Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
??JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
M iles Huxley was unbeatable.
It was only the second Grand Prix of the season and Huxley’s car was faster than any other one on the grid. With a gap of more than seven seconds between him and the second-fastest driver, he had been leading most of the race. Imperium Racing had dominated all weekend long—free practices, qualifying, and race; their two drivers were always at the top.
Good for them.
Undoubtedly, Rowan was very jealous. Utterly envious of their effortless success.
Still, he had finished the race third behind his teammate—again.
He knew he had to be grateful to be standing on the podium. Knew he’d driven brilliantly despite his overpowering thoughts that were intent on making him believe he hadn’t been good enough.
After shaking his champagne bottle, he’d sprayed some of the bubbles down onto his team cheering on him and Thiago. Had poured some liquid into his racing boot and drank the contents from it.
He was now freshly showered and ready to head back to the hotel, but he still needed to attend a few interviews and the post-race debrief with the other F1 drivers. Slightly exhausted from the entire weekend and the heat, he stepped out of his room whilst rubbing his flushed and fatigue-stricken face.
Avery was waiting for him at the end of the hallway, but she was talking to Nikki Bellinger, the executive of the marketing and PR department.
Deciding he should wait for her in his room by turning on his heel, Nikki’s high-pitched voice caused him to halt in his tracks.
“When are you going to fix it?”
“Tonight,” Avery replied quietly. “I promise. As soon as I’m done with the interviews with Rowan.”
“You better,” Nikki bit out. “First you publish the article one hour late and then you dare not ask for someone to proofread. Result? There’s a typo in the text.”
Rowan couldn’t help but look at the pair. Head hung low, Avery was fiddling with her rings as she nodded at every harsh, cruel word Nikki spat in her face. He studied the way she pushed her large glasses up the bridge of her nose and stared at the tips of her Converse.
He’d never seen her so quiet. Submissive. Small.
“It won’t happen again.”
“It better not. We’re professionals here. The best team when it comes to content creation and media.” After huffing, Nikki planted her hands on her hips and asked, “Why did you mess up?”
Though Avery’s back was turned to him, Rowan could perceive how tense she was beneath her uniform. “I guess I was caught up in something else.”
Nikki’s gaze was all pomposity and haughtiness. Rowan had never really appreciated this woman, but he now decided he disliked her just as much as he hated Brussels sprouts. Disliked listening to the way she was talking to Avery. “Don’t let it happen again.”
Avery merely nodded. It was evident Nikki wanted to add something, but Rowan refused to watch his press officer be undermined again. Slamming the door to his room shut, the two women turned to see him stride lazily their way.
He found Avery’s gaze—vacant but thoughtful all at once. “Ready to go?”
“I was just waiting for you.” Her voice was so brittle, so cold—so unlike her.
He winked and patted his cheek. “This face needs extra care.”
She rolled her eyes at his comment.
There she is.
“Of course it does,” she chimed. “Let’s go, then.”
She walked past her boss without sparing her a glance, but Rowan dipped his chin when Nikki’s stare lingered on his face then his chest.
There was no denying she was a pretty woman, but her personality was akin to a witch’s. He’d seen her plaster an angel’s face in front of everyone, but he wondered why she was so awful to Avery. There wasn’t a shadow of a doubt that her superiors weren’t aware of her double personality.
“Great race,” Nikki said with a smile on her lips.
“I know,” he answered dryly before catching up to Avery.
She was watching the starry sky outside the motorhome when he approached. Her shoulders tensed when she felt the heat of his body radiate on her arm. Then she looked up at him, exhaling.
Her expression was pinched, and for a beat, he thought how much prettier and electric she looked when she smiled. For a beat, he nearly cracked a joke just to watch her features relax.
He frowned lightly. “You okay?”
The question had slipped out naturally, easily, and Rowan wasn’t sure why he cared at all.
She nodded subtly, yet he wasn’t convinced. Pushing her hair away from her shoulder, she allowed a soft smile to touch her lips. Out of his control, he gaped at her plump mouth as she murmured, “I’m alright.”
The corner of his lips tipped upwards. “Good.”
But he couldn’t help but wonder how many times she had uttered that blatant lie after being destroyed by people over and over again.
Perhaps Avery Sharma-Maddox wasn’t that much of his opposite. Perhaps she, too, had secrets so hurtful and dark that she preferred hiding behind a smile. Perhaps she also bore an obliterated heart that had been shattered by different reasons than him, but still ached and craved for a delicate caress that would erase all the indentations.