Race With a Heart
Chapter 164: Ambition

Chapter 164: Ambition

Don wasn’t kicked out of the Fergus Stables. He wasn’t even suspended. He left Karl Walton’s office as if nothing had happened. Almost. In fact, much has happened.

First of all, no one mentioned that Don attacked Martin. This topic was passed over in silence, which meant that both Martin and the other drivers decided to put these incidents into oblivion.

But Alston knew that nothing had really been forgotten, and if he made even the slightest mistake, he was likely to be killed or beaten so badly that he would become crippled. Steve was unpredictable, and perhaps only Martin held back his aggression, and when Paxton got mad, his punches had terrifying power and speed. Don was no coward and he could fight, but against Paxton he had no chance. One false move on Don’s part, and he would be happy if his adventure ended with the fitting of a denture.

But what Alston told Martin that he wasn’t interested in him anymore was an honest truth. Don had never thought of his colleague that way since the night he’d spent with Nelson. Martin had lost all appeal and charm to him, quite suddenly, as if by magic, though the wand that touched Alston looked more like a wizard’s staff. Don’s obsession with Martin, it seemed, had been resolved in its own circle of drivers and closed without having to inform third parties.

Don, however, felt ashamed that this obsession had even entered his mind. He never suspected that he might be too weak to keep his penis in his pants. Just like his father, whom he hated for his unlimited erotic appetite.

But for Alston, the whole time he’d just started working at the Fergus Stables was strange, perhaps even surreal, as if nothing was really happening. As if everything was an illusion or a dream. Don had always dreamed of being professional, and when he finally got the chance, the world was wide open to him. In his own eyes, Don became like a young god who would be recognized and worshiped by all at any moment. Don became the master of the universe, and once he got a place in the Fergus Stables, he could get anything. His every whim and every desire will be realized. It didn’t matter how absurd the desire was. Don just had to have everything.

So he acted like the last asshole. He was overwhelmed by an erotic obsession, and had it not been for Nelson, Alston would probably have truly gone mad with lust. Nelson, however, spoke to Don in a language that allowed the young driver to understand everything. Arrogance and pride turned into humility and shame. The change was sudden and forced, but it made Alston see his eyes and understand how lame he had acted. It also seemed as if Martin believed Don’s ’conversion’ and gave him a chance, even though Don knew he didn’t deserve it. Alston’s misdemeanor against Martin was fined privately and the case ceased to exist.

It was different about abusing Steve. Walton was understandably furious, but he had control of his emotions, which made him a little scary. Not being thrown out immediately might have given Alston the feeling that he had someone powerful on his side, and Alston knew he had. His sponsor is not so easily deprived of the cooperation and advertising for which he paid, and the Fergus Stable could not afford to spoil its relationship with him, as it would thus become a dubious partner for other sponsors. Don, however, felt no sense of superiority before. He didn’t like Steve, he wouldn’t have had a problem stabbing him in the back a few days ago, but now, after what Nelson had done to Don, Don had really become a different person.

There was also Jack, who decided to take his side.

Martin, who had forgiven Don his own harm but passionately blamed him for the harm Alston had done to Paxton.

And then there was Steve, who ...

Don Alston shuddered and looked back at the office door Lambert was just closing. Jack smiled at his younger friend.

"Are you surprised we didn’t tell Walton about what you recently did to Martin?" Lambert asked.

"I was, but I’m not anymore," Alston admitted.

Martin took the lead. Karl told them all to go back to work, so there was no need for any of them to be here. Don shot him a quick look. He felt Martin distancing himself from him. They were never close to each other, but nonetheless as Don became obsessed with him and began to look at him more, he discovered that Martin was a really decent guy and that it might be worth having him as a buddy. The obsession has faded, but the feeling that Martin is not so bad has remained in Alston.

But it is impossible to get over certain events on the agenda.

"Martin and Steve ..." Don turned to Lambert. "Why are they able to act this way towards me? Why don’t they want to kill me or at least screw me out of the stables? "

"I don’t think you know much about Stevie," Jack remarked.

"So much as from the media. And I know he’s gay. "

Lambert shook his head and put a hand on Alston’s shoulder. This friendly gesture surprised the young driver. He looked at Jack in disbelief.

"We all have good and bad experiences in our lives," said Lambert. "We don’t tell the world about most of them because they are unpleasant, maybe embarrassing. We hide them from the media because we don’t want people to feed on our misfortune. Martin decided to forgive you because he is a decent boy. What you did to him, if it went to the media, you would both find yourself in an unpleasant situation. But that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to do anything. If you hadn’t been truly repentant, I would have been the first to persuade him to make a big deal of it."

"I can understand it. Martin is a gentle, good man, but Steve ... "

Don didn’t want to say too much. After all, Lambert was closer to Paxton than to him.

"If you only know Steve from the media, you don’t know him, but a certain image," Jack replied mildly. "He has tremendous talent and it may seem that everything comes easy for him, but in his private life Steve has gone through some very difficult experiences. Of course, he doesn’t talk about them around, but it was very difficult for him too. He too struggled with many adversities. "

Don remembered when Paxton had trained well below expectations. Steve’s weakness was an opening to Alston. Don didn’t even think for a moment that Paxton was really having a hard time for some reason, what for? Paxton was not his friend, he was his rival, an obstacle to his goal. For Don, Paxton’s weakness meant an opportunity.

Alston’s natural arrogance and willingness to compete echoed.

"The track is no place for the weak" he said. "If someone does not meet the required minimum ..."

"Are you fulfilling them?" Lambert asked directly. "Have you ever heard the word ’ethics’? A person who does not know it is not allowed to practice as a racing driver. A man who does not respect other people, does not respect his colleagues from work, does not meet the required minimum, even if he is extremely talented."

Jack’s words hurt because they struck the young driver’s pride. Don felt offended.

"Ethics doesn’t help you succeed!" Alston noted aggressively.

"But is the success achieved in this way really a success?" Jack asked. "It’s only natural that you want to beat a leader, but if you do it in dirty ways, it means that you have only ambition, not a competitive or sports spirit. If you don’t have a competitive spirit or a sporting spirit, how can you be an athlete? "

"This is ..." Alston wanted to reply to Lambert in some clever way, but he couldn’t.

After all, his adventure with motor sports did not start with the ambition to be the best. It started with pure love for the sport. Of course, he dreamed of the championship, dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 champion, and worked hard for it for years. For him, the sport really mattered. So when did ambition overwhelm him instead of a spirit of a real sport?

It was probably back in the days when he rode completely amateur. He competed directly with Martin and they were pretty much on a par. They won in series and it was often difficult to predict which of them would be in first place that day.

But Martin had Heather, the sexiest girl in the neighborhood, and Heather clearly liked the winners. Don wanted Heather and wanted to be better than Martin. He hadn’t used any dirty tricks yet, not in sports, but with Heather he had scored unethically.

After turning pro, although still in a small league, Alston found that the winner takes it all. So he wanted to be a winner. He wanted to be the more so, the more he heard from his father that he was a failure.

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