Her || Charles Leclerc

6. Barbecue Sauce On My...

Bonus bday chapter

Matilde was in her office, finishing her final task of the day; writing an email to the factory. It had been a long, but productive and interesting day for the team. The first two free practices in Miami were over, and the results were helpful and fine.

A knock on the door made Matilde look up from her computer. The door opened, and her assistant entered the office. Matilde removed the special blue light glasses from her nose and smiled.

"A reminder: your interview is in ten minutes," Galileo said.

"Thanks," Matilde said. "I will be finishing up now. Give me a few minutes."

Galileo nodded and stepped back, leaving Matilde to her work. As he closed the door, Matilde took a deep breath and stretched her arms, feeling the tension from the tasks slowly melt away. She glanced at the clock on her computer screen and realised that her interview with Lissie Mackintosh was just around the corner.

With a renewed focus, Matilde typed the final lines of the email, ensuring that all necessary details were included. Satisfied, she hit the send button and leaned back in her chair. It wasn't her first interview, but it was her first interview with Lissie and her first interview together with Charles and Carlos. It would be a casual interview, more like a chat, and Matilde was glad that was the case. She wasn't waiting for an in-depth interview with a lot of details.

She stood up, logged off and put on some deodorant, perfume and lip balm before leaving her office on wheels. When leaving the room, she picked up a reflection of herself; she got used to the bright red outfit, and she looked fine in it; her hair still looked fine as well, so she had nothing to do with it.

Outside her office, Galileo was waiting for her. He flashed a reassuring smile, and Matilde returned it with a nod. Together they made their way to the designated interview spot in the paddock.

When Matilde arrived, Lissie approached the team principal to introduce herself and exchanged a few words with her. Matilde greeted the Ferrari drivers and sat down next to Charles, around the table. A few minutes later, the camera started rolling.

"Today, we will be sauce testing," Lissie said and looked at the three people from Ferrari.

Matilde only smiled, but looked waitingful at Lissie, not knowing what to expect, Charles looked questionable at Lissie, and Carlos only looked amused. "Sounds interesting," Charles mentioned.

"Sounds exciting, too," Carlos replied to Charles, who sat on the other side of him. They both giggled.

Lissie smiled. "We're in America, and they are known for their sauces," she said. "It's like wine tasting, but then with sauces and chips." She became silent. "Fries," she said again and chuckled.

Matilde smirked. "Can't wait."

The friendly conversation continued as the interview kicked off. Matilde decided to stay in the background, as Charles and Carlos were sharing laughs and anecdotes with Lissie. The atmosphere was relaxed, but Matilde, on the other hand, felt a growing sense of exclusion. It seemed that Charles was intentionally directing most of his attention towards Carlos and Lissie, leaving Matilde out of the conversation.

"There is something that I really want to talk about," Lissie began, changing subjects. "There has been a lot of talk about the dynamic within Ferrari since Matilde took over as team principal. And I think we are all wondering one thing: what are your thoughts on Matilde after four races? How is she doing as team principal?" Lissie asked.

Matilde looked at Charles and Carlos, waiting for their reactions. She knew it would be a generated answer by Silvia, not their honest thought.

Charles kept his expression neutral, his mind quickly processing a response. However, Carlos chimed in with a response the fastest.