[3] MARANELLO || C. LECLERC

THIRTY SIX

* the revelation begins here... enjoy and please engage throughout!! it really helps me out and i also love to see what you think of each chapter x*

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CAMILLE

"What is this about?"

"Stefan van de Berg."

I felt sick to my stomach, tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I glanced around the room in the height of fear. He was here and I knew it, to speak to me, to torture me, and there was no getting out of it. I should've known, or at least guessed, but this actually wasn't anything like I expected. I looked at Mattia and I knew he could see the fear in my eyes. I needed Charles.

"What? Where is he?" I stood up from the sofa in fear. I couldn't stay in here. I felt trapped. Hearing his name nauseated me.

"He's not here, Camille," Mattia shook his head, and I believed him. Charles wouldn't tell me that everything would be okay and I believed him, because he wouldn't put me through this if it would hurt me. "He's not here. It's okay."

"Where is he?" I spoke with more of a serious tone to my voice. I was terrified. I needed Mattia to tell me where Stefan was hiding, and why he'd asked me to be in here alone. I wanted to know why Max was in his office, despite being a member of one of the rival teams. It didn't make sense to me. Stefan's company, which he'd somehow acquired, and I had no idea how, provided a lot of money for Ferrari as one of their main sponsors. Surely Mattia would be praising him.

"He's gone. He's not in the paddock anymore, and nor will he be allowed back," Mattia's words shocked me. I gasped. My heart was racing, my fingers were shaking, and my breathing was slowly becoming erratic. Although, it didn't appear to be bad news. I needed more of an explanation. I didn't understand. "I know what happened, Camille, and I am so sorry I only found out now."

"What?" I froze. He knew.

"Let me explain," Mattia glanced at the water machine in the corner of his office. "Would you like a drink?"

I shook my head. I just wanted him to talk. I needed to know what he'd been told, and what Stefan told him, because I could only assume that it came from him. This is what he was threatening me with; he was going to tell my secret if I didn't spend another night with him, which I didn't want to do. I would never put myself in that situation ever again but I didn't want to believe his threats. I didn't think he would do this to me.

"Stefan came to me last night and told me he needed to speak to me as a matter of urgency," Mattia linked his hands together and held them on his desk. My stomach was in knots. I felt ready to break down and crumble. "Of course, I invited him into my office and asked him to take a seat, so we could talk. He seemed quite distraught, actually. I was quite concerned about him."

"What did he say to you?" I shuffled so that I was sitting on my hands to prevent them from trembling uncontrollably. I didn't want to hear any of this, especially not alone. I figured that Charles and Max knew it all. I was dreading it because I didn't know what I was supposed to expect. I already felt sick. I didn't need any new stress, what I already had was enough. I was shooting image after image each weekend, mostly on a Thursday while the drivers were going through countless media sessions and interviews.