On the ride back to the hotel, Luca asked Vance if he knew anything about that particular clause in the contract and had chosen not to tell him.
Vance said he knew nothing about it and that this came as a shock to him as well. But that was a lie.
Mr. Vance did know because Mallow had told him.
Mallow had approached him on the night of the New Year as they stood under the night sky illuminated by fireworks. He had a drink in one hand and the other in his pocket.
Mallow told him he had a hunch Luca might disagree with that term, and if he did, it might cause some trouble.
Vance asked him why he had agreed to let it be part of the deal, and Mallow answered that WAS the deal, and Nevada would not agree to have Luca behind the wheel if he still bore the name Rennick.
Mallow did not know why they wanted this, but he had agreed to it regardless, keeping the best in mind for his client.
And when Vance asked him if he had told Luca before agreeing to that, he said no. Vance asked him if he would tell Luca that he had agreed to it, and Mallow grunted, sighing deeply.
Of course, Vance was smart enough to not mention a word about this to Luca. It was better off if Luca knew nothing about all this coming from him because it would not change a thing either way.
The entire blame rested on Mallow, and even he could feel it the moment he watched from the TV as Luca rose from the contractual seat and left Coastfield and the table.
He silently went to Luca's hotel room and waited until their return. And when they returned, Luca had some words to share with Mallow.
He was not even disappointed at Nevada, for anybody could set up any kind of deal they wanted. It all rested in the hands of the other party to reject or accept.
Mallow greeted him once Luca walked into the hotel room.
Luca was startled but regained himself, stood at the door for a while, and then calmly walked in to remove his suit.
Luca unbuttoned the suit jacket, shrugged it off his shoulders and tossed it onto a couch. Then he loosened his tie and swiftly pulled it free.
"I guess you know why I'm back so early," he said to Mallow as he unfastened the cuffs of his shirt and rolled them up.
Mallow nodded. "I do, and I'm sorry for not telling you," he said. "It's totally my fault. But I only had your best interest at heart."
"I rather not drive at all than to drive as Luca Michelotto," Luca pointed out. "I'm sure you knew this but you went ahead."
"It's disrespect," Luca corrected as he began to pace. "Let's say I accepted this and have my own very name changed just to be in F1. Do you think that'll be the last time I'll be manipulated?"
Mallow let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple as he leaned back in the chair. "I really thought you'd at least consider it," he mumbled, hoping Luca wouldn't hear. But Luca did and chose not to respond.
"What do we do now? We need to secure your future in F1, and this was a confirmation contract that you're a Nevada driver now. Everything else has been settled."
Luca stopped pacing. "Of course, I still want to drive a Ferrari, but I won't lose my dignity for it. All they have to do is adjust that clause."
Mallow spread his arms apart, urging Luca to see reason. "That is no ordinary clause! That is a major criterion, Luca! They WANT your name changed. If you don't accept it, you might be a driver in the team, but you WON'T drive."
Luca stared at Mallow, his mind replaying Coastfield's words about "stirring old memories." He wondered what the heck this was all about and what the name Rennick had done.
In deeper thought, he began to wonder what the heck his father had done that had caused them to treat his family name this way.
Before Luca could speak again, there was a knock on the door, and Manuela's voice emerged from behind. Luca asked her to come in, and she barged in swiftly, holding out a phone for him to answer its ongoing call.
Luca had a few guesses about who might be on the other end of the call. He still asked Manuela anyway, and she answered that the man had introduced himself as Almansa and insisted she put him on the call with Luca immediately.
Luca was completely stunned. Mr. Almansa was definitely not on his guess list.
He accepted the phone call while Mallow and Manuela didn't need to be told to remain dead silent.
Mr. Almansa wasted no time cutting to the chase, his voice hoarse and tough.
He specifically and sternly instructed Luca to put his clothes back on if he had removed them, hop into his car, and return to the Grand Concordia Conference.
There, he would sign the contract and tell the press that he had only been bluffing and that he was never Aldo Rennick's son and that the name Rennick was simply a tribute to the legend he admired.
It was as if Luca had fallen even more silent than Mallow and Manuela as the phone remained pressed to his ear.
He was still trying to process what he had just heard from Mr. Almansa. The same old man who once made a comment, "Look at him. He even looks more silly than his father did!" was now instructing him to publicly denounce his own father if he wanted to drive for their team.
The line went dead, and Luca slowly lowered the phone before handing it back to Manuela.
Almost immediately, his own phone rang. It was Mrs. Coastfield. He barely glanced at the screen before dismissing the call and walking straight into his bathroom.
He turned on the water, letting the steam rise as he prepared a hot shower while Mallow murmured with Manuela what might have been said over the call.
Luca on the other hand, was doing anything but putting on his clothes and returning to the conference hall. He remembered he had a Daily Quest with a nice reward attached.