Stunned, stubborn.
Bathed in sunlight and surrounded by the noise of the party, Leclerc stood motionless, staring at Kai, waiting for an answer.
But before Kai could speak, he saw the strength in Leclerc's eyes shatter, revealing a glimpse of confusion and fragility.
When they were racing on the track, it was easy to forget that most of these drivers were barely twenty years old, some not even adults yet.
In fact, Kai was two years younger than Leclerc. But Leclerc always felt that Kai would have the answer, that he could solve any problem.
Kai paused for a moment. "Then make it real."
He understood Leclerc. It was a white lie, told purely out of a desire to make his father happy. Maybe it was Leclerc's last chance to make his father believe he had achieved his dream. In a moment of impulse, he had seized it and told the biggest lie of his life.
Not for glory, not for pride, but just for his father.
However, a white lie was still a lie. And in the cruel, cold-blooded world of F1, as Pascale had said, no one could be 100% certain of securing a seat in the paddock.
When the truth came out, the hurt could be ten, even a hundred times worse. No one could predict how Hervé would feel.
But it was too late to dwell on that now. The water had been spilled; it couldn't be gathered back up. Hervé believed it. Even if they went back and explained now, some damage would be unavoidable.
So, Kai chose not to dwell on the past, but to seize the present and change the future. They still had time and opportunity to rewrite what happened next, didn't they?
Taking a deep breath, Kai met Leclerc's gaze. "Charles, we can't control the decisions of those teams. But we can control our own racing."
"Get on the track. Drive the car. Show your talent and ability. Run with everything you have. Burn yourself up. Cross the finish line first, again and again."
"If once isn't enough, then twice, three times, four times."
"Force them to bring that F1 ticket to your door. Make it real."
Leclerc was stunned, rooted to the spot.
Kai looked at him with sincerity and openness. "That's the only thing we can do, right?"
"Charles, I believe in you."
A light sentence, but it landed with heavy weight on Leclerc's chest.
Kai patted Leclerc's shoulder. "Go back. No need to walk me any further. Spend more time with Hervé. I'll come visit tomorrow."
Then, without pausing, Kai turned and strode away.
Leclerc stood there, watching Kai's retreating figure, a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind. Finally, he turned and walked back toward the hospital with heavy steps.
Because of Hervé's sudden emergency, Leclerc missed the Monaco Feature Race and withdrew from the Sprint Race the next day to stay by his father's side.
Perhaps it was a good thing. It reminded Leclerc of where his dream began, reawakening his original intention, allowing him to start fresh.
Whether it was F1 or F2, the races in Monaco this year were full of upsets. The track, notoriously difficult for overtaking, saw massive shifts in the final standings, especially with a series of crashes that turned the races into chaos.
In the F1 race, seven cars failed to finish. In the end, Vettel claimed victory for Ferrari amidst the turmoil, bringing the Monaco weekend to a close.
On Sunday afternoon, before the F1 race, Kai went to the hospital to visit Hervé.
Surprisingly, Hervé was in great spirits. He was smiling, energetic, looking like a man who had cheated death and was now recovering.
He was already making plans, eagerly talking about going to Australia next March to watch Charles's F1 debut, or maybe to China for the Shanghai GP, where he could meet Lu Cheng and Jiang Mo and explore the country.
Although Pascale poured cold water on his plans, saying his health wouldn't allow for long-haul travel, Hervé didn't mind. He said Barcelona and Monaco in May were still worth looking forward to, and they would have no reason to stop him from watching Charles race live then.
The thirty-minute visit was filled with laughter. It was clear that Hervé loved to joke, far from the image of a "stern father."
However, Kai was worried. He feared this was terminal lucidity, a final surge of life before the end. Everything seemed to be back on track, Hervé seemed to be getting better, but what if this was just the last burst of energy before the flame went out?
Kai hoped he was just overthinking it. He didn't share his worries with Leclerc and returned to Maranello.
Leclerc arrived just five days later. He had spent more time with Hervé, but eventually had to return to prepare for the next race.
Leclerc understood that Kai was right. He shouldn't dwell on the lie; he should focus on making it a reality. He was hungrier for victory than ever before, more motivated than ever. He was ready to step back onto the track and fight for the championship.
Missing the Monaco races meant wasting a pole position and narrowing his lead in the championship. He needed to push harder.
Seeing the motivated, positive Leclerc, Kai was glad he hadn't voiced his unnecessary fears.
The F2 schedule was busier than GP3, but still far less intense than F1. After Monaco, there was a full month gap before the fourth round in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Everything proceeded according to plan. The month flew by. Just as the Baku race weekend arrived, and Leclerc was preparing to leave for Azerbaijan, the bad news came.
Kai's fear had become reality.
When Leclerc received the call, he was packing his bags. His suitcase had been damaged on the last flight, so he had come to borrow Kai's. He was joking with Kai when he answered the phone and heard the heartbreaking news from Pascale.
Hervé had passed away.
Leclerc froze. He lost the ability to react. No anger, no sadness, no pain. Just standing there, numb.
That night, Kai bought a dozen cans of beer and sat with Leclerc on the balcony in the breeze. Leclerc drank almost all of them by himself, but he couldn't get drunk. He just became more and more sober, until the end, when it still didn't feel real. He couldn't believe it had happened.
Then, Leclerc passed out, waking up in the middle of the night to vomit until he was empty.
The next day, Kai drove Leclerc to the airport. But Leclerc didn't go to Baku. He went back to Monaco.
After attending the funeral in Monaco, Leclerc flew straight to Baku for the race. And he did not disappoint.
From pole position to the Feature Race, he dominated, winning the victory.
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