Her || Charles Leclerc

31. I Am Still Alive

The Ferrari hospitality intern sat on a bench in front of the adventure park in Singapore, the humid air clinging to her skin as she glanced at her watch for the thousandth time. She was nervous but hopeful. Beside her, her marketing intern colleague scrolled through her phone, equally anxious. Last week, after the historic victory at Monza, the interns devised a spontaneous idea: to plan a team-building activity for the team. They had excitedly posted the details on the personnel portal, knowing that only a fraction of the team might read it, and even fewer would appear.

As the minutes ticked by, the two interns exchanged hopeful glances. "Do you think anyone will come?" the marketing intern asked, trying to sound optimistic.

The hospitality intern shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "If no one shows up, we'll still have a fun day. And hey, it's Singapore. How could we not?"

They both laughed, the tension easing slightly. Just then, the sound of footsteps on the asphalt made them look up. Smiles came on their faces and they looked disbelieving at each other; people actually showed up. And not just a few, but almost all the mechanics. The interns got up and greeted the group, only to see the next group from their team walking towards them; the people who worked around the paddock for Ferrari. Then some engineers joined them. And last but not least: Matilde and Galileo.

"Wow, I didn't expect to see all those people. Especially not the engineers and Matilde," the hospitality intern whispered to the marketing intern. "This is like... almost the entire track team."

Their surprise deepened; Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and both their performance coaches showed up.

"Come," the marketing intern whispered and nudged her colleague. She stepped on the bench, taking the hospitality intern with her. "Can I have everybody's attention, please!" The people in front of them became silent. "We are very delighted to see you here. If we are honest, we never expected this many people, so that makes today even more exciting! We have booked the mega climb and the zipline. Feel free to do both, or one, or none. The park closes at 6 o'clock. Have fun today!"

The team cheered and they entered the park.

Matilde approached the interns with a warm smile, her eyes reflecting her approval. "This was a great idea," she complimented. "Well done."

"Thank you," the marketing intern smiled, trying to hold back her emotions. She barely spoke to Matilde, she had nothing to do with her. Besides, her being the team principal of the team. However, she looked up to her in many ways. "We didn't expect to see you here..."

"How can I say no to this?" Matilde replied. "The team needs a fun activity after last week's win. See it as a small break to have fun."

The team walked to the centre of the park, where an instructor was waiting to give them some guidelines and safety instructions. Galileo stood beside Matilde, who was standing at the back of the group. He observed his boss, noticing how attentively she listened. His gaze then shifted to Charles, who stood on the other side of the group, far away from Matilde. The distance between them was noticeable, and they avoided looking at each other or entering each other's space. Galileo raised his eyebrows slightly, sensing that something had happened between the two. He licked his lips and turned back to the instructions.

As the instructor finished speaking, the group split into smaller clusters, heading towards the various activities. Matilde, still standing at the back, took a moment to soak in the lively atmosphere. She felt a sense of pride watching her team unwind and enjoy themselves, their spirits high after the monumental win at Monza.

The group began their activities, laughter and shouts of excitement echoing through the park. Matilde decided to join a few of the engineers for the mega climb, hoping the physical challenge would help clear her mind.