Chapter Text
She was eighteen.
2019.
When Scarlett Elizabeth Monroe, the 18 year old who dominated Formula 2, walked into the Red Bull office with a shy look on her face, she knew what she wanted. In fact it was what she deserved, a Formula One team that could give her a win, a championship and a legacy. She wore her usual long sleeved t shirt, green because it was her favourite colour, a nice but old pair of grey jeans that were decorated with purple stars. Her hair was dark black at the time, her skin a lovely tan colour. Her eyes pretty and blue. She looked like a dream to have driving for you.
Though, beneath the look of shyness she adorned a coy look on her face, though anybody could tell she wasn’t all that confident if they looked beneath the cracks threatening to break her coy mask. She gripped her CV, her sponsor contracts and contacts she needed to get here. She was ready to be a Formula One driver for Red Bull, the team wanting to beat Mercedes - team dominant for hunger and glory. She could give them that and a hell of a lot more.
That was until the team leader turned her down, she sat before him with an eager look in her eyes that soon got shut down. She knew the man before her to be Christian Horner, she held a snarky look on her face to match his. She was told Formula One didn’t need a female driver. Then the classic excuse of ‘we already have a driver lined up’ was enough to make her slam the door extra hard on the way out. She was swearing to herself when she bumped into a man around her age, turning to apologise - the man looked bashful, almost shy - until Christian opened the door with a smile. Forgetting she stood there, his head held high. “Max! We’re delighted to have you.”
The boy held a sympathetic look when he saw her CV. They locked eyes when Christian shut the door and the man, Max, gave her a soft smile. The door being slammed shut behind her was cruel, leaving Scarlett alone in the hallway, manicured fingers holding onto her thick CV, eyes glossing over as her bottom lip threatened to pull into a pout.
That was the day Scarlett Monroe drove to the Mercedes’ office, screaming along to songs on her way there. That was the day of May 19th. The day Scarlett Elizabeth Monroe signed with Mercedes’ for four years, alongside her Idol - Lewis Hamilton.
That was the day she rubbed it in Christian Horner’s face that she'd give the team he wanted to beat all the glory she could fathom. But her sweet smile soon turned sour when she saw the news, May 19th - Max Verstappen signs with Red Bull Racing.