Operation: Faultline - A Lestappen story

charles leclerc is, quite literally, one grocery trip away from financial ruin. which is mildly humiliating, considering he's a formula 1 driver for scuderia ferrari. but while the world sees private jets, designer suits, and champagne podiums, charles sees maxed-out cards, impossible expectations, and a sport full of people who would smile to his face and stab him in the back before lights out. because in formula 1, there are no real friends-just rivals, opportunists, and people waiting for you to crack. and charles? charles is cracking.grief-stricken, spiralling, and just desperate enough to make a truly catastrophic life choice, he decides that if the world is going to rob him blind, he might as well rob it back. his target: the crown jewels. the louvre. paris.

the problem is, of course, that he cannot do that alone.

max, meanwhile, wants absolutely nothing to do with charles leclerc's latest mental breakdown. max doesn't do emotional support, he doesn't do vulnerability, and he definitely doesn't do "teamwork" unless there's something in it for him. but somehow, against all logic and self-preservation, he says yes. and suddenly it's fake names, terrible plans, international crime, unresolved tension, and the deeply unfortunate realization that stealing priceless jewels is somehow easier than dealing with whatever the hell is happening between them.

because if there's one thing more dangerous than attempting a heist in the middle of formula 1 season,

it's letting yourself care about the one person you absolutely, definitely should not.