ALICE Ch 291

Belgian Grand Prix Results

1. Bottas (Aston Martin) 25

2. Hamilton (Mercedes) 18

3. Woodcock, M. (Williams) 15

4. Alonso (Aston Martin) 12

5. Sainz (Ferrari) 10

6. Dunham (Freedom) 8

7. Pattinson (McLaren) 6

8. Perez (Red Bull) 4

9. Ricciardo (Haas) 2

10. Woodcock, S. (Williams) 1

11. Ocon (AlphaTauri)

12. Wilde (FUTA)

13. Flores (Freedom)

14. Laakso (AlphaTauri)

Bright lights shine on the simple chair.

Christian Horner looks tidy and comfortable.

“How did Max react to what happened?” the producer asks.

One corner of Horner’s mouth turns up. “Not well.”

“Still, Checo was able to bring home a couple of points at least.”

“Checo’s doing his best. What a weekend for Aston. They’re looking rather comfortable in third place now. I don’t think anyone expected that. They are in a position to challenge Freedom for second. Did you see that FUTA and Ferrari are tied? I will tell you, I haven’t seen a Constructors like this before. It’s typically rather dull. This time? Every point counts in the midfield. There’s a lot of money to be had, and these teams are already doing well enough to keep the rest of us on our toes. Not Red Bull’s finest weekend by any means, but this is one hell of a year.”

“And the duel between Alice Wilde and Valeria Flores?”

“The absolutely unnecessary, pigheaded foolishness that risk their cars and lives for likely not even a single point?” Horner snorts. “It was brilliant racing. And it’s exactly the reason we all turn up week after week. There’s no room for meek Formula One drivers. Glynda Darcy should be proud, but I expect she’s livid. I would be.”

FF1

Bianca is a young, fair-skinned Italian with a delicate physique and a convincing blonde dye job. She exudes traditional attractiveness, and would even in sweats and a tee. However fabulous she is in her Ferrari jumpsuit or her professional clothes, the effect is far more potent when she’s out on a date at a fancy restaurant.

She glitters angelically as she sits across the table from Lora. Her whimsical little dress isn’t especially short or tight, yet it makes her seem like a movie star. Her hair is up, and her chunky glasses don’t detract from her princess vibe; they seem to complete it.

Lora feels a bit like Mr. Hyde. She has curled her hair, which makes it easier to conceal her face. She wears the same slacks and blouse that she wears to work. Her one concession is leaving a few buttons open and wearing a lacy bra. To her relief, the cleavage has not gone unnoticed by Bianca.

“That must have been terrible,” Bianca says, accepting a fresh glass of wine from the waiter.

“Actually, we’ve become rather accustomed to Alice’s madness,” Lora says. “There’s a strong argument at this point that we’re all mad at FUTA.”

Bianca laughs. This is actually going well. Lora wonders if she’s dreaming. And Bianca still hasn’t asked about her burns.