Adrenaline: A Lestappen Story

𝟐𝟒.𝟐 - 𝐠𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝

Abruptly, the door swung open, revealing Max on the other side, obstructing Charles's desperate attempt to escape the unfolding situation. Max's face bore a slight tinge of red, and beads of sweat hinted at the haste with which he had hurried to intercept them upon learning that Kelly had discovered the intricacies of their secret love affair.

Casting a glance at Charles, Max observed the telltale redness in his eyes, a familiar sight that often preceded the flow of tears. Placing a protective hand on Charles's shoulders, Max turned his gaze back to Kelly, attempting to decipher the unspoken conversation etched on their faces. Kelly's resolute expression conveyed everything Max needed to know.

"I'm sorry," Max whispered, turning his gaze back to Charles. "Whatever she said... don't believe it," he mumbled, releasing his hands from Charles. The realization dawned upon him that it would be cruel to continue to entangle Charles in a situation that held no connection to him.
"Go," Max urged, taking a step back to create a path for Charles through the open door.

Charles, not needing to be told twice, swiftly made his exit, refraining from casting a glance back at Kelly. Her words echoed persistently in his mind, sparking doubts about their accuracy. How much of what she said held the truth? Was it genuinely in Max's best interest for Charles to keep his distance, and if so, why did their connection feel so inevitable, so unavoidable?

With Charles now departed, Max shut the door behind him. Kelly avoided meeting his gaze, well aware of the tempest she would confront in his eyes. Her focus remained fixed on the window opposite her, anticipating in silence whatever Max had to say as he approached.

"What did you tell him?" Max's voice sliced through the air, cold as ice and sharp as a knife.

"I told him the truth, Max," she asserted, raising her eyebrows. Her proud gaze shifted down to the table, avoiding the need to look up at him. "I thought you had been cheating on me with some pretty young model," she continued, punctuating her words with a mock chuckle. "But this? It's not even that he is a man; it's just that you've been involved with the one person who'd be pretty happy if you appeared dead one day." She paused, lifting her gaze at last to meet his.

"He wouldn't be happy," Max interjected, echoing her prideful attitude.

His words fueled her anger, sending her blood to a boiling point as she finally looked up at him, rising slowly from her seat. "I meant he'd be just very happy if something happened to you. All these drivers want is that damn championship, just like you!" She punctuated her words by jabbing a pointed finger into his chest, her long nails poking into his shirt.

"I thought you were smarter than this, Max," she declared, lowering her hand. "You crave that championship so desperately, yet you let yourself be seduced by a rival. You're just like every other man, easily taken by foolish desires," she seethed, teeth clenched. "You're so foolish. You're going to end up just like your dad—old and full of regrets, no greatness to your name. I won't stick around to witness that."

Max's face slightly contorted at the mention of his father, a sore spot that always got to him. "Oh, I see. You wouldn't be with me if I didn't win a championship, would you? You're here because you think I'm going to be great. You're only with me because you want status. You're just a cheap social climber."

The sudden impact of Kelly's hand against Max's face resonated in the room, leaving him momentarily stunned. As he recomposed, a second attempt at a slap was thwarted as he grasped her wrist before it reached his face.

"I gave you everything!" she shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "I gave you a family to come home to, support—I was there for each of your wins! And this is what I get called? That's what you lower me to? A social climber? Because of him?" she said, wrenching her wrist away from his grip and turning away to lean on the table for support.