In the quaint town of Monaco, two childhood best friends, Charles and Avianna, have always had a special bond. Their parents would bring both of them to all the kart racing and formula races. Since then, the two have trained, grown, and dreamed toge...
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"It's confirmed, Charles. Carlos is leaving."
AS SOON AS I ENTERED our headquarter's conference room, Frederic, our team principal, immediately welcomed me with a not-so-surprising statement. Everyone in the room, including the managers, directors, and some engineers, looked down, eyes and body movements filled with disappointment and frustration.
"Yeah, I know," I answered coldly, walking straight to the empty seat at the back.
"What do you mean you know?" Frederic raised his eyebrows, looking at me intensely. 'You knew that Carlos would leave us or that he'd drive for Mercedes?" Everyone's eyes are looking at me now. If only looks could kill, I would've been murdered the moment I entered the room.
"Both." I opened the folder placed on the table and scanned through it. I wasn't surprised with the drivers they are considering except for one.
"You should've told us at least, Charles." Now, one of the representatives of a major sponsor spoke, shaking their head.
"The moment we failed to help him win that P4 for overall, we already knew he was leaving. Are you guys really surprised that he left us, or is everyone just in-denial how fucked our cars' performance and how messy our strategies are?!" I tried to remain calm but couldn't stop raising my voice. "Tell me! Do you really expect your drivers to stay with you when you can't even help them get to the best of their potential? Who the fuck on earth would want that?"
One of the engineers beside me held my hand, signaling me to calm down. I breathed heavily, unzipping the jacket that I was wearing and removing it.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"You don't have to apologize. It's true. We've been failing our drivers, Carlos and... you." Frederic said with a shaky voice. "We really need to settle this now and focus on improving and everything that will help us fight for the championship."
I gave them a nod and slowly looked at everyone, giving them a small smile and assurance that I am still with them in this fight. I never intended to blame everything on the team because I know how hard they also worked behind the stage. But sometimes it's just frustrating. It's painful for me to think how the fans would react every time we lose.
"So, shall we start?"
While everyone discussed whether to sign a new driver or let one of our reserve drivers be part of the 2024 drivers' line-up, my eyes were pierced on one of the drivers' profiles. I didn't know how to react and feel. Should I be happy? Proud? Or scared for her. I don't know. I tried my best to pay attention to everyone as they discussed. In my mind, putting her on the list of our possible drivers for next year might probably be just Ferrari's last resort, sort of worst-case, I guess.
"How about her? Avianna Elara Carlos." One of the technical directors and representatives of a sponsor started talking and walking at the front. "She has an impeccable speed and undeniable talent." The technical director said, smiling.
