*Completed*
"Fake it till you make it?"
A PR relationship with a heartbroken singer in the midst of a world tour sounds like the last thing Lando Norris needs or wants. But he needs it to save his reputation and she needs it to save her future. But...
After she'd showered and changed into a clean pair of shorts and a Quadrant shirt that he had no idea she had, he'd managed to coax her out of the room to the hotel restaurant to meet Charlotte.
Her hand had slipped into his without a word the second the hotel room door and closed behind them. She was quite possibly cutting off the blood supply to his hand with the strength of her grip but he didn't mind. If that was what she needed to make herself feel better then he'd survive.
"It's just teams and staff staying here this weekend." He reassured her. She kept looking around nervously. "We're fine."
She didn't say anything, just keeping her head down as they walked.
Charlotte was already there, waving him over to a table discreetly tucked away in the corner, when they entered. She greeted them both and Hannah returned a small smile, fidgeting with her hair as she took the seat next to Lando.
Charlotte shot him a questioning look and he just shook his head. They waited for the waiter to come over, ordering their food quickly, before Charlotte started to talk.
"So I sorted the social media access out." She explained. "It took a while but I got in and I've changed all the passwords, so Cassie wouldn't be able to access it anymore even if she tried." She slid a piece of paper across the table to Hannah with the passwords on. "It's up to you if you want to look, I can keep an eye on it for now if you'd rather not, until you sort something a bit more permanent out."
Something about the way she said it suggested to Lando that it might not be the best idea for Hannah to be looking at what people were saying. He made a mental note to ask her about it or have a look himself later.
"I spoke to my lawyer earlier." Hannah said quietly. "The contract with the record label is air tight I can't get out of it. They say they had no idea what Cassie was up to, and I've got no reason not to believe them I guess, I just... I don't know. I trusted her like I trusted them and look where that got me."
"What have they said about the tour dates and all that?" Charlotte asked.
"They're rebooking it to start in two months." Hannah said flatly. "They agreed I could have a bit of time to sort myself out, but they've sold hundreds of thousands of tickets and they're not about to refund everyone. They're not adding anymore dates, I told them I'll do what I'd agreed to but then that's the end. I think they'll just go along with whatever to keep me in all honesty."
Charlotte nodded, pausing for a moment as the waiter delivered their food and then left again. "Okay, so we can presumably put out a statement to that effect?" She suggested.
"Yeah I guess so." Hannah mumbled, pushing her salad around her plate without actually eating any of it. "They haven't confirmed the dates yet but I guess it might calm people down if they know it's being rescheduled." She couldn't even begin to fathom how she was going to drag herself out of this hole and get back on stage at the moment, but she supposed she had time to worry about it later.
"Then if you do that and explain you don't need to carry on hiding from everyone." Lando interjected. He wasn't thrilled with the idea they were already pushing her to get back on stage. Looking at her sat there now he didn't see how that was even going to be possible. At least they were nearly at the end of the season and if he came straight back from Abu Dhabi he'd be able to stay with her for most of it he realised.
Charlotte nodded in agreement. "I know you don't want people speculating that you have done it to spend the time with Lando, but I'm not sure you completely disappearing from public view is helping either. The news about Cassie is obviously public, but with all those other rumours..."
"I'm not on drugs." Hannah said flatly. Lando raised an eyebrow in surprise, she had clearly been reading the headlines after all. "I've never done it, never will. I'll admit that maybe I drink a bit more than I should when I'm stressed but-"
"It's okay." Charlotte cut her off. "I'm not here to judge, it's just the implications something like that would have for Lando... I work for McLaren, I want to help you but he's my priority at the end of the day."
Hannah nodded in agreement. "I know, and I'm not going to do anything like that. I promise. I don't know where that's come from but it's not true."
"Okay, I just had to say my bit." Charlotte agreed. "I think we just need to put something out there to explain. The more honest you are the better but we don't need to go into all the specifics. If you've maybe got a photo I can use or something, I can draft a post and you can check it before we do it? I'm assuming that's going to be better than having you on video?"
Hannah nodded quickly. There was nothing she wanted to do less than get in front of a camera in her current state. She pulled her phone out and scrolled though, selecting half a dozen photos and sending them to Charlotte who nodded in approval, tapping away on her phone writing a post.
"You know.." Lando said quietly in Hannah's ear. "When I said we should get dinner I meant for you to eat it, not just push it around your plate."
She didn't say anything, just picking up a couple of bits of the salad with her fork and putting them in her mouth. He gave her thigh a squeeze and turned his attention back to his own food, Charlotte still lost in her own little world for a moment before she turned the phone around to show Hannah.
Hannah nodded, reading through it before changing a few things and handing it back to Charlotte, who checked the changes and then nodded, hitting post.
The three of them went back to eating their dinner, Lando and Charlotte chatting about his media commitments for the next day as Hannah picked at her salad. Every time he stole a glance at her she was just pushing the food around her plate but her expression looked lighter at least. Like a weight had been lifted.
Hannah Scott Official
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I understand there's been a lot of speculation about the fact the remaining shows on the tour have been postponed. I'd like first of all to offer my sincere apologies to any of the fans with tickets to these shows who have been disappointed. It was never my intention, and I will be rescheduling the dates to complete the tour as planned by the end of the year. This tour and getting to get out and play all across the world for so many of you has been one of my greatest achievements and I am so thankful to each and every one of you.
It has been no secret that this has been an incredibly turbulent time for me, personally. While I've been trying to throw myself into the tour, the new album and providing the best possible show for my fans, I haven't been able to leave myself space to breathe and process everything that has happened.
I can confirm that I have split from my previous manager, Cassandra Rossi, but remain with the record label who have been so loyal to me since the beginning of my career. I have their full support in taking a small break to allow me to spend some time with my family and friends and get some things sorted before I resume the tour.
I am incredibly sorry again to all those who have been disappointed. I hope though that you can understand on a personal level why I need some time and respect my privacy. I'll see you all very soon when the tour resumes.
