Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Creed
“Just fix the damn car,” I snap, cutting off my race technical director.
Shaking my head, I press my fingers to my temple and take a deep breath. After the epic failure of Silverstone, I needed the car sorted and ready for Spa. We were tying with Red Force and the last thing I need is to lose more points to them because we can’t get the fucking car sorted.
Colby walks through the door, gives me one look, and rolls his eyes.
“You really do need to try and keep your stress levels down,” he says, so blasé.
My green eyes lift to his. “No shit.” I growl, and I watch a stupid smirk flash across his lips.
“Just letting you know Royce is here, and an FYI…” He pauses before stepping closer to me, “He is in a bit of a mood.”
“Great.” I roll my eyes.
“Probably still sour about his breakup.”
My ears prick.
“Break up?” I furrow my brows before I sit back in my office chair, hands buried into my lap.
“Yeah, he dumped Clemmie.”
“Idiot, but if it makes his racing better then good riddance.” My jaw tightens.
“You’re such a delight,” Colby says and I flip him off.
He turns on his heel and walks out of my office, purposely slamming the door behind him.
“Twat.” I shake my head and type a quick message out on my phone, arranging to see Tahlia tonight. Not that I particularly want company, but after the day I’ve had, I think I need to burn some stress, and the gym just wasn’t going to cut it.
Sitting back in my chair, I wait for Royce to bounce through the door. Turning my head, I gaze out at the rolling green in front of me. Our head offices are located in Surrey, but I’m only here during the season. I always try to get away for city breaks between races.
There is a knock at the door and I call for whoever it is to come in.
“Hey,” my son says, and my eyes lift to him.
Dark hair. Blue eyes. Skin a little pale. Gets that from his mum.
My stomach twists.
“You okay?” I ask as he slumps himself in the chair in front of my desk with a heavy sigh.
“Been better,” he admits and I nod.
“I know that feeling.” I run my hand over my lips, my stubble catching my skin.
“Sorry about the race.”
A rumble of a sigh vibrates in my chest. “It’s not your fault.” I give him a lopsided smile.
“Things on your mind?” I ask him.
“Yeah,”
“Heard you broke up with Ana?s. I’m real sorry, man.” I mean it. Ana?s, or Clemmie as everyone else knows of her, was a gem, really nice girl. I feel kind of sad that she won’t be in our life anymore.
“Yeah.” He sighs. “I mean, I think it needed to happen.” He runs his hand around the back of his head and nods at his own words. “I was getting distracted, and I don’t have room for distraction. I need to take the championship, I need us to become world champions.”
I love his gusto, but we are a long way off. “I know bud, but one step at a time. First, we need to get the car back to where it was… I have no idea what they changed this weekend, but it didn’t work, and it didn’t help that Kai DNFd.”
“Idiot.” Royce shakes his head.
“It’ll be okay.” I try and make him feel better and ignore the way my stomach churns.
“What are you getting up to over the break?” he asks me, and I shrug.
“Not sure, might get away for a week or so, see how I feel.”
“Sounds good. I think I am going out to Kai’s villa in Marbella.”
“That will be nice. Get your head down, keep training, and we can get dinner when I am back.”
He gives me a smile.
We’re not as close as we were, but we’re slowly getting back.
“Sure,” he pushes up and I stand. “Gonna go and train with Bryce now, he has got this mad schedule set out,”
“Have fun.” I step around the desk and pull him into me, giving him a pat on the back.
“You too?” He ends it on a question, and I smirk.
“Always.” Winking he smiles back and then steps towards the door.
“Don’t forget we have briefing at four, okay?”
“Sure.” He nods, saluting me off his temple before he tugs on the door and walks away.
I stand, watching it close softly behind him. I pace the room, one of my hands folded into my pocket as look out of the large window, mind drifting off. A knock at the door has me twisting around to see Nora peeking around the door.
“Got a minute?” Her voice is soft as she steps further into the room, and I give her a nod. My eyes dance over her and my lips twitch. Short black hair sits against her jaw, highlighting her piercing blue eyes. Pixie like features and a petite frame only serve to enhance her beauty.
Also, she’s best friends with Royce’s ex, Ana?s.
“So, I want to talk to you about a few of the press opportunities Royce has.”
I sigh, scrubbing my face as I drag my office chair out and slump myself into it. “He hates it.”
“I know, but...” She gives a weak smile as she clutches folders against her chest before she sits in the chair opposite me.
“What are they?” I link my fingers together.
“Few adverts. One for shampoo, one for Zeus energy… you know, one of your major sponsors and another for trainers.” She looks at me, all wide eyed.
“Right.”
“So?” She waits, hanging on my words.
“Well, he can’t not do them can he?” My tone is sharp, and I instantly regret it. Tension builds at the base of my neck, and I groan.
“Would you be a peach and tell him then?”
I laugh softly, her words catching me off guard. “No,” I shake my head, a playful smile on my face.
“But—”
“No, Nora, you can tell him. He is your client, you tell him.”
She rolls her eyes, pouting her lips. “Fine.”
Silence crackles around the room and after a beat or two, she pushes from her seat and stands.
“How’s Ana?s?” I have no idea why I asked about her but here we are. I watch my question catch her off guard, her mouth popping open before closing again.
“She’s good.” Her words are rushed, her head bobbing up and down.
“Good, I’m glad.” I roll my lips, my hand running up and down my jean covered thigh. “Royce seems okay…” I trail off.
Nora gives me a shrug of her shoulder. “Royce is just Royce, too busy focused on the task in front of him. Doesn’t have time for heart break.” There is a slight sadness to her tone.
“Is that why he broke up with her? To focus on racing?” My nose scrunches. I knew the reason he broke up with her, but I wanted to see if she knew any different or whether Ana?s had said anything else.
She doesn’t have to say the words. Her face tells me everything.
“That’s a shame.” I shake my head, disappointment surging through me.
“She’s okay, though,” she reassures me, and I smile at her.
Nothing else is said. Nora dips her head and walks out on me, closing the door slightly.
Sighing, I reach forward and press the extension for Colby’s phone line.
“Yes,” he sings down the phone.
“Book me flights for tomorrow. I am dipping out for a week or so.”
“The usual?”
“The usual,” I repeat before placing the phone back into its cradle and lose myself in work before our briefing. We needed to know what was wrong with our cars before we’re back on track in Spa.
Sitting in the briefing room, Royce and Kai are next to each other, a few side glances between them both and I roll my eyes. They have a love hate relationship. Kai calls Royce Daddy’s Money and Royce calls Kai what he is, not the best driver.
I’d needed another driver, and everyone else was tied up in contracts. At the time, he was the only option I had. He was on a short contract, though, and I’m still unsure if I want him back for the 2026 season, but we will see.
Pascal begins to talk about the weekend, and what he thinks the problem was, but Royce shakes his head.
“The car is shit, you can’t blame it on anything other than that.”
“Royce,” Glenn’s voice slips through.
“Took the words right out of my mouth.” The corner of my lips life at Glenn, the team principal, and he gives me a soft chuckle.
“It is though, right?” Kai pipes up and Royce looks utterly bored.
“Well, for you, no,” Royce slips in and his lips twitch into a smile. “You just can’t drive the car.”
“Royce,” I snap, and I feel my own frustration bubbling.
He holds his hand up as an apology.
“Look,” Pascal starts again, “we’re aware that the car isn’t where it was last season but we’re working on it. There are lots of factors that go with this, too.” He looks at me, then back to our two drivers. Glenn is studying his screen, and the engineers are jotting down notes.
“I have every confidence that in Spa the car will be somewhat back to where it should be.”
Royce doesn’t look convinced as he stares at the computer whilst Pascal begins to point out where he thinks our weaknesses are.
I push to my feet, slipping my earphones off and giving Glenn a little nod. I slip out the door before Royce can even question me.
My phone buzzes and I see Tony, one of our sponsors, calling. I internally groan before lifting it to my ear.
“Yeah.” I sound exasperated.
“We need to pen a meeting for next year’s options.”
“I know, I’ll get Colby to send my available dates.” I try and keep the conversation short.
“What happened last weekend?”
“We’re looking into it,” I mutter as I walk back into my office.
“The car looked good, are you not feeling that?”
“I’m not sure what I am feeling.”
I switch off whilst he continues talking and I sit back at my desk and wake my computer up.
“Sorry, Tony, I’ve got to shoot,” I mumble then cut the phone off whilst he was still mid conversation.
Nothing had come up.
I was feeling annoyed and to be honest, I needed to get out for a bit.
Setting up my out of office, which, if I’m honest, never really works, I shut my computer down, grab my bag and phone, and slip out, locking the door behind me.
Walking past Colby’s desk, I wave him off and make my way out of the building. The warmth of the sun beats down on my face.
My phone beeps with an email and I roll my eyes, annoyance pricking at my skin but that soon fizzles out when I see my plane ticket.