A few days later, it was time to get prepared for the flight to France. The itinerary stated that they'd make it to Paris first where the team would settle for top notch accommodation and on the day of the race would they drive to Le Castellet.
Luca loved the plans, as he had always wanted to fly to Paris one day and see for himself what the magnificent city was really all about. He planned to make a few expenses for luxury and smooth tourism, especially since his mother and sister would be in Paris as well.
Just like every other day, Luca's mother called him again, pleading that she'd love to watch the F2 French Grand Prix in person rather than on TV. She couldn't sit back at home, as she feared the incident in Riyadh might happen again.
Luca wondered if she believed her presence would make any difference. His mother being in the grandstands wouldn't change the mindset of his rivals, nor would it affect their driving and prevent common occurrences like contacts, spinouts, and crashes.
Regardless, Luca accepted—not just because she had disturbed him endlessly, but because he dearly missed her. The loneliness in his new house had begun to haunt him, and every day when he returned from training, the silence was always there to greet him.
Sophia would be heading to France as well—not that Mrs. Rennick would ever let her stay alone in the UK for five days.
Sophia had successfully been accepted into the university they had all been aiming for. Although she was offered a different course within the same field, it was still a great achievement, and Luca was proud of her. He thought of using this opportunity—and the luxuriousness of Paris—to congratulate her on being accepted into the university. Very soon, she'd start school.
As always, Luca began packing his two bags—one a standard traveling bag, the other a duffel bag.
The traveling bag was for his clothing and essentials, where casual outfits like jeans, t-shirts and his tracksuits were packed. He also folded and packed a few formal dress shirts and plain trousers. They weren't of the Hawthorne brand, and he hoped he wouldn't have to wear them.
The traveling bag would also contain some undergarments and socks that would be enough to last the trip.
There was enough space for his footwear including casual shoes, formal shoes—still not of Hawthorne—and flipflops for when he's at a hotel or personal space.
Next, he packed his travel documents including his passport, racing license and driver ID. After that, he found a good spot to fix his laptop.
Packing his laptop into a bag like the duffel bag never seemed safe to Luca, so he always found a way to fix it between two clothes. His duffel bag would contain other devices like his phone charger, the earphones, MP3 player and the headphones.
His toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, cologne, and skincare essentials went into the duffel bag as well. Even emergency medications that were required of all drivers to carry would go into the bag.
Before zipping up, Luca put in a notebook, a pen, a water bottle, energy bars, a novel and two comics.
Before the scheduled flight, a major change altered Luca's travel plans—he would no longer be flying with Trampos.
Luca wasn't at the level of owning a private jet—at least, not yet. But now, he found himself set to board one, sharing the flight with only a select few.
Mrs. Hawthorne had made it increasingly clear that she valued both Luca's safety, luxury and comfort, which meant he would now be flying on one of Hawthorne's private jets, separate from Trampos Racing.
This particular jet was a new addition to Hawthorne's fleet, primarily used by just a handful of Hawthorne agents who traveled to every Grand Prix ever since Mrs. Hawthorne's growing interest in Formula racing this year. Now, Luca—along with his own personal team—would now be tagged the main passengers of this exclusive flight.
Every time Luca would step off a Hawthorne-branded jet, the press would take notice. The cameras would flash, the branding would be visible, and Hawthorne's presence in motorsports would only grow stronger.
Luca rolled his bag out of his home, double-checking everything before leaving. Every window was locked, the kitchen and backyard doors secured, and finally, the front door clicked shut.
Outside the gate, Sara and Mallow were already waiting in Sara's car. Luca pushed his belongings through, swiftly locking the gate behind him and slipping the key into his duffel bag Another essential that went in there.
The trunk hummed open, and Luca carefully placed his bags beside Sara's and Mallow's before sliding into the backseat.
"There's a song people often sing when traveling to Paris," Luca mused as he got in. "Can either of you remember it?"
"I think you're mistaken. It's not Paris," Mallow replied.
Sara started the car. "Isn't Paris the city of love?" she asked.
Luca nodded. "Exactly. The song's about love and togetherness... I think."
"I've never been to Paris before. This will be my first time," Sara admitted.
Luca smirked. "You know, the song's about first-timers finding love in the city?"
Mallow burst out laughing as Sara pulled out of Luca's neighborhood. "You... finding love?"
Luca shot him a sharp glare. "What do you mean? Are you saying she can't?"
Mallow shrugged. "Sara makes more than most men her age. And she's tall. Trust me, tall women seldom fall in love."
"Jesus Christ, Mal! How can you say that about me?!"
Mallow stood his ground, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "How tall are you? Five eleven?"
"I'm five ten," Sara corrected, grumbling. "And if you must know, I have plenty of men flocking around me!"
Mallow raised his arms as if in victory and Sara just added to his claim. "Exactly! And are you in love with any of them? No!"
Sara jabbed a finger at him, snapping back as Luca leaned into his seat with a sigh.
Luca knew these two already knew each other far before he even came into their lives that day in Stadhaven. He checked the time on his phone and it read 6:55 am.
Because of the conversation, he decided to check up on Isabella before the flight, knowing he'd soon be out of network range.