Chapter 21 #2
A younger journalist cleared his throat and shifted forward. “Uh, right. Do you think the track evolution will help you tomorrow, given the lower grip in Sector Three tonight?”
Ifound Violet exactly where I expected. In the team suite, standing by the kitchenette, arms braced against the counter. Hazel was strapped to her chest.
Violet didn’t look up when I entered.
Didn’t say a word.
I stopped a few feet away, dragging a hand down my face. “Go on, then. Let’s hear it.”
“You’re an idiot,” she muttered, exasperated.
“Got that part already.”
“And reckless.”
“Not my worst quality.”
She spun, eyes blazing, arms locked across her chest, her whole body wound tight like she was physically holding herself back from throttling me.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
I shrugged, because what else was there to do? “Took control of the situation. Made sure it didn’t become a scandal.”
Violet let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “You just told the world you have a newborn. You think they’re going to let that go?”
I shrugged. “They don’t have a choice.”
“You really believe that?”
“If I don’t engage, there’s nothing for them to chase.”
“They’re going to dig, Griffin.” She stepped forward, barely a breath away, her eyes blazing. “And when they don’t find anything? They’ll keep digging until they do.”
My jaw locked. “Let them.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I held her gaze. “I do.”
“You’re willing to let them drag everything out into the open?” She shook her head, disbelief cracking through the frustration. “You know how this works. They don’t stop at the headlines. They’ll go for every inch of it. Every detail.”
The second they didn’t find an obvious mother in my social circle, they’d start making assumptions. One-night stand? Secret girlfriend? Paid surrogate?
“What happens when they find out it’s Isolde?” Violet hissed.
“They won’t.”
“They will.” Her tone softened, but not in a kind way. More like she was pitying me for still believing I had any control over this. “You think they won’t figure out that she disappeared from the paddock months ago? That she’s barely been seen since? That her brother is your biggest rival?”
I stiffened at the mention of Jesse Callaghan.
She caught it, her lips pressing together. “You know what will happen if the press puts her name to this.”
I did.
Callaghan would lose his mind. He already hated me. This would give him a cause. A reason to take me apart, piece by piece, both on and off the track.
And Isolde—
The door swung open behind us. Selene strode in first, her expression an icy mask, her tablet clutched so tight it was a miracle it hadn’t shattered.
Julian followed close behind, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.
He took his time closing the door with an exaggerated, careful movement. Oh, I was well and truly fucked.
Selene sighed, tapping her tablet against her palm like she was weighing up whether to launch it at my head.
“So,” Julian said, his voice deceptively calm. “You had quite the press briefing, Griffin.”
Violet tensed, her arms wrapping around Hazel instinctively.
Julian finally turned his attention to me. “Walk me through when I approved it.”
I rolled my shoulders, keeping my voice easy. “It slipped.”
Something like a scoff and a strangled laugh escaped Selene. “Congratulations, genius. In twenty minutes, we’ve gone from ‘tough qualifying for Michaels’ to ‘WHO IS THE MOTHER OF GRIFFIN’S SECRET BABY?’”
Julian didn’t react. Didn’t blink. Just stood there, watching me, waiting for me to dig myself a deeper hole.
“At least they’re talking about me.”
Selene muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like ‘I’m going to kill him myself.’
“Tell me.” Julian’s voice stayed smooth, controlled. “When I signed you to this team, did I ask for drama?”
I crossed my arms. “You asked for results.”
“And you gave me P9,” he said flatly. He stepped closer, his voice dropping just enough that it sent something cold down my spine. “You’ve now given the press something more interesting to talk about than your performance. And you’ve made this our problem.”
Violet shifted beside me.
Julian’s gaze flicked to her. “And you!”
She straightened, chin lifting slightly. “Me?”
“You’re supposed to be handling his distractions,” he said. “Keeping him focused. Was that not your job description?”
Her jaw clenched. “You didn’t give me a job description when you volunteered me into this, remember?”
“I volunteered you because I thought you could handle it,” Julian said, his voice dropping to that quiet, disappointed tone that cut deeper than shouting. “I thought I could rely on you to protect the team’s interests. Clearly, I expected too much.”
Christ. The guy knew exactly which buttons to push. Selene made a quiet, strangled sound, looking anywhere but at them.
“It won’t happen again,” Violet said stiffly, her voice tight. Not angry. Apologetic.
Julian didn’t even acknowledge her. He just turned his cold gaze back to me. “Do you even understand what you’ve done?”
I shrugged. “I had a shit qualifying session and made an offhand comment. Hardly a crime.”
“You’ve given the press a brand new narrative. You’ve distracted the team. And you’ve invited speculation into your personal life, which will now become a problem for all of us.”
Selene tapped furiously at her tablet. “Headlines are already running. They’ve stopped talking about qualifying. This is the only story now.”
Julian didn’t react. “So tell me, Griffin. Do you have a plan to fix this?”
I didn’t break eye contact. “There’s nothing to fix.”
Selene let out a short, sharp laugh, barely glancing up from her tablet. “Oh, that’s rich.”
I tipped my chin. “The press can write whatever the hell they want. I won’t confirm anything. I won’t deny anything. I won’t engage. It dies when they get bored.”
“You think they’ll get bored?” Julian asked, his tone incredulous.
“The car won’t run without fuel, Julian. If I don’t give them a name, they have nothing to burn.”
Julian stepped closer.
“You want me to apologize? Not happening. You want me to deny it? Not happening. The only way this dies is if we stop feeding it.”
Selene scrolled furiously, scanning whatever fresh disaster was lighting up the internet. “We’re already getting calls from sponsors.”
“Then tell them what I just told you. It’s my personal life. It’s not up for debate.”
She lifted her gaze, expression flat with disbelief. “Oh, yes. I’m sure they’ll love hearing ‘don’t worry, he’ll just ignore it until it goes away’. That always works.”
I smirked. “You sound stressed.”
Selene threw up her hands and turned to Julian. “I’m going to kill him.”
Julian didn’t react. He was still watching me like he hadn’t quite decided whether I was a liability or just a massive headache.
Finally, he sighed. “You’re right.”
Selene froze, eyes narrowing. “Sorry. What?”
“He’s right. It dies when we let it.”
Selene blinked, like this was the worst possible outcome.
“That means no more mistakes,” Julian said, his tone hard. “No more slip-ups. You keep your mouth shut, you do your job, and you don’t give them anything else.”
I nodded once.
Julian turned to Selene. “Push a statement. Keep it short. Aedris doesn’t comment on personal matters.”
Selene rubbed her temples. “That’s not going to stop them.”
“It’s not meant to.”
Selene huffed, muttering something about men being the worst, then stalked toward the door.
Julian gave me one last look, then followed her out.
The door shut, leaving me alone with Violet and Hazel.
Violet sighed, adjusting Hazel’s blanket. “That’s it, then? Ignore it and hope it disappears?”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “Do you have a better idea?”
She shook her head.
“They won’t find her.”
Violet pressed her lips together.
“They’ll get bored.”
She sighed, shaking her head like I was impossible. But she didn’t argue.
Because I was right.
“Why didn’t you tell him?
Her brow furrowed. “Tell him what?”
“Who she is. You had the perfect chance to throw me under the bus and save yourself.”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.” She shrugged.
“That hasn’t stopped anyone else in this paddock.”
“As if I’d ever stoop to their level.” Her chin snapped up, eyes narrowing.
I stared at her, utterly bewildered.
Most people in this paddock traded secrets for breakfast. Violet treated the idea like I’d asked her to eat dirt.
She hadn't told him a damn thing.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t even gone to dinner with him. She’d stayed in the house, dealing with the mess I made, keeping the chaos contained within four walls.
“Right.” I let out a breath, blinking at her. “Alright then.”