“The only thing that interests me about Chloe Coleman is her vision for the team.And frankly I’m bored now.Next question.”
The denial couldn’t be more concrete.And while I let out my breath, relieved that he’s thrown cold water on it, a part of me aches.I know what he’s doing—he’s protecting me.But still, my stupid heart feels rejected all the same.I force a smile and stare ahead.
“You clocked the fastest lap today and were voted the FIA driver of the day,” another reporter says.“How does it feel to be back?”
“Aww.Did you miss me?”he quips, as the press conference returns to focusing on Matt and his race.
I feel Archie’s hand grab mine and squeeze it, and I turn to him.“He had to say all that,” he whispers.
“I know,” I say, nodding slightly, needing that encouragement.“I know.”
My turn.By the time I’m due on that stage for the press conference, I saunter up there, my nerves steady.Next to me, Rossini’s team principal.I glance across at him inacknowledgment and nod my head, trying my best not to look too smug, or too proud, or too arrogant.
“Congratulations today,” he says, before leaning in and whispering, “Now the real work with Matt begins.”
“Meaning?”
“You’ll see,” he says, leaning back in his chair and looking out toward the sea of reporters.“He’s a fucking handful.”
I roll my eyes.Like I don’t know Matt.Like I can’t handle that ego.Like he doesn’t listen to me.Fuck this.I’m not going to play like I’m lucky to be here anymore.I’m not going to be grateful anymore.I’m not going to make myself smaller or meeker or whatever the hell these people want.
I look back out into the room and see Matt, standing with those forearms crossed, staring hard at me, a look of pure pride etched across his handsome face.Now we’re sharing a secret.A joke.And this time, I’m in on it.
“Chloe, congratulations.In seven weeks, five races, you’ve taken Arden from the bottom of the pack to the top.How does it feel?”
I hesitate.I want to say something short, tough, and arrogant back to the reporter.I want to play like these men do, coolly commanding the room, keeping my cards close to the vest, but a part of me wants liberation from that.
“I’m thrilled.It’s been a lot of hard work, and at times I’ve hid in the bathroom, or screamed into my pillow, but here we are.We fucking did it.”
It’s messy and personal.But it’s me.
And the press seems to love it.
“Hugely relatable,” says the next journalist, grinning.“Whose idea was it to bring Jasper in?”
“Well, mine.But we’re a team that believes in second chances.”
They like that one too.Turning to Rossini’s team principal for a response: “What did you think about the appointment?”
“Formula 1 is about consistency at the highest level.At Rossini we look for extraordinary talent, but we also look for professionalism, loyalty, and the ability to maintain that level past a handful of races.”
A murmur around the room.Holy shit, he must be rattled.
“Is that why you let Matt Warner go?”
My eyes widen as I wait for the response.
“He’s thirty-four.We needed to move on from someone whose career was ending,” he says, pointing to the next person.“And of course, his crash showed bad judgment.It was a career-defining error that cost us both drivers.”
The journalists turn back to me.
“Any response, Chloe?”
“Haven’t we all had moments in our life where things go wrong?Catastrophic things?I know I have,” I say, smiling, looking directly into the eyes of the press in the front row, one by one.“I think real sportsmanship, true greatness, comes from our ability to endure the mistakes, learn hard, forgive ourselves, and rise.Matt Warner had a terrible crash, impacting his best friend.I’m sure you can imagine the agony it’s caused him, and how difficult it’s been to come to terms with.Can Matt maintain this level?I think so.As his team principal, I’m rooting for him, and we’ll give him all the support he needs.”
I glance at Matt, hoping it wasn’t too much, but he smiles back at me, and so does Archie.
“This is a more confident, eloquent Chloe Coleman.Are you feeling on top of the world right now?”
