Page 104 of Captain's Claim

"I mean, listen, Sophia was always ambitious. Knew how to play the game. Knew how to get close to the right people. And clearly, it's paid off."

Laughter. Smug fuckinglaughterfrom the panelists.

"Cap." Ryder's voice cuts through the haze. "You better shut this down before-"

"Before what?" My voice sounds foreign, deadly calm. "Before they destroy everything she's worked for? Before they reduce her to nothing but my girlfriend?"

Connor steps forward. "Blake-"

But I'm already moving, shoving past him toward the door. These vultures want a story? I'll give them one they'll never forget.

"Where are you going?" Logan calls after me.

"To fix this." The door slams behind me with enough force to rattle the glass.

Iknowwhat he’s thinking. I’ve kept my private lifeprivatefor years. Refused to let the media get close, refused to let them twist my life into their narrative. I never let them get a headline off me.

But this?

This is Sophia.

And I’ll burn the whole fucking industry down before I let them do this to her.

I yank my phone from my pocket and dial.

"Eli," my voice comes out all rushed as I storm down the stairs towards Sophia's office. "Remember how you told Sophia about my birthday? Yeah, well, now it's my turn for a favor."

"I'm listening, kid. What's up?" Eli says on the other end of the phone.

What's up? What's up?!

I'm about to shake things up at Icehawk HQ. That's what's up.

***

I race towards Sophia's office not even bothering to knock, just bursting inside, my lungs desperate for some respite.

But it's empty.

The coffee cup I brought her before we walked in this morning sits cold, untouched.

"She left about an hour ago." Natalie's voice startles me from the doorway. "In tears apparently."

My hands clench into fists. "Where? Where did she go?!"

"I don't know… I've been trying to call her." Natalie holds up her phone, shaking her head, panic in her eyes. "She's not answering."

The image of Sophia crying hits me directly in the heart.Fuck.I should have been there. Should have known something was wrong when she didn't show up in the Player's Lounge after her meeting.

Instead, I sat there watching those bastards tear her apart on ESPN while she was dealing with this… whateverthisis… alone.

"Those assholes in the board room-" Natalie starts.

"What happened?" My voice comes out as a growl.

"I don't know the details, but Lucy, the graphics girl, she said Greg and Big Mike tried to turn her into some kind of NHL Barbie doll. She walked out."

Pride and fury war in my chest.

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