Alaric

I had never seen Nico look that unhinged, that completely consumed by anger. As Dorothy’s mouth moved beside me, the only thing looping in my mind was the memory of his face.

I had seen the unfiltered terror, and concern etched into every line of his features before his expression hardened.

Was he really that terrified for me? Or was he just putting on an act, pretending he actually gives a damn?

The dangerous thought crept in, sending a strange shiver through me. What if he actually cares?

"Alaric, are you even listening to a single word I’ve been saying to you?"Dorothy’s sharp voice finally punctured my spiraling thoughts.

I blinked hard, forcing my focus back to where she stood in front of me.

"Yes... yes, I’m fine," I muttered. My voice shook terribly, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. I kept my eyes locked on her face, which was twisted into a deep, incredibly stressed frown.

Dorothy let out a heavy, frustrated groan, rubbing her temples. "We have a massive problem on our hands, Alaric. I don’t know what the hell is happening inside your head right now, but if you are going through something—anything at all, you need to come to me and talk about it instead of trying to drown yourself in the ocean!"

I rubbed a hand over my face, rolling my eyes for the umpteenth time. Hearing the word drowning over and over was starting to make my skin crawl, mostly because that wasn’t what happened at all.

But who the hell could I actually tell the truth to? Who could I tell that I was chasing Harold? If I admitted I was seeing a guy in a red suit who didn’t exist, they’d probably assume I’d completely lost my sanity, lock me up in a mental asylum, and ruin my racing career in the blink of an eye.

I shuddered violently at the thought.

Clinging to survival instinct, I fell back on the same weak cover story I’d been repeating like a broken record.

"I just went for a swim. Nico completely misread the situation and thought it was something different."

"Nico, huh?" Dorothy cast a sharp glance at me, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. "So you two are on a first-name basis now?"

I frowned slightly, a defensive prickle rising up my neck. I looked at her, desperately hoping her mind wasn’t running down the same delusional track as those obsessive shippers I’d seen online.

"Isn’t that his name? Nico? Or did he suddenly find a new one I didn’t hear about?"

Dorothy stared at me for a long, quiet moment, her lips curving into a tight, knowing smile before she looked down at the tablet in her hand. "Well, whatever you want to call him, the real issue is that someone in the production crew recorded a video of your little confrontation and uploaded it online. Fortunately that someone had been fired but,’’ She tapped the screen and turned the tablet toward me, playing the footage.

The video was short but devastatingly clear. The camera angle caught the two of us perfectly framed against the crashing waves. I watched my own soaking, dazed figure, but my eyes immediately locked onto Nico. Seeing it from an outside perspective, the genuine shock on his face was undeniable. There was a frantic, breathless panic in his wide eyes as he gripped my shoulders—a look so intense it sent a wave of cold chills straight down my spine.

What the hell was that look? My chest tightened. He really had been terrified for my life. But why? Why did he care so much? We were nothing but fuck buddies behind closed doors. What was it to him if I got dragged out by the undercurrent and drowned?

I heaved a deep, exhausted sigh as the video looped over and over on the screen. Beneath the viral clip, the internet was already on fire.

TRENDING SPORTS REELS

[VIDEO] F1 Rivals Alaric and Nico Clash Heavily on Sports Campaign Set in Japan!

Top Headlines:

"Did their fierce track rivalry just ruin a multimillion-dollar sportswear collaboration?"

"Tension explodes between Alaric and Nico off the grid—is the partnership over?"

Top Comments:

User_GridFan88: I won’t buy the sportswear this time if this is how they act. I thought they were only rivals on the track, but this is just unprofessional.

SpeedDemon_99: Alaric looks totally out of it in the video. Why does it look like Nico is literally dragging him out of trouble?

F1_Updates_Daily: The atmosphere on that beach looks completely toxic. The brand must be furious right now.

"The brand executives are absolutely livid," Dorothy stated, pulling the tablet back. "Their stock value is already taking a hit after that video started circulating."

I groaned loudly, aggressively running a hand through my damp hair. "This is exactly why I never wanted to be a part of this damn campaign in the first place! Why does everyone have to lose their minds over a few seconds of a silly video?"

"It’s not a silly video, Alaric. Both of you are the global faces of this brand, and the footage clearly shows what looks like a violent argument. I mean, the angle is incredibly convincing—to the rest of the world, it looks like you two are bitter enemies who can’t even stand to be on the same beach."

"So what does this mean?" I asked, a small flicker of hope rising in my chest. "Am I finally going to be set free from this contract?"

Dorothy immediately face-palmed, letting out a stressed groan that sounded like it came from the depths of her soul. "No! Oh my goodness, Alaric, absolutely not. That is not happening. Do you have any idea how much the contract termination fee would be? Breaking this contract right now would cost the team millions of dollars. That’s a massive financial loss on our side, not to mention the permanent damage it would do to your professional reputation."