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Kallie hummed to herself, the music flowing in her car as she drove to the track for media day. She always preferred driving herself because of her impatience. And, she needed time to think. Last week was a very busy week for her. She dropped her first single from Jaguar II. It was called Smoke, featuring Lucky Daye, and it was doing really good. Then she won the Australian Grand Prix, and hours after that, her sworn enemy kissed her. It was a lot.

She ended up changing her flight from Monaco to South Africa. She spent her week with Kami in their beach house. Yet that still didn't give her enough time to prepare for what she'd do if Nyck came up to her again. He hadn't called, but she did know that he was in contact with Keziyah. She had called Kallie to make sure, and then she had a meeting scheduled with him. Kez wanted to sign him, but she was gonna hold off until later in the season, just so she knew he wouldn't change his mind.

Kami stayed back in South Africa with Kaikara, so Kallie was still adjusting to not having her daughter by her side. It wasn't easy. It was never easy to leave her daughter.

She parked the car, stopping her train of thoughts. She pushed open the door and brushed herself off, adorning a long black fitted skirt with gold jewels on the seams and a cropped Jaguar t-shirt. They were now resided in Baku, Azerbaijan for the Grand Prix. As stated, it was media day, and she had been informed this morning that Nyck would be seated next to her during the conference. It felt like everyone had it out for her.

After debriefs, she headed down to the conference room, Maeanna escorting her. Her heels clicked against the flooring, eyes landing on her as she walked over to the couch. She sat down, leaning over to greet Esteban who had gotten there before her. The rest of them joined, which included, Carlos, Oscar, Lewis, and Nyck. And of-fucking-course they had to be funny and seat Lewis and Nyck on either side of her.

She rolled her eyes, looking down at her cucumbers that her dad cut up for her. She tuned everything out as she munched on the cucumbers, leaning back into the couch comfortably. She didn't tune back in until she was being greeted by a reporter. She quickly grabbed the microphone and offered the man a tight smile, "mholo."

"What's your response to all the backlash you've been receiving upon your bold words after the Australian Grand Prix?" He asked, and yes, it was true. All the Red Bull fan boys got pressed. "I honestly couldn't care less. I said what I said. I have no regrets. They can all keep crying to their mamas. I don't care." She shrugged carelessly, setting the mic back down.

"Do you have anything else to say on the matter with Christian Horner?" He asked, clearly referring to Christian claiming her response to his comment was highly unprofessional. She hummed, raising the mic back to her lips, "uh, here's something, and this is for everyone before they think they can put my name in their mouths. Don't disrespect me and expect me to not clap back. Simple as that."

"I would also like to add, because I know Max will be in here soon. Stop asking him about this situation. He had nothing to do with it. He's just a driver, who cannot control what their boss says. He's had nothing but kind words for me. So, enough of that." She added, and she had known Max since he was very young so it made sense for her to be protective like that. He was one of Kaylen's best friends, and he stayed at her house a lot when he was young because he didn't want to stay with his dad.

She went back to casually munching on her fresh cucumbers, crossing one leg over the other. Then she heard her name being called again. "Mholo." The woman smiled softly, "you've had three beautiful wins three races into your debut, and are leading in the championship points. Compared to your former rival who hasn't had the best luck in his own debut, despite having more experience driving Formula 1 cars. How does that make you feel?" Kallie smirked, loving when people spoke of her accomplishments and Nyck's failures.

"I love the way you worded that." Kallie chuckled, glancing at Nyck who was just scowling. "But uh, I honestly don't give much thought to it. I may be on his mind 24/7 but he's certainly not plaguing my thoughts. In fact, I think when this is all over and he goes back to Formula E where he belongs, he'll have a newfound respect for me." Nyck scoffed, glancing over at her, his eyes flickering to her lips for a split second before landing on her eyes, "in your dreams, Yeong-Su."

"I don't dream because I'm too busy achieving. But, I see you cannot relate to that." Kallie smirked in a sadistic manner, her smirk soon forming into a grin upon seeing his eyes move to her lips. She turned back to the reporters, his eyes still on her. "There's a saying some people use for failed drivers. Formula 1 isn't for everyone. It doesn't take a genius to know who that applies to in this situation."

Nyck scowled at her, but she wasn't paying attention to him, more focused on the fact that Lewis ate her last cucumber when she was busy answering the questions. She turned to glare at him, and he smirked, still chewing on said cucumber. When he swallowed, she hit his shoulder with a harsh glare, "you're paying for more of those."

"I only ate one," he scoffed.

"The last one!" She whisper-shouted, hitting his arm.

Her attention was pulled when she was asked another question. The question being, "do you believe you will have the best Formula 1 rookie year since Lewis Hamilton?" Kallie picked up the microphone, pursing her lips in thought. "Uh, I think it's up for debate. If I do win this year, you might compare our years, but I think it would be unfair to do so. I had a decade and more of experience to build up to this. Lewis did not. Nobody will compare to the year he had. It would be disrespectful to compare. That's all I can say on that."

Lewis smiled, and she rolled her eyes at him, picking up her bottle on the floor. She took a sip of her smoothie that she made and tuned out the conference, again. It was so boring. She tuned back in when Nyck got a question, asking if what his response was to Kallie's words. "I'm not going to say anything, it'll just give her more to work with and I really prefer it when she's quiet. Her voice is very narcissistic and agitating." He spoke, shrugging lightly.

Kallie chuckled at his words, not even mad, just amused. "You weren't complaining last week," she muttered under her breath.

Nyck glanced over at her, his eyes continuously flickering to her glossed lips, "neither were you."

Lewis furrowed his brows, noticing the way Nyck kept looking at Kallie. He had noticed it earlier but figured it wasn't nothing to worry about. But now, it was getting confusing. He knew Nyck liked Kallie, the lad made it incredibly easy to notice. Though, he didn't think Kallie felt the same way, it still made him question whatever that was.

They finally wrapped it up, with Oscar getting the last question. Kallie stood up at the same time as Nyck, both of them bumping into each other. She rolled her eyes, "just go the other way, are you stupid?" He scoffed, "you truly infuriate me." She smirked, pushing her shoulder into his as she passed him, walking over to Maeanna, the woman already stressed out and the day wasn't even over.

Lewis walked beside Nyck, glancing at him, "what was that all about?"

He sighed, shrugging a shoulder, "I don't know. She's confusing. One minute she's kissing me and the next, she's shit talking me."

Lewis blinked in shock and confusion, "I'm sorry, what? She kissed you?"

"Well, I kissed her first, but she kissed me back, and was practically flirting with me the whole time. Now, she's pretending to hate me again. You guys are close right? I know your dad went to a lot of her races back then." Lewis nods at his words, pretending to play along even if he had the biggest urge to kill this guy for having the audacity to kiss his woman. "You got any advice you can give me? Should I ask her out or something?"

"Nah, man. Kallie hates going on dates. I'd say just let it play out. She'll come to you if she's interested," Lewis advised.

Nyck nodded at the advice, "thanks, mate. I'll give it a try."

Lewis nods, going off separate ways. As soon as the day was over, he got back to the hotel and was knocking on her door. Kallie unlocked the door, a sandwich in her free hand as she stared at him in confusion. "Uh, hello?" He moved passed her, stepping into the room and she scoffed, chewing on her sandwich, "what's your problem? We just seen each other at the track."

"Did you kiss Nyck de Vries?" Lewis questioned blatantly as she nudged the door closed.

She walked over to the bed, seemingly unfazed as she licked her fingers, setting the sandwich back on it's plate. "Is this a trick question?" He rolled his eyes, shooting her an annoyed look, "it's a yes or no question. Did you kiss him?" She hums in thought, and eventually shrugs, "as I recall, yes, I did. Why? Did that make you angry?" He scoffs in denial, awkwardly sitting on the bed, "no, I'm not angry." He didn't want to seem jealous, or else she'd tease the fuck out of him.

She raised her brow, "sure about that?"

Lewis picked up the other half of the sandwich and took a bite, pretending to seem unfazed. "I mean...do you like him?"

"Oh, definitely no. That's a hard no. That kiss was to leave him wanting more, so not only have I tortured him by being better than him, but I'm torturing him by not being in love with him. It's the perfect revenge." She smirked, a playful glint in her eyes. She grabbed her sandwich from the plate, not meeting his very shocked expression. "Okay, I'm not understanding. I thought you didn't hate him."

"Maybe I hate him just a lil' bit," she shrugged innocently.

"What'd he do to you? There's got to be a bigger story here," Lewis said, but he was completely on her side either way. Kallie hums, chewing the rest of her sandwich and wiping her hands with a moist towelette. "You remember my best friend Jhené? And you remember that crash he had on the second corner?" He nods in reply, looking at her with curiosity. "Nyck led her on, and broke her heart. That crash he had, was my doing. I did it on purpose."

"Okay, I'm really starting to hate this guy," Lewis mumbled.

"He's a pretty good kisser though," she added, giggling when his eyes shot up at her. "Stop playing with me unless you wanna be punished," he says, standing up and pulling off his jacket. He tossed it onto the sofa, deciding to get more comfortable. He could tell she needed company by the amount of food she ordered. She was a stress eater. She used to do it back in their karting days. Nico would go to her room and come back with all sorts of foods from room service.

"Punished? I knew you were freaky but I didn't think it was that deep," she mused, clearly fucking with him because she was just as bad as him, if not, worse.

"Ah, I don't think you can talk. You got turned on when I was shit talking you." He pointed out swiftly, a cocky smirk on his lips.

Kallie scoffed in denial, reaching for a piece of pineapple in the bowl. "No, I didn't."

"No, you definitely did," he replied knowingly.

She scowled, hitting his arm as he sat down in front of her, "I was in character!"

"You're a very bad liar." He chuckles, taking a piece of pineapple from the bowl. She leaned back into the pillows comfortably, kicking her feet up on his lap. "Shouldn't you be working or at a fancy dinner with a bunch of random people you don't know the names of?" She queried, grabbing another piece of pineapple. "I canceled. I rather hang out with you," he shrugs. She hums, "right. Hang out with your really good friend that you fuck on occasion?"

"Yes...but that's only if you want it." Lewis replied, chewing on the sweet piece of the fresh pineapple.

"What if I want it and you didn't?" Kallie questions, squinting her eyes at him. He scoffed, giving her a very pointed look. "That's impossible. I always want you." Her eyes averted to the bed to avoid him meeting her flustered gaze, blush creeping up her cheeks. He was always making her flustered. Sometimes it annoyed her because men never made her flustered. She cleared her throat, sitting up better, "ya know, you still owe me a cucumber."

He chuckles in amusement, "we're still on that?"

"It was the biggest slice. I saved the best for last and you ate it!" Kallie argued, leaning forward to hit his shoulder. "You are unbelievable. I'll make it up to you." He laughs, grabbing her legs and yanking her down the bed as a yelp escaped her lips. He grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap. "Your obsession with cucumbers and pineapples is concerning," he stated, causing her to laugh and shrug.

"Your obsession with me is concerning," she shot back.

"I didn't see you complaining that night in London," he shrugged, causing her to go quiet, the memories of that night plaguing her mind. Maeanna was pissed when she showed up to Jeddah with marks all over her body. Lewis's team wasn't exactly pleased either, so they made sure he covered up. Still, the fans pointed out the hickey on his neck after the race, because the sweat wiped the makeup off. Luckily, she had hers covered up quite nicely. But, still, she hated makeup during a race so it did bother her.

"In fact, I remember you crawling on top of me, and shotgunning me. So, technically, you're the one using me." He shrugs innocently, causing her to hit his arm in offense. "I do not use you!" She scoffed, standing up but he pulled her back. "I didn't say it was bad thing," his hands found her waist, one of them reaching up to untie her robe. He pulled it off and she allowed it. His gentle hands caressed her skin, his thumbs brushing over the two scars she had. "How'd you get these?"

"There was complications after Miyah's birth. They find cancer in my ovaries so they had to remove some. My mum did the surgery." Kallie explained, and she wasn't sad about it, or anything like that. She was fine with it. She got her baby, and that's all she needed. "Is it good or bad?" He asked. "Good. It's just me and Miyah. That's all I need," she shrugged, but her words made her feel like a liar. It wasn't all she needed. Something felt like it was missing. There was something- or rather someone, that she needed. Then, she'd be complete.

"What about this one?" His finger brushed over the scar on her collarbone. "After Nyck crashed, some debris from it flew up and got me right there. Nobody knew until I finally passed out after the race due to blood loss. Guess that was my karma." She chuckles, looking down at him.

He smiled, moving his hands back down her body, she only wore a gray thong and a black bra. "I liked watching you race back then. You didn't hold back. You were such a badass. If someone ran their mouth, you'd go confront them. And you had that crazy tongue piercing that you'd get in trouble for wearing. Everything you did back then...it was so entertaining, and one of the best eras of Formula E. Sometimes I wish you were still like that. I always wanted to race against myself."

"You think I'm as a good as you?" She smiled, sliding her arms around his neck.

"It's not something that you think about. I know we're both the greatest drivers of all time. I just wish, I got to race alongside you at your very best," he said, and sometimes he'd blame himself for being the reason she didn't get the Mercedes seat, but it never lasted long when he thought about all her success in Formula E, Indycar, etc. "Who said I ever stopped being at my very best? I'm still young, and I'm very well capable of the same things. What I lack, is real competition. Maybe that's something you should work on."

"Sayin' I'm not competitive enough?" He scoffed in offense, the woman just forming a big smile. Kallie moved to sit on his lap, her hips straddling his, "that's exactly what I'm saying. When I see you out there, I don't see the 7x World Champion, Lewis Hamilton. I just see a man who's wearing his face. I want to race that same kid who wasn't afraid to push me off track when I bumped into him. Bring him out for me. I miss him. He challenged me in the very best ways."

"If I bring him out, you gotta bring her out," he proposed.

"Already done." She grinned, sticking out her tongue, showing off the piercing she got back. She always used to have personalized tongue rings for certain races so she knew her fans would love that she brought it back. He chuckled, brushing her hair behind her ear. She had it blown out again, thanks to her father who offered to do it to prevent her arms from growing tired. She tried to have it blown out most of the time because of her sensitive scalp.

"I have a question, but I don't mean any offense by it. I'm just curious, why do you smoke so much?" He questioned, brows scrunched together with a curious expression. "I have trouble controlling my anger, so that's why I smoke. It was really bad when I was younger, but now I've got better control. Otherwise, I would've totally hit Nyck when he tried to stop me from overlapping in Bahrain." She said, chuckling at the thought of hitting her rival.

"That definitely explains it," he says.

Her phone starts to ring, causing him to groan as she moves off his lap. She answered the face time call with a smile, "yes?" Her friend smiled at the screen, "how have you been? You didn't get back to me about that Silverstone invite." Lewis furrowed his brows at the English accent, and the fact that this person was clearly a man. "Right, I forgot all about that, my bad. I'll talk to Kez and she'll put you in the invite list, Jann." Yeah, you read it right. Jann Mardenborough. He was one of her closest friends in racing, if you didn't count Nico Rosberg.

"Are you wearing a bra?" Jann squints his eyes at the screen, making Kallie quickly move the camera more up. "Is that all you called for? I'm with a friend right now," she said in an annoyed tone. "You're with Jhené? Let me say hi," he said, as Jhené was the only one he knew Kallie actually hung out with the most of anyone. "I'm not with Jhené. I'm with Lewis, and we're busy," she corrected.

"Lewis Hamilton? I knew you were lying! You couldn't hate him if you tried," Jann mused, receiving an eye roll from her. "Wait- why are you in a bra with Lewis in the room? Are you guys dating in secret?" He questioned, squinting his eyes in suspicion. Her eyes widened momentarily, "no, we are not! Stop being nosy! Worry about your training. I need to go." She scowled, hanging up the phone and tossing it onto the bedside table.

"He sounds like he knows what he's talkin' about," Lewis spoke, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Don't even start, he's going to fangirl," Kallie scoffed, laying back into the pillows. He chuckled in amusement, setting his hands on her knees. "this guy isn't someone I need to worry about, right?" She grimaced at the thought of her and Jann being more than friends, "no, never. Don't even put that thought in my mind. It's repulsive, and makes me wanna throw up."

Her eyes softened at him as she sat up, seductively eying him, not breaking it until she spread her legs for him. "Besides, no one else can get me like this, not the way you can." He smirked, moving his hands down to her thighs, pushing her legs further away. "You're right about that."

"I'm right about a lot of things."

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"I'm already irritated. Don't make it worse. I couldn't care less about it." Kallie brushed off Maeanna's hand as she walked over to her car which was on the grid in P2. Charles was pole position. Max in 3rd, Lewis in 4th, and Kaylen in 5th. As of now, talk was going around about Helmut Marko's comments on her that he made yesterday but they came out today. It was annoying to say the least. The last thing she needed was some racist old white man trying to give her advice.

"Go away, please. I need to focus." Kallie said stubbornly, pulling her helmet on.

Four laps into the race, she finally overtook Charles Leclerc on the straights, her pace and speed being better than his. Which made sense because she had the fastest car on the grid. Max ended up overtaking Charles on the next two laps, and he couldn't do much about it. "What is up with this kid? Give me some space. Shit man." Kallie expressed about Max.

She really didn't feel like fighting for her place in order to keep her medium tyres protected. "I really don't fancy a wheel to wheel. Get off my ass please," she muttered in disdain.

"Yellow flag. Slow down." James warned, and she sighed in relief, this meaning that Max couldn't overtake her right now. "I need to box. These tyres are absolute shit. Get me some hards. I need these points." She spoke, heading down to the pit lane. She got there before Max, and got out before him, thanks to her team giving her a quicker stop.

"Who is it? I forget to ask," she spoke into the radio, forgetting all about who caused the yellow flag. "Uh, looks like Tsunoda and de Vries had a fight. Yuki is out. Nyck is still in. We've got a full safety car." James answered. Kallie frowned at the thought of Yuki retiring. She always liked him much more than Nyck. How unfortunate.

Most people would've been annoyed at missing the opportunity to pit under the safety car, but Kallie was not. She was just relieved to get off those shit tyres. Unfortunately she did drop a few positions, but still got back up to 3rd after everyone in front pitted. Kaylen lead the race, with Charles behind in 2nd. "Who's behind me besides the kid?" She questioned. "Hamilton in 5th." She smiled at the order, good to see Lewis catching up compared to the shit qualifying he had.

Safety car ended at lap 14, and they sped off back to overtake. She gained a slipstream on Leclerc before overtaking him once again, gaining a place back. Lewis gained another place after overtaking Leclerc right after Max overtook him. Laps went by, she was still behind Kaylen, but only because she wasn't making any attempts to pass him. She was waiting for the right moment. "He's sliding," she noted right after Kaylen almost made contact with a wall in lap 20. 

"Tyres feel fine. I'm gonna push." Kallie informed.

She continued to close the gap before they came onto the straights. She maintained a slipstream before going on his inside and overtaking. Two laps later as race leader, she spotted Lewis right behind her. He must've overtaken Kaylen in P2. "I'm really not in the mood right now, Lewis," she scowled, pushing her tyres harder to stretch out the gap. As she pushed harder, she knew was going to overlap soon.

"Who's last? Just curious," Kallie mumbled, the back of the car in front of her looking very familiar but she couldn't place it because this specific car was never very close to her throughout the races.

"Nyck de Vries."

She hummed, gaining on the car in front of her whilst simultaneously stretching the gap with Lewis. "Don't be a pain in the ass, Nycky." She mumbled, coming up on his inside. As she came close to overtaking, his car turned right for a split second and hit the back of her tyre. Her car slid off track, matching contact with the barrier at a very fast speed. It hit the barrier so hard it bounced back just a bit.

"Red flag, come into the pitlane," Bono warned Lewis, who slowed down to come into the pitlane, not sure who crashed or what the situation was. "Is everyone okay? Bono?"

"Kallie? Are you okay? Kallie? Do you copy? Are you okay?" James continued to question, growing more concerned by the second.

Kallie sat in the car, her heart beating faster with each passing second. She could feel a headache coming on, which could've been a concussion. James yelling was not helping. In fact it was only further angering her. She closed her eyes, her jaw clenched in anger, and her father knew. He turned on her radio, "Kalliope, simhoheub-eul myeoch beon haeboseyo. Jinjeonghada, nabi." Jae-hyun spoke to sooth his daughter before she totally snapped at her race engineer.

[translation: simhoheub-eul myeoch beon haeboseyo = take a few deep breaths
jinjeonghada, nabi = relax, butterfly]

"Jal iss-eoyo, Abeoji." Kallie replied, doing as he said as marshals rushed to her car. She climbed out of the car and hopped off, looking at it in frustration. She put the steering wheel back in and she was close to the pitlane so she opted to just walk back. Everyone was heading into the pits already so it was very crowded, unfortunately. She walked to the Jaguar garage, pulling off her helmet and balaclava. She spotted Lewis, who looked very relieved to see her okay. He may have silently freaked out when Bono said it was her.

[translation: jal iss-eoyo, abeoji = I'm fine, father]

But, she was also extremely fucking pissed. She walked over to her father, ignoring her team who advised that she get checked out. "Nuga geulaessnayo? Jigeum yeongsang-eul boyeojuseyo!" She spoke towards her father, the man sighing because he knew she'd blow up eventually. Jae-hyun pulled the footage up and she watched as Nyck turned into her back tyre, clearly on purpose. Her eyes widened, "is he getting investigated? That was on purpose! He turn into me!"

[translation: nuga geulaessnayo? = who did it?
jigeum yeongsang-eul boyeojuseyo! = show me the video now!]

"I know, I know. It's being looked into." Jae-hyun responded calmly, hoping she would calm down because they had her on camera. She looked at the screen and they switched to Nyck's pov, he was just chillin' in his garage as if he didn't completely ruin her race. "That fucking prick. He's wants to ruin my race? I'm gonna go ruin his face!" Kallie exclaimed, pushing her way past Darren and storming out of the garage.

She walked down to the AlphaTauri garage, everyone following her and some trying to stop her. The cameras were filming her so she was also on the big screen, the fans all making noises of agreement, clearly on her side. She turned Nyck around and shoved him harshly into the wall. "What's your problem? You almost kill me!" She shrugged Darren's hand off as he tried to pull her back.

"I didn't do anything. You just can't drive. Not my fault you choked," he shot back defensively. She grabbed onto his racesuit harshly but Jae-hyun ran over and pulled her off. "Calm down now! Stop this! Let's go." It was rare that he snapped at her, but it was the only thing that could get her attention. She groaned, her father taking her arm and leading her back to their garage. He pulled her into the driver's room and grabbed a water, pouring it on her head. She shivered at the coldness, but her heart began to slow as she calmed down.

"Calm now? You had your fit. Now, it's over. You're gonna sit in here, clean up, and they're gonna check you out. Then, you'll go back out there, sit with me and support your brother throughout the rest of this. Am I understood?" Jae-hyun spoke strictly, which again, was very rare, but it was the only way she'd listen to him.

"Yes, father. You're understood." Kallie spoke, averting her gaze to the floor.

"Good. Call your mother, too. You know she'll be worried." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her head before walking out. She huffed, unzipping her racesuit and switching on the television. They were showing a replay of Kallie shoving Nyck. She couldn't help but smirk for a second, and then move to the connecting room to change and shower. After a nice cold shower, she fixed her frizzy hair--which was braided into cornrows, and then a doctor came to check out her condition.

Jae-hyun looked up upon seeing Kallie walk over. She sat down and put on some headphones, hearing the talk between Sang and Kaylen on his radio. "Just a little bit of whiplash," she explained to him before turning back to the monitors. Kaylen had fell to P2 after Max overtook him, claiming P1. Lewis had went from P1 to P3 since the red flag, but he was having some trouble with the battery, so he didn't think he'd get farther up, but he could defend his place in podium and at least try to overtake.

Nyck ended up getting a penalty for 20 seconds, but it's not like that did much because he was already in last place. It annoyed Kallie endlessly.

"Tell him to protect his outside. That's what Hamilton is gonna go for on this track," Kallie spoke to her father in Korean, not really to prevent anyone from hearing. It was just a habit. She spoke to him in Korean more than English and Xhosa. "How do you know?" He questioned. "I know everything about him. All his moves. I didn't come here unprepared." She answered, shrugging a shoulder.

Jae-hyun informed his younger brother, who then informed Kaylen. "You need to protect your outside from Hamilton," Sang spoke. Kaylen glanced in his mirrors, Lewis closing the gap with each oncoming second. "Says who?" Kaylen scoffed, knowing full well Sang couldn't drive for the life of it. "Your 7x World Champion sister," Sang retorts, annoyed by his nephews cocky attitude. He pursed his lips awkwardly, "copy, that. I'll protect it."

Lewis groaned in annoyance when Kaylen was defending from him pretty fucking well. "That's how you wanna play it, Kallie," he mumbled, knowing her moves from anywhere.

"Tell him go on Max's inside on the next three sectors." Kallie spoke to her father, and he sent the message back. Kaylen got it and did exactly what she told him, Max was forced out just a bit, giving him a big enough gap to overtake. Kallie smirked as her brother became race leader. Max complained on radio, claiming he was forced off track, so Kaylen was being investigated. "It's fine. His tyres look good, so tell him to push. Stretch the gap, and the penalty shouldn't affect his position," she added.

Kaylen did as told, and he won.

The race ended, she went down to the congratulation him, keeping Darren and Jae-hyun close by so she didn't get squished in. She wore a cropped Jaguar shirt, and the brown cargo pants she wore when she arrived to the track. Because she was not about to lounge around in that sweaty ass racesuit. Kaylen parked at the P1 sign, and took off the steering wheel to climb out. He bowed to the car before putting the wheel back in and running over to his team.

Kallie smiled when he ran over and pulled her into a hug, "thanks for the advice. It worked."

"I knew it would. Congratulations." She pressed a kiss to his helmet before he was hugging their father next.

Darren led her through the crowd, and she met back up with Maeanna. Kallie followed her manager to the media pen, and coincidentally Nyck was also there. She glared at her manager before begrudgingly walking over to the reporters. "What do you have to say about the incident between you and Nyck de Vries?" She was asked. Kallie pursed her lips, shrugging a shoulder, "do I need to comment? I thought it was obvious by the way I shove him. It pissed me off."

"What do you say to the recent critics about your behavior?" He asked. Kallie scoffed, rolling her eyes, the fucking urge to punch this guy. "First off, my behavior is the same it's always been. Sorry that you guys are bunch of sissies. I say, take your advice and shove it so far up your ass, cause that's clearly where you seem to be talking from, Mr. Marko." She said, completely name dropping him without a care in the world. Maeanna cleared her throat, pulling Kallie to the next reporter before she snapped at this one.

"Could you tell us your condition following the crash?" Kallie nods, more content with this question. "Yes. It's just a bit of whiplash. I was going super fast so the collision didn't react well to my body. It could've been way worse, so I'm grateful it wasn't as bad. But, I'm going to be okay. Just to be safe, I'll be heading to the hospital to get a head CT." She was asked another question about the race, but thankfully they kept Nyck out of the it.

By time she was done, he was already gone, so she got out of there quickly. She didn't watch podiums, but, just for her little brother, she went into her motorhome and watched the podium on the television. "Ready to go?" She looked up, seeing Jae-hyun standing there waiting to take her to the hospital. "Finally. Yes. Let's get the fuck out here." Kallie muttered, standing up from the sofa. "Language," he scolds.

"I'm 33, not a child," she scowled, hitting his arm.

"I don't care. You're still my child." Jae-hyun scoffed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Kallie smiled softly, walking over to the car, her father pulling open the door for her. As he went to shut the door, a voice stopped him, "wait, hold up!" Kallie looked up from her phone to see Lewis running over. She climbed out, Jae-hyun looking at them with furrowed brows. "I just wanted to check on you. You had me worried." He said, and Jae-hyun moved around to the driver's side to give them some privacy, sort of.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't a big deal," she shrugged casually.

He raised an unconvinced brow, "really? It looked like a big deal. You kinda took it like a big deal. Which- don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed seeing. It just freaked me out. I thought you were seriously hurt when you weren't responding to James." He rambled. Jae looked at his phone, pretending not to listen but man, he couldn't help it. Plus, he had to tell his wife all about this. It wasn't everyday he got to see someone actually able to make his daughter smile. Not a casual smile either, but a genuine smile of happiness.

Kallie smiled up at the rambling driver, she glanced around to make sure nobody was around before pressing a kiss to his lips. He shut up immediately and kissed her back. Jae-hyun had to take a double look, jaw going slack, he was definitely telling Kaikara about this. Kallie pulled away, her hand cupping his jaw softly, "thank you for caring. You should go celebrate. I'll be okay. I grew up in hospitals, what's another night gonna hurt?" She shrugged.

"Text me the results?" He requested as she climbed back into the car.

"I will. Tell my brother to have fun." Kallie smiled, and he returned it, shutting the door.

Jae-hyun pulled out of the lot and drove out. The car was filled with an awkward silence. Something rare between these two. It always got like that when it came to her love life. Jae was extremely bad at that stuff, as Kaikara was the first and only relationship he'd ever been in. "If he does anything to upset you, I'll kill him." He stated, jumping to the conclusion that they were together in secret. Her eyes widened as she turned her head to look at him, "what? Baba, no. It's not like that. We're just friends."

Jae-hyun scoffed in disbelief, "friends don't kiss each other like that. I kiss your mother like that, it don't mean we're friends."

"Baba, speak Korean only. My head can't process English right now," Kallie mumbled, holding her head with a groan. "Sorry, nabi. But, my point still stands. Friends don't kiss each other like that." Jae-hyun spoke, reaching a hand to rub her back. "It was just a friendly kiss to soothe his nerves, okay? We are not together like that." Kallie defended, receiving a side-eye from her father. "So...what you're saying is. You care about how he feels enough to kiss him?"

She groaned, hitting his arm in annoyance, "Baba!"

"All right, relax. No need to get all pitchy," he mumbled.

She frowned in offense, "I don't get pitchy!" She claimed as her voice went up all high and pitchy.

He chuckled, patting her back, "sure, let's believe that." He stopped the car, moving his hand off her to shift the gear into park. He climbed out and walked out the side, pulling open her door. Kallie climbed out tiredly, he took off his coat and pulled it around her because hospitals were always cold. An hour later, she laid down in the CT machine. Jae-hyun waited out in the lobby when the doctor came over to him. "How serious?"

"Thankfully not too serious. She's got a mild concussion that should be gone in a week, so we suggest she takes it easy, gets plenty rest. I sent a prescription to Dr. Kaikara Kumalo that should help with any pain. She got very lucky. This could've been a lot worse." Jae-hyun nods at her words, sighing in relief because he really hated to see his daughters sick in any way. "Okay. Thank you. I'll be sure she does as advised. She takes her health very seriously."

Two more hours later, they got back to the hotel after having dinner. "I love you, Baba. See you tomorrow," Kallie hugged her father tightly. He smiled softly, pressing a kiss to her head, "I love you, too, nabi. Call me if you need anything." She nods and watched as he exit the lift. Her floor was above his, otherwise he would've preferred to walk her to her door.

She walked down the hallway of the hotel, searching for her room number. She walked towards it and stopped, her eyes landing on the other elevator opening. Nyck stepped out and walked to his door, which was literally across from hers. How did they not notice that sooner? Kallie turned around and glared at his back, "so, what was that? Were you just trying to end my race or my life?" He huffed, turning around to face her knowing she wouldn't leave him alone she was acknowledged.

"Look, Kallie, I am sorry, okay? I got caught up in the moment. For a few seconds I felt like we were back in Formula E and I had to win. It was stupid and I recognize my mistake. You had every right to shove me. Please, just don't ruin my shot for the seat. Keziyah won't sign me if you're against it." He spoke, taking complete accountability, very rare to see from a driver. Kallie blinked, not expecting that at all, because he certainly didn't apologize after last time.

"You should've thought about that before you ruined my race," she scoffed, turning to unlock her door.

"Come on, Kallie, what do I have to do for you to forgive me?" He took her hand but she shoved him away angrily. "Don't touch me! You think an apology will make things better? My daughter was watching that race! You're lucky all I got was a concussion. You could've killed me, and my daughter would've been watching. Nothing you do will make that better. Stay the fuck away from me." Kallie pushed open her door and walked in, slamming it shut.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she changed clothes and laid down on the bed tiredly. Not a second later, there was a knock on her door. "I never win." She groaned, getting up and going to the door. She pulled open and there stood Lewis, he also looked very tired. "I got you cucumbers and a salad," he said, holding up a container of freshly cut cucumbers and a salad. She smiled, snatching them out of his hand, "come in."

He shut the door and pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto the couch. Kallie got comfortable on the bed as he kicked off his shoes. "Doctor said it's a mild concussion. But, I can't fly for another day." She explained, searching for a movie to watch. Lewis laid down on the bed, it was far more comfortable than his for some reason. "Why is your bed better than mine? Actually- why is your room better than mine?"

"Because I got Kezie's room. She was supposed to be here but she got caught up with filming." Kallie answered, ending up with the Bad Boys movie. She laid back and opened up the salad, turning on her side before eating some. "Would you think I'm crazy if I say my team is favoring my teammate?" Lewis spoke, taking the fork to take a bite of the salad.

Her brow raised as she looked at him, "you're just now picking up on it?"

"I guess...I didn't really wanna believe it. But, now I'm kinda figuring out where their priorities lie. It hasn't been the same since your dad left." Lewis shrugged, and she frowned at the sadness in his voice. With a sigh, she reached her hand up to place on his cheek, "...maybe you should consider leaving team?" He gave a look of disbelief, maybe the idea crossed his mind but it never lingered for long. It sounded insane. But, hearing it out loud sounded even more crazier. "If I considered it...where would I even go?"

"You remember when I told you about Fred Vassuer wanting to steal me from Jaguar?" She queried, stabbing the fork into her salad and Lewis nods, reaching for a cucumber and popping it in his mouth.

"Well, he told me Sainz contract is up next year. He wanted me for 2025, but I turn him down. I sign a three year contract with Jaguar. But, yours is finished next year, and from what my father told me, it doesn't seem like they want to give you shares of team. So why stick around in a team that's going to sabotage any way of you winning an 8th? Ferrari needs a top driver. You can be that. You can win your 8th in Ferrari. Niki would agree with me, you know he would."

His eyes fell onto hers at the mention of his late mentor. Niki was also someone very important in Kallie's life. When she was having regrets going into Le Mans at such a young age, he was there to give her advice and guide her. She obviously ended up winning. She took his death extremely hard. Lewis knew she did because he heard all about it from Jae-hyun. Which is why it took him off guard when she said his name. She never liked saying his name or she'd start crying.

"I need more time to think about it," he spoke, breaking eye contact as she wiped that tear that fell from her eye.

She cleared her throat, "sorry, it's just-" he cut her off, setting a hand on her shoulder, "it's fine, I get it. You don't need to talk about it." Smiling softly in appreciation, she laid her head down on the pillow. "Did you want to get breakfast with me tomorrow? Or did you have a flight to catch?" He shook his head with quickly, "no, I had it extended for another day. I'm very down to get breakfast."

She smirked, holding onto the fork, "stop blushing, it's just breakfast."

"I'm only blushing because I'm thinking about pancakes," he denied, a small scoff escaping his lips.

"Sure, I totally believe you."

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a/n: they're the cutest ever 🥲 but i can't let them be happy for that long so idk

fuck nyck for making my bae dnf even tho i wrote it 🙄

anyways, i love kallie and her lil problems with anger 😚

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