The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

SEQUEL - Chapter 19

So, I'm back. There isn't actually a lot to say this time. I will just drop it and run. So I hope you will enjoy it. Cheers!

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Resting with her back on the bed with her feet firmly on the ground, Joanna felt so endless tired. The stress and all these worries which were spooking around her head were troubling her more than she had thought they would, in addition to her pregnancy, which made everything that much harder. Walking up a few stairs was tiring as of lately, which tended to frustrate the Austrian, but Joanna understood that her energy was just needed in other places. Their son needed all the energy he could get to grow healthy and thinking about that, the Austrian Mercedes driver wasn't as annoyed any longer. To him, she would give all her energy, her body and her soul. He already owned her heart, well the part which didn't belong to his father. Cheesy, she knew. She wondered when that happened. 

Moving her hand from resting beside her to her heart, she picked up the Saint Christopher medallion. It was a constant reminder that she didn't know her father after all. Her whole life, she had believed him to be a bad person, someone who prevented her mother from seeing her, someone who didn't truly care about her, but Joanna had been wrong. Since Niki had died, she had learned so much about him.

The medallion, she believed to be from her mother, but actually was a piece of jewellery from her father that was supposed to protect her. He never denied her the knowledge over her mother out of spite, he truly cared for her and tried to protect her, and he left Joanna, the bastard from an affair but assumingly his favourite child, the Lauda House, the place she had dreamed to raise her children at.

He wasn't a bad guy, Niki just understood that he could take his daughter's anger and sadness while she herself would crumble under it all if she had no person to direct it at. Her father was the one person she always needed without knowing it. Now that he's gone, Joanna sometimes feels so lost. As Niki was still alive, he always tried to direct her in a direction. He formed her and even if she attempted her utterly most to not be the child, he wanted her to be, he still led her. He was there for her, held out a protecting hand over her head and stepped truly in if she ever needed more than just a little bit of protection. Joanna didn't even notice it, but thinking about it now, it was so obvious in everything he did.

December 2018

Pushing through the crowd of people Joanna politely excused herself as soon as someone tried to start a conversation with her. Cameras were directed at her, flashlights went off as they made sure to capture this moment forever to put on some tale bore magazine's first side.

The current reigning world champion showing her face was something special for them, they all wanted to have the best picture of her, but Joanna couldn't care less about the media and their photos. All she wanted was a moment of peace, but since she had taken the world championship for herself just a few days ago, in the last moment imaginable people were constantly around her. Trying to bask in her success and using her name for their own advantage. She hated every minute of it.

Still, Joanna knew what they expected of her, so she smiled politely and gave people her attention even though the only one she really wanted to give her full attention to was Max Verstappen, who she hadn't seen in the last few days at all. The last time she had seen her boyfriend was as he had pulled her into a quick hug after winning the title and telling her that he was proud of her. Joanna had wanted to say something, to offer Max anything, but before she could even think about something to say, other people were around her, congratulating and celebrating her.

After that everything happened so fast. One moment, she was standing alone in her shower, the next she was at a party to her honour and the next, she was on a private plane to the factory. The FIA prize-giving happened somewhere in between and now there was another party thrown by the FIA to celebrate a great F1 season. At least other drivers were attending this party as well.