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“That’s decided. I should win races more often.”
* * *
After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Luca and I traveled to Montreal, Canada, where I managed to score another podium, although this one was behind my brother. Still, the car continued to feel incredible, and I knew that the upgrades in Silverstone next week were going to make me even faster. I was slightly disappointed at coming P2 in Montreal, but as Fiona reminded me, Hermes had more grid penalties coming up while we still were quite a ways off from taking one.
In between the race weeks of Baku and Canada, and then Canada and Great Britain, I spent quite a bit of time with Luca in Monaco. After we slept together in Baku, I told myself that I would take it slower with him, but that lasted no longer than a day. Before I knew it, I found myself spending my evenings either with Luca on my couch, chatting away about life, movies, books –anything– or texting Luca from my bed when I had to be at the factory.
I hated to admit it, but Luca was starting to become a good friend. His advice on the Valkyrie F1 car was interesting, and I was beginning to learn that there was more to him than met the eye. When Oliver had come to visit Monaco for a couple of days, Luca had decided to stay an extra day, and the three of us had a fun, civil dinner.Maybe hell really was freezing over.
And now the week Lily and Edward had been waiting for had finally arrived – the British Grand Prix, held at the prestigious Silverstone racetrack. In truth, all of the drivers loved this old, classic track. It was one of the oldest in Formula 1 and definitely one of the most revered. Winning Silverstone felt like winning the World Drivers Championship for whoever won it – especially if that driver was British. The crowds were loud, and the seating was jam-packed with people, everything you needed for a successful Grand Prix.
This year, there were four British drivers on the track, the most F1 had seen in a long while, and Lily was one of them. As promised, Maison de Klotho released a Silverstone special edition purse, and the advertisements were plastered all over posters and various social media channels. It was impossible to get to the track without seeing Lily and I pawning their purses on a billboard.
Still, it was the funding the team needed, and we had finally secured an official 3-year sponsorship deal. Isabelle had informed the team last week at the office, and I felt like the Atlas, except the weight of the world had finally been lifted from my back.
“Hey Georgie, Isabelle wants to see you in her office!” Lily called out to me, pulling me from my haze. I gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment and then proceeded to leave the engineering office for Isabelle’s.
As I entered her office, I saw Fiona Schmidt sitting next to Isabelle on the office couch, sipping a cup of coffee. She motioned for me to take a seat across from her, which I did.
“Georgia, thanks for joining us. I know you and Mel are busy discussing some of the new Silverstone car upgrades, so we’ll keep this quick. As you know, we have officially secured the Maison de Klotho funding along with several other brands. It seems as though we’re finally on the up and up, thanks to some brilliant results from you and Lily.” I nodded in response, not entirely sure where Isabelle was going with this.
“So, after some chatting with Francesco, we wanted to discuss ending you and Luca’s relationship.” I felt frozen in shock; all I could do was just stare back at her blankly. I knew that she expected me to say something, but I couldn’t find the words to express how I was feeling a million feelings in that moment – none of them good.
Forget Atlas, I felt like Thanatos, the personification of death.
The moment Isabelle said the words, my heart sank down into the pit of my stomach. This is what I wanted from the beginning, but now that I was faced with it, I could feel my heart start to break. When we started this sham, I demanded that we end it the moment we secured several sponsorship deals, but now, with everything that had happened between Luca and me, I just couldn’t help but feel sorrow over a relationship that had never been real.
“Right, well, obviously, it can’t be a quick thing. We were thinking we’d spend the next several races reducing the content we put out of the two of you, and then after Summer break, announce the split. Francesco wanted to wait until the end of the season, but I said you had both earned a break from one another.” Isabelle said the words as if she was triumphant, like I should be thanking her for this favor she was doing for me.
But I couldn’t thank her, I could barely look her in the eyes.
“Is Hermes discussing this with Luca?” I finally found my voice, but it sounded more pathetic than I would have liked.
“Yes, of course. We wanted to get your opinions on the matter and then decide on the best course of action. So, any thoughts on this?” Isabelle looked up from her notes, and I wasn’t sure if she registered my hesitation – my uncertainty.
“No!” I blurted out, and I could see Fiona and Isabelle trying to process my outburst. It was clear that they had run this scenario a few times, and that answer hadn’t been one of the possible outcomes.
“Did you want it to be sooner?” Fiona asked cautiously, not entirely sure what she was going to get out of me.
“I think this is too soon.”
Fiona and Isabelle both hesitated before Isabelle finally said, “Too soon? Georgia, we’re giving you a way out of this relationship – something you were demanding a few months ago.” Isabelle looked a little frustrated at me. I knew she had not expected me to be so upset at this generous offer.
“Well, you wanted my opinion, and now you have it. Breaking up now would just make this look like it was a farce. It would be embarrassing, especially after the GQ article. You made me do this relationship; don’t embarrass me by abruptly ending it.” I knew I should be controlling my temper as I spoke to my team principal, but I couldn’t help myself. Valkyrie pushed me into this sham. Now, they had to help me keep the charade going.
“Well… ok, sure. I didn’t realize you felt so strongly about this. Let me talk to Francesco.”
“Good. Am I needed for anything else?” I asked dryly. Fiona and Isabelle both shook their heads, neither of them uttering another word as I left the room. I immediately headed straight for my driver’s room, sinking down to the floor with my back to the door.
What a fucking mess. I was still seething with anger as I pulled out my phone to text Lily. Just as I was about to type something, I heard a knock at my door. I begrudgingly got up and opened it, only to see Lily standing there, two cups of espresso in her grasp.
“Thought you might want this after your chat with Isabelle.” I nodded and gave her an appreciative smile, motioning for her to come in.
“Thanks.”
“Want to talk about it?” Lily asked, taking a seat on my couch as she sipped the coffee in her hands.
“It’s just… Isabelle told me that Luca and I could end our relationship sooner than expected, and I told her that was stupid. It would be embarrassing for us to end it now, right? I mean, we just had the article, and we’ve been photographed hanging out the last two weeks. It would feel ridiculous if we just broke up after summer break!” The words kept tumbling out of me, each word coming out more exasperated than the next.
