Against You

Confrontation

Lando POV

What the hell was Oscar thinking? I want to laugh and I want to scream, but most of all my insides are squirming from embarrassment. Oscar runs out of the room, covered in sweat and followed closely by Grace, and I turn my eyes to the mortified press conference host.

"Do we have any other questions?" she asks nervously.

Reporters spring at me like piranhas.

"Lando, do you really think Oscar won't have his contract renewed for next season?"

"I have no idea," I say, mouth too close to the microphone.

"Lando! Lando! Is it true what Oscar said?"

"I think so."

"Lando! Do you think Oscar's move today was legal?"

"Letting me through? Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"Where's Oscar gone?"

"I don't know," I mumble, legs shaking. "But I think I had better go after him."

Cameras flash and reporters shout my name, but I stand up and speed walk from the room, leaving a hundred reporters staring at two empty chairs. I have no idea what will happen now, what kind of mess Oscar has caused, but I know I need to be there when it all falls apart. I need to defend him, back up his story, and make sure Grace gets what she deserves for trying to destabilise my team.

I run through the labyrinthine building and out into the paddock where the desert night makes my skin prickle. Inside the McLaren hospitality building, the drama is already kicking off. I crash through the door in time to hear Zak Brown screaming.

"Lies! Fabrications and lies! My daughter would never do such a thing, she would never try to harm the team, she would never put the championship at risk!"

"She did!" Oscar shouts back. Grace is crying and engineers are crowding round, some rubbing her back and others watching with wide and hungry eyes.

"She did," I say, pushing myself inside. "It's all true. She lied and she made us both so angry we attacked each other. It's all true!"

Zak Brown's eyes pop with rage, but I push my way through the last of the crowd to stand at Oscar's side.

"My Grace would never do anything like that!"

"Actually," one of the engineers steps forward, "I was there when she lied to Lando about Oscar's results. I didn't say anything at the time, I just thought she made a mistake."

"And I heard her speaking to Oscar," Connor says. "She said Lando annoyed her and she was glad Oscar put him in his place."

Grace is still crying in the corner of the room, her sobs echoing out underneath the babble of chatter. As I look at her, my heart sinks. She's really upset. But is she upset about what she did, or is she just embarrassed everyone found out?

"Enough!" Zak Brown shouts over the crowd. He turns to Grace and slinks toward her. He leans down, pushing others away, and asks her. "Is it true? Why would you do that?"

Her reply is too quiet to hear but I can see her tear-streaked red face. I turn to the gaping crowd and wave my hands above my head.

"Hey, let's stop staring! Go get on with pack-down, this isn't something everyone needs to know about!" I shout.

A few people leave, but Oscar shakes his head.

"Lando, I just told the entire F1 community! It's too late to keep this secret."

"At the very least Grace doesn't need everyone staring at her."

Oscar griamces. "Do you think I did the right thing?"