The Deception ~ LN4

7

The first sign of trouble came in the form of a headline: "RISING F1 STAR'S PILOT GIRLFRIEND: SECRET PAST REVEALED." Mercedes stared at her phone, her coffee growing cold on the flight deck as she waited for her next set of passengers to board at Charles de Gaulle.

The article itself was mostly speculation and dramatically enhanced versions of perfectly innocent events from her career. But there, buried in the middle, was a photo she'd hoped never to see again: Mercedes, age nineteen, standing next to a small crashed Cessna. The incident that had nearly ended her flying career before it began.

Her phone buzzed – Lando. She let it go to voicemail, needing a moment to collect her thoughts. The next buzz was a text:

Lando🧡

Today 08:05

Don't read the tabloids. They're vultures.

Call me when you can? ❤️

~~~

Lily🌸

Today 08:07

Media training, tomorrow, my place.

No arguments.

Bringing reinforcements. x

~~~

The cabin crew was starting their pre-flight checks when a third message arrived, from an unknown number:

012-34-5-67-89-10-11

Today 08:45

Ms. Kinley, this is Charlotte from McLaren PR.

When you have a moment, we should talk strategy.

Don't worry we protect our own.

~~~

Mercedes took a deep breath, centering herself the way she'd learned after that crash all those years ago. The past was the past. She'd learned from it, grown from it, become a better pilot because of it. But try telling that to the tabloids.

"Captain?" Her first officer gave her a concerned look. "Everything alright?"Mercedes squared her shoulders, slipping her phone into her flight bag.

"Perfect. Let's get these people to Madrid."The flight itself was mercifully routine, giving her time to think. By the time they landed, she had seventeen missed calls, twenty-eight text messages, and one very important decision to make.

She called Lando first."I was about to send out a search party," he answered immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I should have told you about the crash."

"Hey, no. You don't owe anyone your past. Especially not the vultures who dug it up." Mercedes leaned against the airport window, watching planes taxi past. "It was my first solo cross-country. Weather turned bad, I got disoriented, made some bad decisions. Nobody was hurt, but..." She swallowed hard. "I almost quit flying altogether."

"But you didn't."

"No. I learned from it instead. Went back up as soon as they'd clear me. Studied harder, trained harder. Never wanted to feel that helpless again."

"Sounds familiar." Lando's voice was gentle. "You know how many times I crashed in karting? How many mistakes I made learning this sport? It's not about never failing, it's about what you do afterward."

"The media won't see it that way."

"Fuck the media." The vehemence in his voice made her smile.

"You're an incredible pilot. One teenage mistake doesn't change that. And anyone who thinks it does can take it up with me."

"My hero," she teased, feeling some of the tension ease from her shoulders.

"Damn right. Now, are you going to let Lily help you handle this? Because she's already called me three times with plans, and honestly, she's a bit scary when she gets like this."

Mercedes laughed. "I suppose I don't have much choice."

"None whatsoever. Oh, and fair warning – Daniel's appointed himself your personal PR guru. He says anyone who can handle a plane in crisis can handle the press."

"The McLaren family really doesn't do anything halfway, do they?"

"Nope." She could hear his smile. "We take care of our own, remember?"

Later that evening, curled up in her hotel room, Mercedes opened her laptop. The crash article had spawned dozens of others, each more sensational than the last. But there, amid the chaos, was a new headline: "MCLAREN'S NORRIS SPEAKS OUT: 'Leave Her Alone'" Below was a short but pointed statement, attributed to Lando: "Everyone makes mistakes when they're learning. What matters is how you grow from them. Captain Kinley is one of the most skilled and professional pilots I've ever met. Her past only proves her strength of character. Now, can we get back to racing?"

McLaren PR Team

Today 18:00

Oscar Nice statement, mate. Short, sweet, protective but not defensive. Andrea will be proud

Daniel Our boy's growing up! 🥲

Now, about tomorrow's strategy...

Lily🌸 Meeting at mine, 10am.

Bringing pastries and media survival tips.

We've got this, M. ❤️

~~~

Mercedes looked at the messages, then at Lando's statement, and felt something fierce and warm bloom in her chest. Maybe the tabloids would never understand, but these people – this wonderfully weird racing family she'd somehow stumbled into – they got it perfectly. She picked up her phone and typed

McLaren PR Team

Today 18:01

Count me in. And... thank you.

All of you

Daniel That's our girl! 🙌

Oscar Family sticks together

Lily🌸 Knew you were one of us 😘

~~~

Tomorrow would bring media training and PR strategies and probably more headlines. But tonight, watching the Paris lights twinkle outside her window, Mercedes felt strangely at peace. Some turbulence was inevitable in any flight path – what mattered was having the right crew to help you navigate through it. Her phone buzzed one final time.

Lando had sent a photo: the simulator room at MTC, where someone (probably Oscar) had taped a hand-drawn sign reading "Captain's Chair" to the cockpit. Below it, he'd written: "Your seat's always waiting. Just try not to crash this one? 😉 "Mercedes smiled and typed back: "No promises. But I'll always stick the landing. ❤️"

______________________

Sorry for the short chapter...

But I got to witness max win the world championship 😌
Lando is going to become a champion one of these days.
mark my words

Also... I got to meet Pato and Bianca🤭