My hands trembled as I scrolled further.He’d positioned himself as some kind of crusading journalist, exposing the “disturbing pattern of targeted harassment” faced by women in Formula 1.He’d painted me as a brave victim standing strong against anonymous threats and invasive attention—a narrative I’d never consented to, built from information I’d never given him.
Except I had given him the information he needed, hadn’t I?I’d let him into my room, let him see the notes arranged in their careful rows, and he’d stood there studying them with that furrowed brow and those earnest eyes, offering friendship and discretion while memorizing every detail he could use.
My phone buzzed again.The world was waking up to Ollie’s article, and with it, to every private terror I’d been carrying alone.
A text from Felix arrived.
Felix:
My room.Now.Thomas will be there.
Felix’s hotel room was three floors above mine, in the section reserved for leadership and other important people.I knocked once, heard the President of Rennen’s voice call, “Come in,” and pushed through the door.
They were both standing.That was my first clue this wasn’t going to be a pleasant strategy meeting.Thomas leaned against the hotel desk, arms crossed, his expression carefully neutral.Felix stood by the window, backlit by the morning sun, and when he turned to face me, I saw something in his eyes I’d never seen before.
Uncertainty.
“Sit down, Lily,” he said.
“I’m fine standing.”
“Sit.Down.”
I sat.The chair was too soft, too low.It made me feel like I was a child who’d been called to the principal’s office.Felix studied me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.“I’ve heard something concerning.About threats you’ve been receiving.”
“I know.The article.”Then I paused.“But I thought my mother might have told you about them?”
Felix’s eyebrows lifted.“Your mother?No.”He exchanged a glance with Thomas.“Henri told me.”
The words hit like a physical blow.
“Henri,” I repeated, my voice flat.
“He showed me photographs of the notes.Said you’d been receiving them since Miami and refused to report them.”Felix’s disappointment carved lines deeper into his face.“Your mother knew about this?”
“She—” I stopped.Processed.“She took the last one.Said she’d handle it.”
“She didn’t.”
“I’m handling it,” I said, although my voice lacked confidence.
“Handling it?”Thomas’s voice cut through my defensive haze.“How?These aren’t random hate messages, Lily.Someone’s been accessing your hotel rooms.”
The room tilted slightly.My mother had dismissed my concerns, pocketed the evidence, and done nothing.And Henri… Henri had gone behind my back after I explicitly told him to stay out of it.
“Henri had no right—”
“Henri did exactly what he should’ve done.”Felix stepped closer.“What you should’ve done weeks ago.”
My hands clenched the chair’s armrests.Betrayal burned hot in my chest, mixing with embarrassment.It was stupid to keep this from the team for so long.Deep down, I knew my mother wasn’t going to deal with the notes.It’s probably why I’d told her in the first place.
I couldn’t meet Felix’s eye.My gaze fixed on a small star on the carpet, tracing the pattern while my mind raced through possible responses.
“I need to know how many,” he demanded.
“A lot…” My head ached.“Between the texts and the DMs, I stopped counting.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”The hurt in Felix’s voice was worse than anger would have been.
