Mastermind

Belgium, August 26th 2022

Smile. Laugh. Repeat.

"Look Eve if he tries anything...'' My best friend's words pull me from my mind.

"I know I know Lan...you'll knock his teeth in." I roll my eyes at the smiling boy as we approach the paddock entry. The cut on his lip was still healing which felt like a punch to the gut.

"And I will be there when he's the one getting knocked out," laughed Daniel, catching up with us. His fist messing with my hair,

"Well, look who finally decided to join us. Princess Hamilton, I should be honored you're taking time out of your stardom for little ole us." One thing about Daniel is that you could never not smile when in his presence.

"Aye mate you are a horrible friend. I can handle myself in a fight." Lando chuckled still stuck on that topic,

"I have to make time for my adoring fans Daniel...who am I if not generous." Smiling at the Australian. Lando tapped my shoulder,

"I'm serious, okay! Just give me the word."

"Sorry lads I would love to stay and chat...but I should go see my brother. Daniel, lovely as always, Lando, get that stick out of your ass it doesn't look comfortable." The pair kept walking, chuckling as they went. The younger one raised his middle finger and I veered off towards the Mercedes' garage.

"Hello hello hello, I come bearing gifts!" Speeding through the chaos that comes with Fridays on track.

"Eva! So lovely to have you here!" Susie Wolff approaches wearing a huge smile. "I feel as if you haven't been with us in forever." She hugs me tight and I pull away quickly.

"I know, it's been busy! But I promised Lewis I would be around for the last half of the season, plus it might even do me some goo-"

"Vee!" I turned just in time to see a small brunette boy come crashing into me. Jumping at the contact, I adjust, realizing it's Jack Wolff.

"Woah Jack! you're getting strong." I crouch to look him in the eyes. "Pretty soon you'll be stronger than your dad. Don't tell him I said that." The kid giggles and races off towards the playroom which houses his toys during the weekends he can attend.

"Don't tell who what, Eva?" Toto comes into view walking near Bono who darts off to finish the strategy for today's practice runs. "C'mere," he wraps me in another hug and I smile sweetly, "the boys were finishing a strategy meeting when I heard you."

"Sounds good! thank you so much sir,"

"Hey none of that! We've known each other for too long." It was true after all, I had been an unexpected addition to the Hamilton family being born when Lewis moved in with our dad and my mom at 12. Even though he was my half brother, he never treated me like any less of a sibling. He was more protective over me than Nicholas surprisingly. I traveled constantly with my family to the boys races and got to know some of the racers at a young age. George, being one of them saw me first and grinned,

"Well hello miss Eve," he pulled me into a half-hug.

Smile. Laugh. Repeat. These hugs were killing me.

"Russell I would let go of my sister if you want to make it to the second practice." Lewis placed an arm over my shoulders and smiled my way. "Woah, it's almost like you haven't seen me in months." He laughed removing  his sunglasses. "I know Miss big shot has a label breathing down her back."

Speak of the devil

"It's May," nodding at the phone, I started to head outside.

"Alright Evie, just be back in here at the end of practice 2, I wanna get lunch with my baby sister." He waved and went over to Bono. I said quick goodbyes to Toto, Susie and Jack then hurried out the open garage door.

"Hey girl!" My agent drew that last word out a little too long.

"Hey May, what's up?"

"Well I was talking to the higher ups and they want a single."

"Wow, good to hear from you too!" May was never one to sugar coat things.

"The last of your songs from the EP just dropped off the top 100 list so we need to pick it back up." Her voice was strained.

"You know I don't have anything to release yet." May had been with me since the beginning. She had seen my writing droughts before, always pushing for me to get someone else to write my songs but I couldn't do it. Eventually she learned to stop asking.

"Alright, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but they're talking about other ways of keeping your name in the headlines." She went silent for a moment then continued, "some are even suggesting a PR relationship..." them being the rest of my marketing team. "Just to keep your name in headlines until you're ready."

"You mentioned that part already May."

"I'm sorry darling, I am just nervous asking you about this." I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. Sighing deeply, I could play along...for her.

"A relationship...with a celebrity?" The words almost stuck in my throat.

"Well...a driver to be more specific. Racing is gaining more traction and with your brother already in the circle I thought it would be an easy fix."

"Easy fix? Have you met Lewis? He barely lets me be friends with George, Lando and Daniel...but a relationship? He would have a heart attack." The prospect was almost laughable.

"Let me call Lewis. He would get a say in everything and it being just be a PR thing...it's almost like a business deal."

"Yeah he will definitely agr-"

"Look E I know your reputation is something you are trying to keep." Her interruption caught me off guard. "But, I'm gonna be frank. The label needs something with heart, the angry pop will only get you so far and your EP has no songs about love, heart break or any kind of relationship...you don't seem real." I was silent for a second.

"So I am seen as not real for not writing songs about a relationship but if I wrote too many, I would be a love struck girl who only writes about her exes."

"Look I know it's not ideal but just call me tonight and let me know which route you wanna go...new songs...or relationship." The line went dead before I had a chance to respond.

Angrily deciding to  walk towards the McLaren garage, I hoped Lando or Daniel would have some advice for me. There was an hour before practice 1 so they were completing some last minute preparations before hopping in the car. I spotted the interviewers trying to grab drivers and mechanics to no avail. I kept my head down when passing the SkySports media team and was almost at the McLaren hospitality entrance when I ran smack into...well shit.

"Hey watch where you're-" I knew who it was before hearing the accent. That smell had followed me for the past month. My heart began racing. Secret walks down the streets of Athens, hiding in small coffee shops to avoid the Paparazzi and trips to the countryside. Numb was how I expected to feel, I had been doing a good job too until that damn voice. That same voice had been apologizing for the photographs with a french model, saying that 'it wasn't what it looked like'. It was the voice on the other side of the door pleading with me to open it. On the other end of the phone calling everything a 'mistake' and that I shouldn't  listen to my best friend after Lan told me what had happened at the party in Monaco. The voice belonging to the name which lit up my phone for two days until I finally blocked the number. Barely registering who he had bumped into I quickly responded,

"Sorry I'll watch where I'm going next time." 

"Eve hey! C'mon Daniel wants to..." Lando emerged from the garage. His expression darkened when he saw who was standing there.

"Coming Lan," turning quickly away from the Frenchman who seemed to be just as stunned as I was. "Let's go," My gaze turned to my friend and found that his was trained on the AlphaTauri driver still cemented in that spot.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Lando put his arm around me muttered "Pierre fucking Gasly."

***

Thank you for reading <3 I hope you like it so far, it's definitely a work in progress!