"SO," EMILIA WALKED ALONGSIDE isabel in the nearly empty paddock in belgium. "you're telling me—"

"here we go," isabel muttered.

"you're telling me," emilia cleared her throat, "that you can suddenly be around him all the time now that the deal is off, but when you were forced to share a hotel room, you couldn't stand him—"

"that's not what i said," isabel shook her head. "you paraphrased."

"no," emilia disagreed. "i inferred." isabel gave up and let her continue. "no, seriously, this is the ultimate character development. and he let you meet his cats. this is way more than you think it is."

isabel shrugged. emilia kinda had a point, not that she would admit it, though. "i don't want to deal with it, em. i didn't mean for this to happen and now that is has . . . i don't know."

emilia stopped once they were outside the motorhome. "if this is supposed to happen, it'll sort itself out. just don't shut him out," she then hugged isabel. "i know i haven't known you long, but i think this is the most lively i've seen you. clearly it's a good thing."

she didn't have anything to say to that, but she had listened and nodded anyway. isabel couldn't form an answer but, to some extent, she had to agree with emilia because it was the truth. "i guess," isabel nodded before smiling at her friend. "i'll see you later, yes?"

"noah and i will be at the garage," emilia smiled warmly. "good luck!"

THERE WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT about walking through the lamborghini motorhome this time.

almost every employee stared at isabel like she was someone from a different team instead of their driver. it was uncomfortable.

the worst part was that tori couldn't be in the room for the meeting. she would be debriefed after so she could fix up anything with the media, but that was it. it was just isabel, alicia, and leonardo.

it's fine, she told herself, her hands balled into fists in her jacket pockets. it is done. isabel opened the doors to one of the conference rooms and stepped inside. alicia and leonardo were already inside. it felt like monaco all over again.

isabel said nothing as she sat down in the seat across the table from them. it was silent for a few moments until alicia spoke.

"good morning," alicia nodded her head once.

"can we get on with it?" isabel asked impatiently. "i've got things to sort out."

"alright," leonardo said. "as you know, we've issued the statements and got your paperwork sorted. we just need you to sign it."

"is that all i get?" isabel scoffed. "i spent four years of my life here. i built your team up again after you spent years as one of the worst. you modified your cars because of me, and this is the best i get?"

"you also put us through hell, isabel," alicia deadpanned. "i appreciate what you've done for us, really, but—"

"what changed, alicia?" isabel cut her off. "you were so fucking nice to me. it's because you signed noah, right? and you realised that you could replace me with him. it is all fucking political, no?"

the way alicia was so calm enraged isabel. "you're a good driver, but you're not good for the team. we've lost sponsors because of you, we've lost a lot because of you."

"you signed a female rookie! what else did you expect?!" isabel's voice rose in volume. "any other team would have had the same happen. and i get it, i've been terrible with my temper, but don't tell me that i'm not good for the team when i'm the reason you almost got a world championship title last year."

"it's political, you are right," leonardo cut in. "i appreciate what you have done for this team, a lot of us do, but i sadly have to say that your decision to leave the team is a smart one. it is better than us firing you."

isabel's mouth dropped open in disbelief as she stared between the two. "so you were planning on firing me," she scoffed, leaning back in her chair and staring up at the ceiling. she couldn't help it when amused chuckles escaped her. "give me the fucking paperwork. lamborghini is going under after this season. i owe you nothing, and if i hear one word from noah or emilia about what you've done to them, i will be the one leading your downfall."

isabel signed the paperwork the second that it was handed to her before standing up and making sure she purposely toppled the chair back with her. "good luck. i race for myself now until abu dhabi." she left the room after that, slamming the door harshly behind her.

it was one of the shortest meetings, but isabel didn't want it to drag on when she had no interest in being near them. she knew they weren't going to fire her now that it was late august and the end of the year was closing in. they couldn't afford to find a new driver now, especially with emilia not knowing the car well enough yet.

as soon as she was out of the building, she was pulled into a hug before she could even process it. she immediately relaxed when she heard her younger brother mutter in french.

"it is over now," arthur mumbled in english this time. "proud of you."

"je t'aime," isabel squeezed arthur tighter before letting go. to her surprise, ollie was standing beside them. "ciao, ollie!" she pasted a smile on her face when she caught sight of him.

"arthur brought me to also be emotional support," he gave her a wave. "i can only really offer food, though," he held up the plastic bag in his hand.

"we stole it from prema," arthur shrugged. "come," he looped his arm through isabel's. "we go to ferrari now, charles is waiting there."

isabel instantly smiled a little more than before as she looped her other arm through ollie's and the three travelled through the paddock.

maybe this was the start of something new. although she raced under lamborghini still, isabel raced for herself now. this could be the new beginning of the start of the rest of whatever she wanted to do with her life. whether that he moving to a different motorsport, signing with a new team if they reached out, or moving on to something else entirely, she had the opportunity to do so now.

lamborghini's shackles shattered into shards along the floor as she walked between ollie and arthur. the rusting chains of four years were no more.

she had done her part like sebastian had advised, and how she was free to enjoy the rest of the year however she pleased.

x
( dialogue in italics is in french until next line break! )

THE SOUR MOOD RETURNED a few days later when the silly season news was still going. mclaren had just confirmed that daniel ricciardo was losing his seat at mclaren at the end of the season, a year before his contract was due to elapse. apparently it was mutually agreed upon, but daniel had told isabel that it wasn't at all. it was the team's decision, not his.

so max, charles, lando, isabel, and noah all took daniel out to dinner on wednesday night. it had helped to get daniel's mind off it and jokes had been made about how he, isabel and also sebastian were all soon to be unemployed, which had surprisingly helped to lift spirits.

"you know," isabel said as she set down her wine glass. "if we put enough money together, we could totally start our own team."

"oh god," charles muttered. he'd heard this same speech between her and daniel at least three times this year when both of them were a little more then tipsy.

"uh huh," daniel agreed. "totally. we could name it . . . uh, leccardo," he decided with a loud laugh. "yes!"

"that's a shit name," max pointed out.

"and your car's probably illegal," isabel rolled her eyes as she looked at him with wide eyes across the table. "what is your point?"

daniel laughed. "mate, when our team's faster than red bull, you'll be dying to come to ours."

"sign me, please," lando interrupted. "i'll be the first driver."

"can't keep away from me, can you?" daniel teased, lifting his glass of auburn liquid up from the table.

"danny ric!" lando exclaimed dramatically, nudging his foot against daniel's. "we're soulmates! of course i can't."

"would you actually make a team?" noah asked isabel from beside her.

isabel giggled. "fuck no. but the idea of it is always funny."

ONCE THE DINNER WAS over, isabel grabbed charles' hand and pulled him in the opposite direction of the restaurant before he could head to his car. "walk with me, please."

"hm? what's up?" charles asked as he slipped his hand out of his sister's grip to slide them into his pockets instead.

"i—" isabel faltered. "i never told you about silverstone. and so much more, and it's stupid because i really need my big brother right now."

"belle," charles frowned as he glanced at his sister. she kept her eyes on the street ahead of her. "talk to me."

that painful burning sensation behind her eyes flared again. the fact that she couldn't get herself to cry hurt more than trying to find the words. "i need help," she stuttered, her breath getting caught in her throat. "i don't know what to do and . . . and it hurts. a lot. i'm sorry."

this triggered something in charles. immediately, he stopped walking and placed his hands on isabel's shoulders. "breathe, belle, it's alright." there was a park bench nearby so he led her over to it and sat down with her.

"i'm sorry," she tried again, but no matter how much she tried to look up, she couldn't meet charles' gaze. "i— i kissed max in silverstone. and— and— i'm sorry."

despite the fact that the oxygen completely left charles' lungs, he still reached forward to wrap his arms around his sister. "why are you sorry?" charles couldn't wrap his head around what he was hearing, but his first mission was to make sure isabel was calm enough to talk first.

"he's your best friend and— i complained so much about him for years and now i feel stupid for it all— it was an accident but then—"

"but then it happened again," charles pieced together. "and again?"

"and again," isabel nodded slowly. "i don't know what's wrong with me. he made my life hell and i can't— i can't stay away."

charles could only nod as he listened to her stutter. he knew better than anyone how much isabel had struggled over the years. he was there when fights got bad and he had to step in. he remembered a time that he had to hold them apart as kids. in 2019, he had lost his shit with max about the treatment towards his sister. and although max had apologised for it then, it wasn't anything he meant because isabel had started that fight.

thankfully it had all cooled down to a lesser extent now, but charles had been strictly instructed by isabel to not step in for her. she proved to him that she could deal with it herself and that she wouldn't be happy if charles stepped in, so charles had to give up that protective side in relation to that. it was hard when she was his baby sister, his only sister, but he had let it be because this was isabel's fight and max was his friend.

things had simmered after leaving the boil this year. nothing was as bad, especially in the past few months, and suddenly things were making sense to him now. charles couldn't work out how he had been so blind to it.

"i'm very shocked," charles admitted. "and i don't know how i feel about it after everything, but i have one question. are you happier? since silverstone?"

isabel caught her breath as she paused, her eyes flickering down to the ground. am i happier?

max verstappen had fixed up her email before being the one to convince her to send it. max had been the one who spent hours sim racing with her. max had been the one who came over late at night when she called. max had been the one who invited her over purely to meet his cats. max had been the one to remember her paranoid habits so that no one found her house. that had all been max, no one else.

did he make her happier?

she couldn't tell if it was him or if it was signing the paperwork to cut her contract short with lamborghini. maybe it was both. maybe it was him because she wouldn't have quit by now without his help.

maybe she was happier.

how does one go from enemies who fight in garages and carparks to spending so much time together? was it the early mornings and late nights that they spent learning more about each other? or was it the countless months spent in the same room because of the threat of being fired?

maybe it was neither. maybe it was just two people who were vastly misunderstood for reasons they couldn't control, who had finally found a handle to common ground. it was common ground that had been sculpted serenely from the ashes of intense rivalry and hatred, but it was theirs to share, nonetheless.

"i . . ." isabel glanced at her hands. "i think so. i'm just scared."

"of who?"

"you, him, the media . . ." isabel listed a few. "myself."

"no, isabel," charles shook his head. "you're not scared. you're worried. and that's okay. even if nothing further happens with you and max, at least you've seen what happens."

isabel looked up at him. "and you're not mad?"

"i could never be mad at you, belle, you know that," charles pulled her head closer so he could kiss the top of it. "but him? i'll tear his head off for sleeping with you, yes."

as soon as he cracked a smile, isabel let a quiet laugh slip. "you are just like jules," she hummed. "too protective."

"maybe," charles chuckled at the old memories of how things used to be with jules. "but you have always been the only girl. and the youngest."

memories of her own flashed past her eyes like scenes of a play. there was that time that jules and lorenzo had scared off a boy that was flirting with isabel during her karting years. or that time when jules and charles had warned this one girl not to hurt isabel in any way. growing up with overprotective brothers had always been amusing.

"arthur is younger," isabel reminded him.

charles shook his head. "does not matter, ma petite fleur."

isabel groaned and let her head fall onto his shoulder. "you are terrible," she said in english this time. charles just grinned. "i love you."

"i love you, too," charles responded. "and if you are happy, that's all i care about." but the thought of his sister sleeping with his best friend was something that he needed bleached from his brain because never in a million years did he think that that would be a genuine worry of his.

x

"HEY, MAX!"

MAX TURNED when he heard his name being called out in the paddock on thursday morning. "oh, hey, charles."

"listen," charles moved his arm so that it was around max's shoulders as he led him a few metres away to the ferrari motorhome. "i know you're sleeping with my sister, blah, blah, blah—

"uh—"

"which is really gross and weird but at least it's not a drug dealer or something," charles continued to ramble. max just stood there, unsure if he should speak or not. "but i swear, max, if i find out you have hurt her, i will bury you in a pit of acid underground. okay?"

"uh, sure . . .?" max trailed off, grimacing. "lovely imagery, mate, but i'm sure she'd hit me with her car first if i did."

charles clapped his shoulder twice before removing his hand. "i know! but that won't stop me from the acid thing," he flashed max a smile. "i know you both have some weird dynamic going on, temper tantrums and such," charles continued, "but i swear—"

"i won't break her heart, if that's what you're saying," max held his hands up in surrender. that felt weird to say, he thought. "i don't think there's much going on, anyway."

charles shrugged. "spare me the details, i don't want to know. and," he pulled a face for a second before speaking again, "if you do date, i am at least glad it is you of all people. you're a good person, so don't make me change my mind."

"alright, mate," max nodded as he took in the copious amounts of information and threats he had just heard from charles. "got it. i promise i won't."

the split ways not long after that, and that was when max realised that isabel had told charles about what they had been getting up to. did that mean anything? then again, max had told daniel everything, so they were pretty much even.

that was when max realised that they needed to talk. the only problem was that there was no way he could bring it up during the rest of the week in belgium because spa-francorchamps was an emotional track for her. he knew she wasn't a fan of it and would spend extra time analysing everything to avoid any possible issues. that meant he had to wait it out a little longer, and 'a little longer' meant it would probably be during the dutch grand prix that he would get an opportunity to say something.

x

TWITTER — private accounts !

belle èclair 💗🔒 | tiinkerbellle

worst part is that i took the second photo and now i'm also unemployed !!!!

replies . . .

emmy g 🔒| atomicnumber79
well that's awkward innit
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belle èclair 💗🔒 | tiinkerbellle
id say enjoy my 2023 seat but get out while you still can 😭

danny ric 🔒 | stilldr3
unemployed buddies !!
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seb 🔒 | everyonesfavourite5
!!!!!!!!
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latifi 🔒| goatifisupremacy
wooooo !
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belle èclair 💗🔒 | tiinkerbellle
lets become a boyband
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lando no rizz🔒 | bobnorris
here's some band names you can use:
- the unemployed
- gone but not forgotten
- the expendables
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belle èclair 💗🔒 | tiinkerbellle
thanks mate 👍 always a pleasure

kimi 🔒 | user12363727483627
👏

x

kinda a filler chapter but an important one nonetheless

ALSO I WASNT GOING GO UPDATE FOR A FEW DAYS BUT PROBLEMATIC HIT 200K IN LIKE THREE MONTHS SO ??? HOLY SHIT

also also happy birthday to the loml seb vettel <33