Chapter 27
LUKE
I’m smiling, thinking about last night with Jessica. It just keeps getting better. Nothing has ever felt this good, and I’m even looking forward to this weekend’s gala, knowing she’ll be on my arm.
Usually, these galas are a drag, all proper and prim, but they’re something we must do as part of our job.
One of the honourable guests has been a mentor of mine, a former BMW driver, and even though I’m not thrilled about the gala, it feels better knowing Jessica, Lily, and Sebastian will be there.
I’m sitting in the usual chair for my weekly meeting with Andrea when she enters the office.
“Hi Luke, sorry for the wait,” she says, and I assure her it’s all good.
We start by discussing the race and the positive press for the team, but the mood shifts when she lays out pictures of Jessica and me on the table. They’re clearly taken from a distance, but there’s no mistaking who’s in the photos.
“Please explain,” Andrea says, and I look at her.
“That’s Jessica, my girlfriend,” I tell her simply.
“I know who she is, she’s also the intern at Star News. Luke, do you understand how these pictures might affect her?” she asks, and I am forced to look at the pictures again.
They’re from yesterday, when I couldn’t help myself and kissed the corner of her mouth.
It seems innocent enough, but I know the media will have a field day if they get hold of these.
“How did you get these?” I ask her, and she tells me that she paid the photographer, making sure there are no copies.
In this world, we can never know, but at least if the pictures get out, Andrea knows where to look first.
“We’re planning to go public soon, Andrea. She’s been a little hesitant, but she knows just as well as I that it’s just a matter of time.”
I’m confident that we’ll make this work; it has to.
“Luke, don’t get me wrong. I really want you to be happy and seeing you in a relationship is wonderful. But this can damage her career. Do you truly want to risk that?” she asks, and I keep silent, my mind racing.
“You’re Luke Hastings. No one’s going to bother you for dating a reporter. But her? She’ll be torn apart first by fans, then by her peers in the media, claiming she only got her position because of you.”
“That’s not true! She had that internship long before we even met,” I tell her, feeling my frustrations rising.
“Do you honestly believe anyone will take the time to check that? Give her the benefit of the doubt? Her career will be tarnished by her relationship with you, with everyone questioning her abilities and crushing her dreams even before they’ve begun. Do you want to carry that responsibility?”
I don’t respond, and when Andrea realizes I’m not in the mood to discuss this, she leaves me alone.
The more I think about what Andrea told me, the more I get the sinking feeling that she is right.
A relationship with me will taint Jessica.
The media can be a cruel place, and even though I know Jessica is strong, I don’t want to stand in the way of her dreams.
Thinking over the possibilities we have, every single one ends with Jessica being harmed in some way. Her professional abilities will be questioned.
Even if the people working with her would support her and tell anyone who asks that she’s doing a fantastic job, other media outlets would tear her apart.
Then it’s the aspect of the future.
What happens when everyone learns she’s dating the golden boy of F1?
Will she have more opportunities handed to her, turning it into something nasty rather than something she’s earned through her own merit?
Hearing her pride in her work and her passion for F1 is one of the many qualities I adore about her.
And it’s also the reason why breaking it off with her is the only right choice to make her dreams come true, on her own terms.
Even if it means I’ll get my own heart broken. The thought alone makes me feel physically ill, as I sit in my chair feeling paralyzed from the pain inflicting my body, knowing what’s to come.