All Chapters of DANGEROUS ICE: MY HOCKEY NEMESIS IS MY SINFUL OBSESSION: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

I stood alone in the hot parking lot. The automatic sliding doors closed behind Axel, shutting me out of the hospital. I stared at the glass for a long time. I expected him to turn around and walk back out, but the lobby remained empty. My chest ached with a deep, physical pain that had nothing to do with my bruised ribs.I secured the millions of dollars today. I bought my financial independence, and I protected the people I loved from my father's corporate lawyers. I won the legal war. Yet, the victory tasted bitter because the sacrifice cost me the only person who actually mattered.I turned away from the hospital doors. I walked across the black asphalt toward my car. My heavy boots dragged against the ground. The adrenaline from the argument faded away, leaving me feeling numb and exhausted.I climbed into the driver seat and shut the door. The interior of the car felt suffocating. I gripped the leather steering wheel, and I rested my forehead against my hands. I did not want to

The athletic director sat at the head of the long wooden table. He did not shout at me. He did not mention my unauthorized television interview. He folded his hands together and offered me a captaincy extension.I stared at him. The large boardroom felt very quiet. I did not feel any joy or relief. I just felt a deep, heavy dread in my chest. I realized my father orchestrated this exact outcome. Richard made a phone call before the meeting started. He told the board to keep me on the active roster. He wanted to trap me on this campus, and he used the athletic director to lock the cage."Thank you," I said to the board members. My voice sounded flat.I stood up from the leather chair. I turned around and walked out of the heavy wooden doors. Coach Gregory waited in the hallway. He smiled when he saw my face. He thought we won a major victory today. I did not stop to explain the truth to him. I just kept walking.I pushed the main glass doors open and stepped out of the administration b

Michael grabbed the third photograph. His hands shook harder now.The third image showed my mother pushing a metal shopping cart outside our local grocery store. She looked happy and normal. She held a bag of apples, unaware that a stranger was documenting her every move. The bright sunlight illuminated her face, making her look innocent and vulnerable against the dark threat of the surveillance team."Richard sent those pictures to prove he knows where they live," I told Michael. The fear in my chest twisted into a sharp knot. "He knows where my father works, and he knows where my mother buys our food. He wants me to understand they are never safe from his reach."Michael dropped the photographs onto the floor. He looked sick. He placed his hands over his face, and he let out a harsh, broken sound. The heavy guilt consumed him. He blamed himself for bringing this danger to my family."Read the note again," I instructed him.Michael lowered his hands. He picked up the crumpled white p

I studied his face. I saw the fierce intelligence in his dark eyes. He was right. Playing defense was a losing strategy. We needed to attack the source of his power."How do we attack his public image?" I asked."We expose the extortion," Axel answered. He spoke with a clear, steady confidence. "We prove he uses his corporate wealth to trap players and manipulate university boards. We show the world exactly how Richard Rossi operates behind closed doors."The idea sparked a sudden rush of adrenaline in my blood. My father operated in the shadows. He used secret boardroom meetings and silent bribes to get his way. He assumed I would keep the restrictive contract a secret because I wanted the trust fund money. He never expected me to weaponize the legal paperwork against him."I have a digital copy of the trust fund addendum," I told Axel. The plan started to form in my mind. "My independent lawyer emailed the final document to me right after I signed it. The contract explicitly outline

I set the medical supplies aside. I shifted closer to him and lifted the edge of his white dress shirt. I needed to check his ribs. He unbuttoned the shirt and let the fabric fall open.The bruising on his left side looked worse than yesterday. The dark marks spread across his skin. I traced the edge of the bruise with my fingertips. He let out a sharp breath, but he leaned his body toward my hands."Does it hurt when you breathe?" I asked him."Only when I take a deep breath," Michael admitted. "I do not think any bones are broken. I just need to rest tonight.""You are going to take the entire weekend off," I told him. I pushed his shirt off his broad shoulders. "You are not going to the ice rink, and you are not doing any defensive drills with the team."Michael let the shirt drop to the floor. He kicked his heavy boots off and laid his back against my pillows. He let out a long sigh of relief.I turned the small lamp off. The room fell dark, lit only by the pale moonlight shining