Page 8 of Formula Chance

I make half that in the OWC.

“I need more than that,” I say before Greg can chime in.

Brienne blinks. “Ten million is a lot of money.”

“It’s not the money I have an issue with per se,” I reply smoothly. “Although we still need to talk about a final number. I need a guarantee of more than one year. I want a five-year deal. I’m not going back in there to risk everything for just one season.”

Luca lets out a low whistle. “A five-year deal? You haven’t raced in FI for three years. You were injured in your last race… severely. We don’t know if you’ve got the mental fortitude to race at top speed. It’s a lot of unknowns for a five-year contract.”

“And yet you are the ones who brought me here and offered me a job.” I turn to look at Brienne. “Five years and twenty million, plus you have to buy out the penalty clause with my current team for leaving.”

A smile slides across Brienne’s face and I can see the appreciation. “Of course we’ll buy out your penalty clause. But I can’t commit to five years. I’ll agree to three, but for fifteen million, paid five million a year with half at the start of the season and the second half payable at the end.”

That’s close to being doable. “That’s all good, but I’m risking my life every single race, so I want the five million at the start of each season.”

Brienne stares at me a long moment before leaning toward my phone. “Do you have anything to add or request, Greg?”

“At this point, I don’t even know why I’m on the phone.” He laughs at his own joke but then turns serious. “I want to get into details about the performance bonuses, and we’ll want a solid exit clause. I also want Nash to be able to solicit his own sponsorships. Most importantly though, I want it in his contract that he’ll be the number one driver and gets first crack at any new upgrade packages. Oh, and he’ll need housing set up in Guildford.”

I smile inside, because that’s exactly why I have Greg. He’s been in the sport for twenty-five years and is one of the best.

Brienne looks to me and inclines her head. “I believe we’ll be able to come to an agreement on everything, and I assume you probably want to get on my plane and head home to wherever that is. You’re going to need to make some plans to move.”

“I’m fine with you finishing up without me so I can head home, but there are two more things we need to discuss. The first is I can’t be ready in time for Jeddah. That’s eight days away and halfway around the world in Saudi Arabia. I haven’t even seen the car, much less driven it. And while I know all the tracks, it’s obviously been a hot minute since I’ve raced on them. I need more simulator time.”

Brienne cuts her eyes to Luca. “This is where my inexperience in the sport shows. What do you think?”

Luca glances at me a long moment, but nods in agreement. “I don’t doubt Nash could do Jeddah, but my preference would be we run Bernie in that race and give Nash the time he needs to get comfortable. I think it would be a wise investment. His first race should be Melbourne.”

“That’s settled then,” Brienne says, turning back to me. “What else did you want to discuss?”

My jaw clenches hard, not wanting to say the words, but I force them out anyway. “You need to know that Bexley Toliver and I were in a relationship, which ended badly about a month prior to my crash. Needless to say, it was a shock to find her here.”

I can feel the confusion as Brienne and Luca stare at me, but Greg speaks first. “Bex is there?”

“The chief strategy engineer,” I clarify for him.

Greg chuckles. “Good for her.”

Those words don’t surprise me. He loved Bex and was devastated when we broke up. He’s run into her periodically over the years and always mentions her, but I didn’t want to hear any of it.

Brienne seems to come out of her shock. “You were in a relationship… like, dated each other?”

“Like, we were engaged and about to be married when it ended,” I clarify in a flat tone. “Then the crash happened, not that that was related. Just to be transparent with timing.”

There’s a slight shift in the room’s energy as Brienne and Luca exchange glances. Brienne is first to break the silence. “I see. Are you telling me that this is something that could affect your ability to work together?”

My throat is tight and I try to swallow against it. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to unpack. She’s been fighting for her place here, and she’s damn good at what she does.” My mind flashes back to our last heated argument, the way we tore into each other—words that still cut deep. But I force that memory down. “I won’t let it affect my work. I’m here to do my job.”

Luca’s expression is worried, and he shakes his head. “It’s not the first time a personal conflict has made things difficult in this sport. I think we should replace her.”

“No,” I exclaim, not questioning the sudden burst of fear that Bex should lose her spot on this team. No matter how much she makes my blood boil, it’s not fair for her to be discarded by the team in deference to me. “Don’t replace her. She earned this position. She’s worked for it, and I won’t be the one to make her lose it because of our… history.”

Fuck, this pisses me off. I honestly thought that if I ever saw her walking across the street and about to step into a pothole, I’d have to think twice before I warned her. And here I am now, putting my hard feelings aside so she can keep her job, knowing that this is going to get messy at some point.

Still, it feels like the right thing to do.

Brienne nods in agreement, but Luca still looks uncertain, his brow furrowing as if trying to assess the real risk. “If she causes problems—” Luca starts, but Brienne interrupts him before he can finish.

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