The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

Chapter 35

Sitting on one of the grandstands Joanna had pulled her knees against her chest while she read the text message again. It was strange for her to receive a message from her father. Niki always preferred to threaten her over the phone, so she didn't have any proof he did it in the first place, but this wasn't really a threat. Not per se. Not for any other human being who would read this text, but for Joanna it was.

"See you next race. Looking forward to a talk." Well, she was fucked. He was coming back next race and he surely knew that it was her doing. But was there really a reason for him to be pissed off? What are two races? Nothing.

He should thank her for the little vacation and not threaten her. Joanna had no intention to talk with her father, but Niki knew that. So why would he mention that he wanted to talk to her, Joanna would avoid him like the plague now that she knew he wanted to talk to her, so what was the point of telling her? Most likely it was just part of his game, making her uneasy and causing her to feel unsafe until she would run to him and beg for forgiveness and protection, but she would do that. Another thing Niki surely knew.

So, what was the point?

Joanna was deep in her confusion when a terrible thought crossed her mind. What if Niki knew she was pregnant? Well, should that be the case, they were royally fucked.

Turning her head at hearing some footsteps indicating that someone approached, Joanna was glad to see that it was only Mark. She never thought she would ever think that. God, what happened to her? Since when was she glad upon seeing Mark Webber of all people. She had had a few very nice weeks in which she didn't see him.

"Do you know that it's terribly hard to get a hold of you when you decide to hide?" Mark's asked her as he finally found the woman. To be true the grandstands were his last idea to look for her, after trying her driver room, visiting the Ferrari garage and facilities, where he met Sebastian, who told him that she was most likely here. Sometimes he wondered why Joanna even owned a phone when she never picked it up anyways.

"That's the idea of hiding, isn't it?" Joanna questioned with an unimpressed expression, which Mark ignored as he flopped down next to her, causing Joanna to pull away from him while rolling her eyes.

"We're alone," Mark promised her, the urge to roll his eyes at Joanna's mistrust was massive, but he was, fortunately, able to suppress it.

"Doesn't mean I want you close." Joanna shot back. Why on earth was everybody so keen on talking to her on this god-awful weekend. She had already a talk with Fernando which followed a few memories she would have rather left buried and now Mark was next in line.

"You are even more rejecting and cold than usual." Mark huffed out in annoyance.

"I just don't get why everybody thinks they can just come up to me and question me about things they have no right of knowing. I can take care of myself. I don't need you or Seb to mother hen me. Oh, and tell Jenson to fuck off. I know what he's trying to do." Joanna said before getting up and leaving the grandstand. She was so done with fucking everyone. But Mark wouldn't be Mark would he let her go like that.

"It actually was Fernando, who caused me to look for you." He said, not moving but he got what he wanted. Joanna stopped dead in her tracks to look up at Mark, who was leaning over a barrier and looking down at her. 

"What the fuck are you on about?" Joanna questioned despite knowing what Mark was on about. She shouldn't have said Mark's name as she spoke with Fernando on Wednesdays. Sometimes, the young Austrian wondered why she couldn't stop string shit, knowing damn well that it came back to bite her in the ass more often than not when she said something unprepared. When there wasn't a plan or a bigger picture.