The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

SEQUEL - Chapter 05

Hello. I know it had been a little while, but here we go. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

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F1 – Flash News Exclusive 23rd May 2019

FROSTY GLANCES

MONACO – the place of the showdown?

All eyes were on Joanna Lauda as she entered the paddock as if she owned the place. Which she did, you had to let her have it. The Austrian has always had the ability to silence an entire room in admiration with her presence alone. Confident steps, a determined expression on her face and ready to win. Just the way we know our favourite Austrian F1 driver, but while all reporters were running after the younger Mercedes driver and tried to get a word from her – which they all should know by now is hopeless, because Joanna Lauda only talks to the press if she feels like it – my gaze turned in another direction and what I found was way more interesting.

I was sure that Joanna would brush past us like the whirlwind she is and wouldn't stop until she had reached the Mercedes facility, but suddenly she did stop. I didn't follow her like all these lost lambs, but my gaze followed hers. The Austrian's eyes were on Max Verstappen, who was looking right back at her.

An acute case of 'you caught me staring, but I caught you staring back'. It would be presumptuous to claim that I know what is going on between them, but it would be foolish to simply ignore these odd glances.

The eye contact was broken by Verstappen's girlfriend, not one of them which was interesting as well. Maybe all these fans weren't so wrong with their theory that there was something more than friendship between the Austrian and the Dutch. I'm not saying I suspect that, I'm just saying that I would find it incredibly exciting.

But on the other hand, the coldness from the gazes can't be ignored. None of them was happy about this situation for sure, even though I think Verstappen was more worried about Lauda than displeased by her which I can't say from the Austrian. Either she really doesn't like his new one, which already had history with these two ladies, or there was something else.

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Walking down the corridor to enter the main room of the facility Joanna stopped dead in her track, looking around, she tried to find James, but her eyes fell on Kiwi and Andrew. The Canadian had made the Aussie laugh while looking up to him, her hand rested on his arm, both of them looked so happy, all smiling and enjoying each other's company. Joanna wasn't sure she was able to remember the last time Kiwi smiled at her without pain or worry laced underneath the smile. Seems like all she ever did was worry people and make their lives troublesome.

"There you are, I would like to go over a few things before FP1," James said as soon as he stepped next to Joanna, his gaze on the tablet he was holding before he looked up as he noticed that the Austrian didn't give him an answer.

"Joanna?" He asked worried, causing her to turn her attention to him. Giving him a painful smile before nodding. She is and always will be a racer and that will always come first, which is why she would do her job now, no matter what was going on inside her. Racing has always set her free. Allowed her to run away.

"Yeah, of course." The younger Mercedes driver said, taking the offered tablet from his hands, before nodding towards the main door of the facility so he would lead the way to the garage. Taking one last look over her shoulder towards Kiwi and Andrew, the Austrian followed her race engineer. They spoke about such things in the garage with the car and the mechanics close around, it was one of the routine points in Joanna's preparation for a race weekend and she won't change that just because her father died, and the international press had gone nuts.