Risking it all (Lando Norris)

Chapter 25

Lando 

I was sprawled out on the bed, trying to let the tension from the day seep out of my muscles. It had been a long, exhausting day, but a good one. Finishing fourth in the final practice and then qualifying second—definitely something to be proud of. But despite the success, my mind kept drifting back to Lily, and the way Olivia had inserted herself into every moment, making it all feel so much heavier than it should have.

I reached for my phone, thinking about texting Lily to check in on her, but as soon as I unlocked it, my screen lit up with a barrage of notifications. I frowned, scrolling through the endless messages, tags, and alerts. Something was off. My heart sank as I started to piece it together.

First, the video of Olivia kissing my cheek after qualifying, then the moment I wiped it off without thinking. It was all over the internet, blown up and analyzed by people who had no idea what was really going on. They were speculating, throwing around theories about what it meant for my "relationship" with Olivia. I felt a wave of frustration roll over me, my jaw clenching at the thought of how twisted everything was getting.

And then I saw the photos of Lily leaving my driver's room.

They were everywhere. The paparazzi had been waiting for that perfect shot, and they got it. The headlines were worse than I could have imagined, making it sound like something scandalous was happening behind closed doors. I knew how this would look to everyone who didn't know the truth, and it made me sick. Not for myself, but for Lily. She didn't deserve this. She was dragged into something she never asked for, something I never wanted her to face.

All I wanted was to be with Lily. To hold her and make sure she was okay, to reassure her that we were going to get through this, no matter how messy it got. But instead, here I was, watching as everything spiraled further out of control.

My phone buzzed again, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Charlotte, my PR manager.

"Can you meet me in the hotel lobby? We need to talk," her message read.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I tried to push down the frustration and exhaustion. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good. But I knew I had to face it. I couldn't just ignore what was happening, not when it involved both Lily and me. I grabbed a hoodie and headed out of my room, my mind already racing with a million thoughts about what Charlotte might want to say.

As I stepped into the lobby, I immediately spotted Charlotte, but my heart skipped a beat when I saw who was standing next to her—Lily.

She looked tired, like the weight of the day was pressing down on her, but she still managed to give me a small smile when our eyes met. 

I felt a pang of guilt seeing her there, knowing that she was caught in the crossfire of something she never should have been a part of. But just seeing her, knowing she was here, made everything else fade away, even if just for a moment.

Charlotte motioned for me to join them, her expression serious, which only made the knot in my stomach tighten. As I approached, I couldn't help but glance at Lily, searching her face for any sign of how she was feeling. She looked calm, but I knew her well enough to see the tension beneath the surface.

"Hey," I said softly, my voice low as I stood next to her, resisting the urge to reach out and hold her hand.

"Hey," she replied, her eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before she turned back to Charlotte, who was watching us with a determined look.

"Alright," Charlotte began, her tone all business. "We need to talk about what's going on, and how we're going to handle this."

We moved to a small conference room off the side of the hotel lobby, a quiet, private space where Charlotte could let loose the frustration that had clearly been brewing since the photos and videos started circulating.