Julia Erin Wolff is daughter of Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes. As a result, she grew up mostly in paddocks or travelling with her parents and always felt a certain connection to driving and F1. Now, when it's time to be on her own, she deci...
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carlos' POV
As the clock struck eight in the evening, it signaled my time to go. I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, adjusted my collar, and left my hotel room. Just a minute later, I found myself standing at her door, ready to knock with three deliberate taps. She swung the door open almost instantly, gracefully twirling to showcase her stunning outfit. Once again, she looked absolutely stunning in her emerald mini-dress, all set to dance the night away.
"Mi hermosa dama," I complimented Julia as I gallantly opened the car door for her.
"Gracias," she replied, attempting to reciprocate, although it was evident that my words had been lost in translation.
Just as I was about to start the car, a familiar face suddenly appeared at Julia's window. It was her father, Toto, and the sight of him sent a cold shiver down my spine. I had a few unsettling encounters with Toto in the past, and the memories of those moments were not ones I liked to recall.
"Julia? Where do you think you're going?" he questioned, adding a subtle undertone of authority to the tone.
"To a party?" she responded, her voice filled with uncertainty, as she was quite unsure of how her dad would react.
"And with whom?" Toto continued, pressing for more information from Julia. I remained motionless behind the steering wheel, determined not to make even the slightest movement.
"With my friend Carlos, obviously," Julia replied, gesturing towards me, and regaining some confidence from earlier. "It's about time we stopped pretending that we're not friends."
My eyes widened in surprise as she was actually willing to acknowledge our friendship to her dad. But hey, I guess it makes sense considering she's not a teenager anymore.
I snapped back to reality as the father-daughter conversation was coming to an end.
"Don't worry. I'll be back before midnight, won't do any shots, and I'll stick with Lewis and George the whole night," Julia offered as a compromise.
"Fine," her father accepted in defeat. "And make sure our boys know they better behave the same way, or they won't be racing tomorrow."
"Deal," she smiled at Toto, then turned to me. "Let's get this party started!"
-☆-
"Here's my boy!" Lando greeted us with excitement as we walked in. He gave me a friendly pat on the back and pulled Julia into a quick hug before leading us to our table. Max, Charles, and George were already seated, while Alex was making his way over with the drinks.
"There you are, Chilli! Here's a champagne for you..." Alex said as he carefully handed me the drink. "Oh, hey, Julia, here's one for you too!"
I took a seat next to Charles and Julia, realizing it was the perfect moment to introduce them to each other.
"Julia, this is Charles Leclerc," I said, gesturing towards Charles. "Charles, meet Julia Woff," I simply explained.
"Hi, nice to meet you!" Julia exclaimed, extending her arm and lightly brushing against mine.
"The pleasure is all mine," Charles replied with a friendly grin. I offered Julia my seat so she could continue her conversation with Charles, and I turned to Max and Lando.
"Since you haven't done it yet," Julia suddenly turned to me, with a mischevious spark in her eyes. "Would you like to join me on the dance floor?"
I nodded eagerly, following her lead. Other drivers also joined us, recognizing that drinking more wasn't an option today, being the day before the race.
As we made our way towards the dance floor, I felt a tight grip on my shoulder, causing me to turn around. Luckily, it was just a couple of team members who I thought I could easily brush off. But instead, they pulled me aside and handed me another glass of champagne. I tried to explain that I had already had two and needed to get back to the dance floor, but the loud music drowned out my words. After a few minutes, I finally found a chance to slip away and quickly made my way downstairs in search of Julia.
The crowd was massive, but I immediately spotted Charles, Lewis, and George over by the edge. A bit further on, I could see Max and Daniel, and then finally, I found her. She was dancing with Lando, and I watched as he twirled her around and then kissed her. My heart sank, and without a second thought, I left the club right away. I sat down on the stairs, trying to wrap my head around what I had just witnessed. Was that really a kiss? Of course it was, Carlos, you saw it. But why did it hit me so hard? And why did I suddenly feel so different about Julia now compared to seven years ago when we were so much closer to each other?
