Online Rivals, Offline Lovers

Chapter 17 - Guilty as charged?

[Max Pov]

Lex got discharged the next morning. Of course, she wanted to leave England the same day and I agreed. Together we took the jet and flew back to Monaco.

Lex swore she was fine, but I could see that she wasn't. She was hurt and two broken ribs wouldn't heal overnight. So I let her rest. I cooked (or at least tried to and nearly burned down the kitchen in the process) and forced Lex to see our team Doctor every two days.

And... I kept my hands off her. Reluctantly, but the Doctors instructions in the hospital were clear: no race car driving, no physical exercise (including sex) and no other strenuous activity that would make Lex hyperventilate (so no making out either).

Currently she was sleeping on the oversized beige sofa Daniel had convinced me to buy for this apartment. I needed to remember to thank him for it. Lex looked comfy, perched on a sea of pillows and blankets, like she was in fact sleeping on a cloud.

Seeing her like this, so peaceful, so relaxed made my heart ache. The events of the previous race still haunted my thoughts, the image of her car flipping over and over, smoke billowing from the wreckage, burned into my mind. The chassis had looked like a crumpled up candy wrapper, not like an f1 car. If she hadn't stood there and waved at me, I'm pretty sure I would have had a panic attack. The thought of her in the car, unable to move, no longer breathing... scared me more than anything else in life...

I knew I needed to get the crash out of my mind. Fear was a dangerous friend if you were a race car driver... it didn't make you more careful like most people liked to think... no, it made you hesitant and slow, which was what could really cost you your life in the end.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart as I continued watching Lex sleep on the couch.

Careful not to disturb her, I reached for my phone, my fingers tapping anxiously against the screen as I dialed Christian Horner's number. He picked up after a few rings, his voice crisp and businesslike.

"Max, what can I do for you?" he greeted.

"Christian, we need to talk," I said, my voice firm with resolve.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, his concern evident now.

"No, it's not," I replied, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "We need to launch an investigation into what happened to Lex's car in Silverstone."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and I could almost picture Christian's sceptical expression.

"Max, you know these things happen in racing," he began, his tone dismissive.

"Not like this, Christian," I insisted, my voice rising slightly. "There's something seriously wrong here, and we need to get to the bottom of it."

"Alright, Max. I'll look into it. But I can't promise anything." Christian sighed heavily, clearly not wanting to entertain my demands, but I wouldn't give him any other choice.

"Thank you, Christian," I said, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. "I appreciate it."

***

Red Bull Racing Scandal: Sabotage or Conspiracy?

In a shocking turn of events, Red Bull Racing has confirmed suspicions that the recent crashes of Lexie van den Bos, daughter of billionaire CEO Dolf van den Bos, were not her fault.

The Red Bull car was sent back to the factory for further examination. What they discovered sent shockwaves through the racing community: Lexie's car had been deliberately tampered with. Reports indicate that the car, which suffered a catastrophic malfunction during the Silverstone race, was manipulated shortly before the race.