Semua Bab MY HOCKEY HEARTHROB : Bab 71 - Bab 80

The drive back to the hotel was exceptionally quiet. The heavy security guards escorted Julian up the VIP elevator, leaving him at the double doors of his room. The moment he stepped inside the spacious luxury suite, the absolute silence felt like a heavy blanket pressing down on his chest. Julian didn't turn on the lights. He liked the dim afternoon shadows that filled the room. He walked over to the grand floor to ceiling glass window, staring out at the sprawling city. The thousands of cars below looked like tiny ants, and for a split second, Julian felt incredibly small despite his massive fame and his newly broken world record. His mind was still completely restless. He couldn't stop thinking about the dangerous Russian player in the corridor, and more than that, he couldn't erase the image of Valeria rehearsing her lines with Shawn Sterling. The agonizing ache in his chest was turning into a dull, throbbing headache. He needed a distraction. He needed to clear his head, and

In a dark, lonely, and completely deserted corner of an alleyway far from the city center, the dim light of a flickering streetlamp cut through the shadows. A man stood completely hidden under a black hood, his posture tense and secretive. He was having a fluent conversation with a huge, bulky guy. The giant spoke in fluent Russian, his deep voice rumbling in the cold air, but the hooded man communicated strictly in English. The Russian giant reached into his heavy leather coat and brought out a tiny, unlabeled glass bottle filled with a strange, clear liquid. He handed the small liquid bottle over to the hooded man. The hooded man gripped the bottle tightly, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of desperation and malice. "Are you sure this will make him go all out?" he whispered fiercely, staring at the clear fluid. "This is our absolute last chance. We need to bring him down tomorrow. I am not letting him take that cup from us." The Russian man, this time replying in English, let out

The violent impact echoed loudly across the quiet office floor. Valeria’s head snapped violently to the side, her papers scattering everywhere as her ceramic mug rattled on the desk. The entire office instantly fell into a dead, terrified silence. Dozens of coworkers stopped typing, their mouths falling open in absolute shock. "You disgusting, worthless whore!" Ariel shrieked at the top of her lungs, immediately causing a massive, humiliating scene in front of everyone. She pointed a manicured finger directly into Valeria's burning, red cheek. "How dare you touch what belongs to me? You dirty boyfriend snatcher!" Valeria sat completely frozen in her office chair, her hand trembling as she touched her stinging, throbbing cheek. Tears of pure shock and pain instantly welled up in her eyes, but she was too traumatized and ashamed to speak. "Look at you, acting all innocent in your cheap clothes!" Ariel continued to scream, her voice dripping with venom as she turned to face the whi

Adrian drove through the busy city streets in a heavy, tensed silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel as he glanced occasionally at the quiet woman in the passenger seat. Upon getting home, Valeria stepped into her small, lonely apartment. The moment the front door clicked shut, the fake strength she had been maintaining completely collapsed. She stumbled into her bedroom and began to tearfully change her clothes, sobbing so hard that her chest physically ached. As she pulled off the stained, ruined white shirt, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes red and puffy. She wondered bitterly what wrong she had ever done in her life to deserve this level of cruelty and humiliation. Her only crime, her absolute only crime was loving and giving all of herself to Julian Vane five long years ago. She had loved him with every fiber of her being. And then, what did he do? He suddenly woke up one day, packed his bags, and traveled abroad without even informing her or saying a

Back in his luxury penthouse suite, Julian was already getting prepared for the biggest night of his career. He had just taken a long, steaming bath to ease the tension in his muscles, and he was about to start getting ready for the stadium. However, even as he dried off, his grey eyes were still glued to the large tablet screen resting on his dresser. He was watching raw video footages of the Canadian team play, analyzing their past three championship matches. Julian’s brilliant sports mind was working at maximum speed. As he watched the way their defensemen shifted during a counter attack, he was beginning to understand their exact pattern of playing. He was already developing counter tactics in his head spotting a hidden weakness in the Canadian goalie’s glove side and figuring out exactly how he, Ken, and Marcus could exploit it on the ice. Julian pulled a crisp, white training shirt over his broad chest and stepped into his official team track pants. But the moment the hockey f