The Deception ~ LN4

17

The month following the Singapore media storm became a deliberate dance of distance and connection for Mercedes. Flight schedules became her sanctuary, a way to process the recent chaos while maintaining her professional composure.

International routes became her escape. Tokyo to London. London to Sydney. Sydney to Dubai. Her logbook filled with nautical miles, each flight a meditation, each takeoff a reset.

Lando's messages remained constant. Short. Supportive. Understanding.

Lando 🧡

yesterday 18:00

How's the sky today?

Clear. Endless. Peaceful.

~~~

Text messages bridged the impossible distances. Phone calls during her layovers, brief but intimate connections that transcended the physical separation.

James noticed her deliberate scheduling. "You're booking yourself solid," he observed during a pre-flight briefing.

"Healing," she responded simply.

Her flight schedules were strategic. Professional. Yet underneath lay a deeper emotional navigation. Each mile was a form of processing, each international route a way of reclaiming her narrative.

Lando raced. Trained. Waited.

He understood her need for space. The racing world had witnessed their resilience during the pregnancy rumor fallout. Now, he respected her process of recalibration.

Their conversations remained consistent. Never accusatory. Always supportive.

Lando 🧡

Today 16:00

Las Vegas is coming up

I know

Miss you❤️

Miss you too😘

~~~

The Las Vegas Grand Prix approached. A street circuit that embodied everything about modern racing – glamour, precision, spectacle.

What Lando didn't know was Mercedes' meticulous planning. She had strategically arranged her flights, timing her international routes to intersect perfectly with the race weekend.

Her final flight landed in Las Vegas mere hours before the race. A commercial flight from Sydney, her uniform crisp, her determination absolute.

The McLaren team prepared. Lando focused. Practice sessions, qualifying – his mind entirely on the circuit's challenging layout.

Mercedes moved silently. A ghost in the paddock. Zac knew her plan but kept her secret. The team remained aware of the secret that is to be kept from Lando.

The Grandprix became Lando's moment of absolute brilliance. Each corner navigated with surgical precision. Each decision calculated. When he secured pole position, the team erupted in celebration.

He had no idea she was watching.

As Lando exited his car, helmet still on, the world around him blurred into celebration. Team members congratulated him. Cameras flashed.

And then, he saw her.

Mercedes stood slightly apart from the crowd. Her pilot's uniform a stark contrast to the racing environment. Their eyes met.