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-One week till Abu Dhabi Season Finale-

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I wasn't! Okay, I wasn't!"

"For fucks sake," Aaron sighed, shaking his head as he ran a hand down his face.

Dakota sat silently, staring at the shining floor.

Zak stood by the door, his arms folded. An unreadable expression crossed his face.

The McLaren Technology Center was just starting to come to life in the early hours of the morning. The sun was rising over the campus, reflecting off the pond outside the building. Cars slowly began to fill up the parking spots as the teams' employees returned to work.

"You can't see her face in it, it should be fine," Charlotte offered, giving Dakota a look of sympathy.

She was usually Lando's PR manager, but had no shifted gears to help Alessandro with an unexpected issue.

The press.

McLaren's Golden Boy Spotted with Mystery Girl Outside Hilton Hotel

awww that's cute sandro's all grown up

not really i mean what r those shoes

nooo does this mean Alé is off the market?

he's not a house or something i swear girls ruin the sport

@mclaren.supreme stfu and everyone else, it's none of our business who he dates

wait, is this the same girl from before?

from before?🥵

i'm sorry but her outfit is so ugly 😭

first, you're not sorry. second, who cares? she can wear what she wants

Dakota swallowed, averting her gaze from the photos plastered on the TV in the conference room.

Her hands were shaking again, a trickle of cool sweat dripping down her back.

Her heart was drumming in her chest.

Nothing was going right.

Emiliano still hadn't replied to her texts.

Work was becoming increasingly difficult with her attention now split between two things.

The stress was mounting every day that her brother was missing.

She hadn't slept properly in nearly a week.

Her ears were ringing, her mind barely registering the shouting going on around her.

"Why weren't you more careful?"

"If this gets out, she's going to have issues with work. She's your engineer Alessandro, not your fuck buddy."

"Don't," he snapped, pointing a finger at his PR managers chest, "Call her that."

"Honestly, Alé. This is a mess. Zak will have no choice but to terminate her contract. And there's no way another team will hire her after they learn she was fired a few weeks after being hired at McLaren."

"Zak wouldn't do that," Alessandro snapped, shaking his head in dismissal.

"Actually, I just might," Zak finally spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.

"You have a responsibility, not only for yourself, but for the team. There's no i in team Alessandro, and I think you're forgetting that."

"I have done nothing wrong this entire season and the one time I slip up, I get thrown under the bus. What about Lando, huh? Has he told you about his relationship?" Alessandro asked, his voice rising.

"Lando's case is different. His girlfriend doesn't work for the team," Charlotte replied gently, clearly trying to deescalate the situation. A look of worry was plastered on her face as she shared a look with Aaron.

"Fuck that shit, so you're telling me I can't be in a relationship with Dakota because she's my engineer?!"

Alessandro was angry now. His voice echoed in the relatively empty conference room.

He was upset and frustrated. To him, there was no separation between his personal life and work. Everything blended together. McLaren was his family, and his family was his family.

Hell, Zak was basically his second father.

Knowing that he didn't have his back left a stinging feeling in his chest.

"Look, we're not saying you can't see each other. You just have to be more careful. I understand it was late at night, and you weren't looking out for paparazzi. But both of you need to be on high alert," Zak said firmly.

"That's bullshit!"

"No, it's not. If Lando was in a relationship with his coworker, the same rules would apply."

"Are you sure about that? Because I have a strong feeling that's the biggest lie you've said all day," Alessandro shot back.

"Alessandro, don't make this about him," Zak shook his head, walking towards the table.

"I'm not. I just think it's unfair," he replied, lowering his voice.

"Look, Alessandro. You know what the fans are like. If they find out about this, you two won't have an ounce of privacy. There will be camera's constantly hovering outside the garage because Formula 1 gives the fans what they want. And they'll be wanting to see you and Dakota working together. That will just make a bigger headache for us and the mechanics when they're working on the car. We don't want that. It'll ruin race weekends for all of us."

"Why can't you just sign a stupid contract and make the media people keep it a secret."

"Alessandro, they're media. Consider any secret published before it's even out of your mouth," Aaron stated truthfully.

He had a point.

"I don't care if the fans know. I already have no privacy anyways, it wouldn't be any different," he muttered.

"Have you asked Dakota what she thinks about that?"Zak asked, raising brow.

"Uh, guys, is she okay?" Aaron interrupted, nodding his head towards the brunette.

Everyone turned to look at Dakota, suddenly noting how silent she had been during the whole ordeal.

She was pale, her hands trembling as she squeezed them into fists. There was a hollow look in her eyes as she stared at the floor.

Alessandro immediately crossed the room, reaching out to touch her shoulder gently.

"Dakota? Are y-"

"Excuse me," she said quickly, brushing past him and hurrying out of the room.

Charlotte frowned, catching sight of her teary eyes as she rushed by her.

"Dakota! Wait!" Alessandro called, moving to hurry after her.

"I'll talk to her," Charlotte said, holding a hand out to stop him.

A defeated look crossed over his face. He sighed, his shoulders dropping as he nodded.

Dakota felt like the walls were closing in on her.

It felt as if all the oxygen was being sucked out of the air around her. Her heart was beating too fast.

She slammed open the bathroom door, her breaths coming out in pants.

"Dakota," Charlotte called, breaking into a jog to reach the door before it closed.

"It was a mistake, everything was a mistake. I should've know- I knew it was a mistake. I knew this would happen and now he- he's going to lose his seat and- and it's all my fault and my brother I told my parents he would be okay and I don't know where he is and he won't answer my calls-"

"Hey, hey, take a deep breath. Dakota, you're panicking. I need to you look at me," Charlotte interrupted, trying to catch her gaze.

Dakota squeezed her eyes shut, tugging at her hair.

She was wheezing, trying to get air into her lungs. She forced her eyes open, trying to focus on Charlotte standing in front of her. She could tell the blonde was speaking, but couldn't make out a single thing she was saying.

Dark dots appeared in her vision and the floor swayed beneath her feet. She felt Charlotte grasp her hands tightly, the shaking finally stopping in her grasp.

"Alessandro!" Charlotte shouted.

The Italian had been pacing impatiently in the conference room. Aaron, Zak, and his PR manager were discussing potential ways to avoid media havoc surrounding their relationship.

He was immediately jolted out of his thoughts when Charlotte's panic laced voice echoed through the hall.

Fear sparked in his chest as he bolted out of the room, sprinting down the hall in the direction of her voice.

He burst into the bathroom, just in time as Dakota's legs gave out.

She fell limp in his arms.

"What happened to her?" he demanded, gently laying her down on the couch in his office.

"She was having a panic attack," Charlotte said, placing a damp towel on her head.

"Call Jason," Aaron said."

"I already did," Zak replied, handing Charlotte a glass of water.

He gazed down at the brunette, a worried look in his eyes.

Within minute, Jason, the MTC medic, appeared in the doorway.

"Morning folks wh- oh," he frowned, spotting Dakota unconscious on the couch.

Alessandro paced outside of his office, his jaw starting to hurt from how much he was clenching and unclenching it.

It was almost 11 in the morning and the building was bustling with life. He could hear the coffee machines turning on as the team took their first break of the morning. The scent of the bitter beverage wafted up to the third floor as people moved about.

The door swung open and Alessandro stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Jason who gently shut the door behind him.

"She's okay," he began, and Alessandro let out a sigh of relief.

"She's just super tired, her stress levels are high. It seems like she hasn't been sleeping properly either. Maybe jet lag is getting to her- you know, new job and all," he explained.

"Her name's Dakota, right?"

"Yeah, she's my engineer," Alessandro nodded.

"Ahh, I see. I was wondering why she was in your office," he nodded, flashing him a smile.

Moments later, he was gone.

Alessandro sighed, opening the door after sending Charlotte a quick text.

Dakota was asleep, but her skin was starting to return to its normal shade. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

"Is she ok?"

Alessandro nodded, swallowing thickly as he stared at her sleeping figure.

"Alé, she was talking about her brother," Charlotte began, hesitation clear on her face.

The driver glanced at her in surprise.

"What did she say?"

"Something about how she told her parents he was fine- she was sort of rambling. I couldn't make out everything, it was just a rush of words," she said quickly.

Alessandro sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew something was up. A part of him felt hurt that she hadn't opened up to him. Especially after his persistence.

"She's worried about you. About you losing your seat. She said something about how she knew this would happen."

A knock sounded at the door as Zak and Aaron popped their heads into the doorway.

"Can we come in?"

The door opened wider and the two men entered Alessandro's office.

"She's been saying that since I told her I had feelings for her," Alessandro muttered. "I told her it would be fine. Because I never thought this would be blown so out of proportion. It wasn't a big deal, to me at least."

"Look, I'm sorry if this stressed her out. We just want to make sure you two know what you're getting yourselves into," Charlotte sighed.

"I know. I've been dealing with the press for years. It's up to her if she want's to deal with it as well," Alessandro shrugged, seemingly indifferent.

But deep down, a part of him feared she wouldn't stick around for long.