advice, I'd say that you should not pay attention to that kind of reporters and just act like they don't exist. They mean nothing but harm." He said.

"Oh, thank you Carlos that means a lot to me." She said with a smile.

"Any time." He said. "I was thinking that we could grab a coffee sometime. It's been a long time since we last saw each other properly." He added.

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea!" She said, the smile not fading from her face.

"Perfect. Does tomorrow's evening work for you?" He asked.

"Yes, I don't have that much work." She replied.

"Excellent. I'll pick you up at 7 pm. See you then!" He said before rushing to his meeting.

"Did he just ask me on a date?" She whispered to Bianca.

"I think he did." Bianca said, giggling. "Lucky girl. I'm jealous." She added with a smile.