The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

SEQUEL - Chapter 23

So, hello. I have nothing to say for myself as usually to be honest. It's not that bad, nobody dies, only on the inside so yeah. Enjoy reading. There is one other thing. I'm unsure if I should write the what-if scenarios, what do you guys think? Is that something you would like to read or rather not? Anyways. Cheers! 

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Max felt watched. Every step he took, no matter if in the paddock, in his own garage or in the lobby of the hotel he was staying at. Everywhere he was going, there were already reporters, who wanted an exclusive interview with him, a bunch of fans, who wanted to ask questions and demand answers, but the garage and the facility was the worst place for him to be.

As soon as he entered a room, they were already looking at him, their head sticking together to whisper among themselves and as soon as they noticed his eyes on them, they adverted theirs. Uncomfortable with being faced with him directly. He wondered how Joanna was doing, if all this was easier for her if she was used to all these looks burning into her back if this was what it meant to be famous, but other than Joanna, he hadn't been born as a child of a world champion. For him, all that mattered was the car he was driving, the team, who worked on his car and his play console so he could play games if they didn't need him for once.

Christian had called a meeting with the team to ensure they all understood that they were standing as one and that no one was meant to say something to the press or the fans, but Max didn't feel supported. He felt like a child coughed with the hand in the cookie jar, suddenly understanding why Joanna never wanted to make things public, she was only trying to protect him, he understood now. He should have trusted her more.

"That's all good and well, but why haven't you said something before it all escalated like that and in Austria of all places?" Helmut said after another one of Christian's actually very depressing lectures of 'we stand as one'. Max couldn't hear it any longer.

He was sick of getting lectured for the unforgivable act of falling in love. This was so unfair, nobody would have even questioned it if Joanna wouldn't be a Lauda, or if she would be just Niki's daughter and not a racer herself. And even worse, they were now paying for something which was in the past. Max didn't even have Joanna as the bright side of the situation. There was no bright side to look at. This situation was simply terrible.

"Just look at how the media reacted, and I know that you wouldn't have reacted differently, because for you she's nothing but Niki Lauda's daughter and a triple world champion. You look at us all as investments and not as people. Why would I make myself vulnerable like that? I know what you would have said, and I know that you still want to say it, but you know what, Helmut, shove it up your ass, because..." Max ranted but Christian was fast to get up from his seat and lift his hand.

"Easy now, Max." He warned. "We don't want you to say something you will regret later. Something more as it is." Christian added, but Max was hatefully starring at Helmut, who gave him a sufficient look.

"You know what, boy? Causing this mess, you just showed us, that you don't respect what we all did and still do for you. We took you on way too early and the only reason why we don't fire you right away is because she's protecting you." Helmut said, thinking of himself as superior in this situation, but Max knew perfectly well that Helmut had no power any longer after what he had pulled with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel all these years ago because Mark wrote a book and spilt it all causing Helmut to lose his power. His position was only for prestige now.

The old Austrian left the room after he felt they had spoken enough about the situation, which Max had barely followed, his head resting on his arm on the desk. He acknowledged that he had made a mistake in telling the world like that, but he would never allow someone to say that being with Joanna in the first place had been the mistake because it wasn't a mistake.