The rumor begins on a quiet Sunday morning in Monaco. You’re out walking your niece in her stroller, enjoying the rare calm between your runway schedules. Charles spots you from across the marina, he’s just finished a training session and looks effortlessly warm in a hoodie and messy hair. He jogs over, greeting you with that soft, familiar smile he never uses on camera. For a few minutes, the two of you stroll together, laughing about how the baby keeps throwing her pacifier onto the pavement.

Then a camera shutter snaps. You don’t even notice at first. But the angle is perfect, you pushing the stroller, Charles walking beside you with one hand in his pocket, the other hovering near the stroller like he’s ready to help. It look intimate, too intimate. The kind of photo that needs no explanation to spark chaos.

By noon, it’s everywhere. “Charles Leclerc Seen on a Walk With His Secret Baby and his Girlfriend.” Charles fans start analyzing the baby’s eyes, hair, skin tone, anything to “confirm” the theory. Meanwhile, your sister is laughing hysterically on FaceTime, telling you she always knew Charles would be great dad material.

Charles finally messages you with a screenshot of the headline. Just one line, “Should we tell them she’s not ours, or let them dream?” And honestly, the way he looked at the baby earlier makes you wonder if he’s dreaming a little too.