It's You ✮ Charles Leclerc

Cɦɑpteɾ 42

♪ 'Cause karma is my boyfriend, Karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend ♪

Natalie Beaufoy POV

I stared at the pictures of me getting handed an envelope, opening it and counting the cash inside, and I wondered why the fuck did someone find it interesting enough to send these pictures to Charles. And why the fuck wasn't he telling me that someone had apparently followed me around in Monaco?

"Why would this be any of your business?" I ask confusedly as I put the photos down.

"The man who handed you the money is Sylvie's dad, and she tried to sell me a story about how they were paying you to do all this," his words completely shocked me.

This man owed my dad money; I went to collect it when we returned from our vacation since my dad wasn't available, and the man finally wanted to pay. And it was all an ambush?

"You had a reason to block me out, to run away and be justified. Why didn't you? Why didn't you start a fight? Why didn't you doubt me? Didn't that make you doubt my motives?" I ask confusedly.

"I got those pictures and I couldn't even believe it for a second so I threw them out and went ahead with my day, there is no way you would've done all this for money. I just didn't care enough to start a fight based on some stupid pictures. Her dad owes money to half the city, I am not even surprised he owed your dad money," he was calm and I stumbled back when the thought hit me.

I know he had said he liked me. But this proved something deeper. He could've used this to push me away or to start a fight and to run away and take Lucas as a defense but he didn't. He stayed; he didn't give a flying fuck about it. This isn't for Lucas.

"I am not being paid," I announce, and he nods unimpressed.

"I know," he says as he gestures for me to leave the room.

"You could've run away."

"But I didn't. I stayed, and I asked my lawyer to try and get a restraining order against her on mine and Lucas' behalf; she is obviously stalking us, and since you are always with one of us, then she wouldn't get to you," he explains as I follow him outside of the room with a foolish smile on my face.

"That was smart," I comment proudly. As we get downstairs, Lucas is up and ready to leave, as I expected.

We walked into the paddock, and Charles took my hand in his before picking Lucas up so he wouldn't get lost in the confusion. Lucas looked at me, then at our hands, and smiled.

"Where is my trophy?" Lucas asks worriedly.

"The team will send it home, or do you want me to go get it now?" Charles asks as he stops, and Lucas shakes his head.

"No! That's good! Did you do it?" He tried to whisper, but I heard it either way and tried not to laugh.

"It was close enough, and I meant every word of it," Charles says proudly, and Lucas grins from ear to ear as he looks at me.

"And did you say it back?"

"I sure did," I say calmly before I look behind us. I knew she would be somewhere around us if she had the envelope delivered, but she kept herself hidden if she was here.

We went to the hotel after having dinner, I helped put Lucas to sleep and went to my room until I heard a knock. I was going to ignore it until I heard the voice on the other side—Sylvie. I slightly opened it and saw she was alone, so I opened the rest.

"Can I help you?" I ask indifferently as I cross my arms in front of my chest. What a nerve she must have to be here.

"You can stop faking it. Charles is an insecure little man; I know those pictures ate away every trust you might've been able to build; you can leave the little brat now. You won't get the final prize," she has this smirk on her face, and I chuckle. I don't find it funny, but I tend to laugh when pissed off.

"He told me he liked me, and I told him I liked him back. He is my boyfriend. Lucas is my son. I have lost nothing. Don't ever call my son a brat ever again, or I will make you regret every bad word you've ever said about him," I warned her as I prepared to close the door in her face.

"What? Charles must be really needing a mom for him, for fuck sake," she complains, and I just laugh.

"Or maybe you are the goddamn problem here. I better not see your face again, or I will file a restraining order against you for stalking, and you better stay away from Charles and Lucas; they already requested the restraining order, so I would keep that distance for now," I warn her before I close the door on her face.

She pissed me off, and I was already done with her bullshit to start with. But I could do better. I could make her seeth in hate the whole damn night. I opened the door and she was still standing there as I walked by her side.

I knocked on the door to Charles' room for dramatic effect since I had the card back in my room. He opened it with a confused look on his face, which turned into a smile as his hand went to my waist. And I smiled back. His cute glasses, the messy hair, the shirtless body—everything made him hotter.

"I would've prepared better if I knew you were coming," he says and I shake my head.

"I prefer this version; normalcy is good," I say as I wrap my arms around his neck, and he picks me up, my legs circling his lower torso.

"Good," he says before kissing me and leading me inside, making me forget the woman seething in her own regrets outside. She can fuck off.

He is my boyfriend, and Lucas is my son; over my dead body, will she take that boy from me.