Page 114 of Captain's Claim

I accepted the job again.

I never told him.

Not because I was keeping it a secret, but because after that press conference, after watching him go to war for me, I needed to do this on my own. To prove to myself that I wasn’t just Blake Maddox’s girlfriend cashing in on his name.

Natalie sighs dramatically across from me. “Babe, I'm glad you made them sweat. Really dragged it out. Made themsuffer.”

“Oh, I did,” I say, leaning back with a smug little stretch.

When I finally answered Big Mike's call, his voice cracked with relief.

"Name your terms," he'd said.

So I did. Full creative control. Double my original salary. And most importantly - the youth program stays private, protected, sacred. No cameras, no publicity stunts, no exploitation of kids' stories for clicks.

Greg signed it all of without another thought. Even said the Icehawks Youth Hockey team will train and play all their games inside Icehawk HQ from now on. Full security, privacy and state of the art facilities for Blake's kids.

And the man that made it all possible?

We couldn't be happier.

Which reminds me…

I glance at the clock mounted on my office wall and nearly choke on my chocolate.

"Shit! We need to go - the game starts in twenty minutes!"

Mia and Natalie scramble up as I grab my blazer and green and gray scarf, the three of us rushing through the corridors of Icehawk Stadium.

The pre-game energy pulses through the building, setting my skin tingling. It's the most important game of the season, there's no way I'm missing this.

The smell hits me first - that unmistakable mix of popcorn, hot dogs, and ice that means game night. Eighteen thousand fans file into their seats above us, their footsteps thundering through the ceiling.

"Wait!" I grab Natalie's arm before we reach the corporate box stairs. "I haven't told Blake I accepted the job yet."

Natalie groans. "Babe, you can't just-"

But I'm already running back, heading straight down the stairs towards the locker room. I reach the bottom of the stairs and a long corridor stretches ahead, lined with photos of Icehawks legends.

My legs pound against the floor as we approach the door marked with the team logo.

I burst into the locker room and dozens of heads snap up at once.

Blake's eyes lock onto mine from across the room. "Sophia? What the hell are you doing here?"

Coach Brody lets out a long-suffering sigh, massaging his temples in front of the whiteboard at the front of the room. "For fuck's sake… You've got five minutes, Hart. Make it quick, we've got a game to win."

Smiling nervously, I weave through a maze of half-dressed hockey players, dodging flying tape rolls and equipment. My hand finds Blake's wrist and I tug him toward a quieter corner, trying not to stare at his incredibly firm bare chest.

"I got my job back," I blurt out, the words tumbling over each other.

His expression softens. "Yeah? With everything you wanted?"

I nod, grinning. "Full creative control. Better salary. No bullshit social media stuff."

"Good." His jaw tightens and he grabs my hands, squeezing them hard. "As long as this is what you want. I'll support you no matter what, you know that."

"I know. I'm willing to give it another go… I kind of like it here."

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