Alaric
I had never seen Nico look that unhinged, that completely consud by anger. As Dorothy’s mouth moved beside , the only thing looping in my mind was the mory 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 ?Or was he just putting on an act, pretending he actually gives a damn?
The dangerous thought crept in, sending a strange shiver through . 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 .
"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 sothing—anything at all, you need to co to 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 ti. 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 assu I’d completely lost my sanity, lock up in a ntal 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 sa 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 sothing different."
"Nico, huh?" Dorothy cast a sharp glance at , her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. "So you two are on a first-na 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 sa delusional track as those obsessive shippers I’d seen online.
"Isn’t that his na? Nico? Or did he suddenly find a new one I didn’t hear about?"
Dorothy stared at for a long, quiet mont, 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 soone in the production crew recorded a video of your little confrontation and uploaded it online. Fortunately that soone had been fired but,’’ She tapped the screen and turned the tablet toward , playing the footage.
The video was short but devastatingly clear. The cara angle caught the two of us perfectly frad against the crashing waves. I watched my own soaking, dazed figure, but my eyes imdiately 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 Comnts:
User_GridFan88: I won’t buy the sportswear this ti 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 argunt. I an, 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 sa beach."
"So what does this an?" I asked, a small flicker of hope rising in my chest. "Am I finally going to be set free from this contract?"
Dorothy imdiately face-pald, letting out a stressed groan that sounded like it ca 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 ntion the permanent damage it would do to your professional reputation."
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