Chapter 104 Aurélie
aurélie
I’d spent so long fighting on my own, I forgot what it felt like to have someone fight for me. And sometimes it wasn’t just about love, it was about loyalty. In this world, that’s the harder thing to find—and I found it all in her. –Callum
After the chaos of the shoot—all the rapid flashes, the whispered reactions, the frantic styling adjustments—I was back in the calm of my hotel suite, barefoot, silk robe tied loosely around my waist. The adrenaline slowly ebbed from my limbs as I rubbed a makeup wipe across my face, desperate to cleanse myself of the day.
Ivy sat across from me in one of the armchairs, long legs crossed, seemingly so nonchalant. She nursed a glass of Rioja I’d poured for her, swirling it absentmindedly as the silence settled between us.
“You didn’t have to come all the way here,” I said softly, curling my legs beneath me on the couch. “But thank you. For everything. You handled tonight like a fucking superhero.”
Ivy smirked, sipping from her glass. “Superheroes wear capes. I prefer thigh-high boots and a good lipstick.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Seriously though. The fake press pass? That was impressive.”
Her grin widened. “Seduced my way through.”
My eyebrows lifted. “You’re joking.”
“Am I?” she asked, deadpan, taking another sip. “I smiled at the guy with the clipboard, complimented his arms, leaned just close enough for him to lose focus, and bam—past security. Works like a charm.”
I blinked. “That’s either wildly impressive or borderline terrifying.”
“Little of both,” she said with a shrug. “But effective.”
I studied her over the rim of my glass, still not entirely sure what to make of her. She was confident, stylish, assertive. Yet her intentions were still unclear.
“How did you manage to crash my hookup?”
She snorted. “Please. That building is far from soundproof. I was coming down the stairs when I heard something on the other side of the door. Sure enough, there you were.”
I nodded slowly. “And what do you get out of this?” I asked, setting my wine down on the coffee table. “I mean, you saved my entire night… why?”
Ivy leaned back in the chair, resting her glass on the armrest as she looked at me.
The teasing edge in her expression softened just a little.
“Being a woman in this industry means working twice as hard for half the credit. Until now, no one gave a shit what I had to say,” she said.
“All because you’re giving women a space to speak out.
You’re already a symbol, whether that’s intentional or not.
And aligning myself with that? That’s smart business. ”
“And if it hadn’t been?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“Then it would’ve just been the right thing to do.”
Something warm and complicated twisted in my chest. I looked down, blinking fast.
“You didn’t have to,” I whispered.
“I know,” she replied. “But I wanted to.”
I swiped the back of my hand over my nose, feeling the roller coaster of emotions running rampant through me. “So, what, you want to represent me?”
She didn’t answer right away, so I pushed on. “What about Luminis? Between us, I’m not staying with them. I’m switching to Ferrari next year.”
Ivy exhaled loudly and tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling.
“I represent you, not the team. Your current PR team only cares about your team image, but you really need someone looking out for your best interests. Besides, when your little affair comes out”—she waved her hand at me—“and it will, you need someone to be able to smooth it over quickly and paint it in a better light.”
I hummed. “You’re right.” I tipped my glass back, contemplating as I rolled the wine over my tongue. “Would you take on other drivers? Or would that be a conflict of interest?”
She rolled her head on the back of the armchair until she could pin me with her mesmerizing pale green gaze. “Truthfully? Orion GP is being bought out next year, and an eleventh team is joining the grid. I’ve got my eye on both. They’ll be hungry for strong representation.”
My stomach sank at this revelation.
“That said,” Ivy added, “all my contracts are separate. There’s no conflict of interest unless my clients go after each other on purpose. And if they do…” She shrugged. “They’ll have to deal with me.”
I leaned forward and picked up the wine bottle, refilling both our glasses in silence. No contract. No handshake. Just the quiet acknowledgment that something had shifted.
I lifted my glass toward her.
“To new beginnings,” I said, voice soft but sure.
Ivy’s lips curved as she raised hers to meet mine with a gentle clink.
“And strategic seductions.”
We both sipped, the wine warm and rich on my tongue.
She leaned back again, legs crossed, eyes studying me like she already knew exactly how this would all unfold.
And maybe she did, because for the first time since this whole thing started, I didn’t feel like I was standing alone in the middle of the chaos.
I had another woman in my corner now who understood the pressures of being in a male-dominated industry.
And that changed everything.