"What if we're better as a team?" Lando asked, his gaze softening.
"We're better as rivals," Rose replied, her heart pulling her in two directions.
In this world of speed ambition friendship and love, every race could change everything-on and off th...
Amidst all the chaos, Rose found herself caught in an unbearable crossfire. The tension between Lando and Franco was growing more volatile with each passing day, their rivalry threatening to spill over both on and off the track. She hated seeing them like this—two people she cared about so deeply, locked in a battle that seemed to go beyond racing. The weight of it pressed heavily on her, leaving her restless and uncertain.
After much deliberation, she decided she couldn't stand by any longer. She needed to confront Franco, to understand his side of things, and perhaps find a way to ease the growing animosity. It was a risk, she knew that, but she couldn't bear to see the two men she valued most tearing each other apart.
Before slipping away from the Mercedes motorhome, she typed out a quick message: "Hey, I need to talk to you. Back paddock at 10?"
The paddock, illuminated by the glow of floodlights, was still alive with activity despite the late hour. Mechanics and team members bustled about, their voices cutting through the quiet hum of the night. She moved quickly, her heart pounding, her thoughts tangled with doubt. Am I doing the right thing? Will this make things worse? She pushed the questions aside, knowing she wouldn't find peace unless she tried.
She hadn't told Lando where she was going—she knew he wouldn't understand. His anger toward Franco had grown sharp and unrelenting, like a wound that refused to heal. She feared that if he found out, it would only add fuel to the fire, driving the simmering tension between them to a breaking point. Despite Lando insisting it was just a normal rivalry, a fight for the championship, Rose couldn't shake the feeling that it was much more than that. There was a tension between them that went beyond the track, something unspoken but impossible to ignore.
This was something she had to do alone.
The back paddock was dimly lit, tucked away from the paddock's bustling heart. She arrived a few minutes early, the sound of her footsteps muffled by the gravel underfoot. The air was cooler here, carrying a stillness that felt almost suffocating, heavy with the anticipation of what was to come. As she waited, her mind churned through every possible version of the conversation, each one feeling more uncertain than the last.
"Must be important if you want to talk to me now," Franco's voice cut through the silence, low and laced with a bitterness that made her chest tighten.
Rose startled, spinning toward the sound. She hadn't noticed him approach, his presence shadowed until he spoke. He stepped into the faint glow of the overhead lights, his face a storm of emotions—anger, betrayal, and something unspoken, raw, that made her heart ache. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze as she steadied her voice.
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"Franco..." she began, her tone faltering before she pushed herself forward. "What's going on between you and Lando? I can't stand seeing you both tearing each other apart like this."
