Page 22 of Heart on Ice

“Have your lawyers heard back from Bill’s lawyers?” Harper asks him.

“Not yet,” he says, shaking his head.

“Looks like Kitty is playing nice and has kept to the script. You’re just going to have to stay low, so the media doesn’t find you here. At the moment, they think you’ve gone back to Canada,” Harper explains.

“Aren’t they going to question why she’s not with me?” Pierre asks.

“We can say she is dealing with the wedding stuff,” Harper advises.

“Won’t they see Pierre’s family traveling around Italy?” I question.

“I’ve asked them not to share anything online until we have sorted all this,” Harper adds.

“This buys us some time. Don’t you think they are going to have questions if I’m released from my team?” Pierre asks.

That’s my thought too. The public is smart and will likely put two and two together. They are also going to think Kitty did something wrong because Pierre fled the wedding and is asking to move from the team. They will probably think it has something to do with one of his teammates which sucks for them but is probably a win for Bill.

“My hope is you can get signed with The Mavericks. Felix has gone for a run with my brother to get him on board to help convince our father, who is on the board of The Mavericks, to push for a deal with you. But we can’t do anything until we find out what is happening with Bill,” Harper states.

“Fucking Bill,” Pierre curses.

“Okay, say this all works out. Don’t you think they are going to wonder why Kitty hasn’t moved to New York?” I ask because right now, there is no talk regarding a press release announcing their break up. Is Pierre going to pretend they are still together until the dust settles?

“If Bill agrees and lets me go, I’m happy to say I got cold feet and that I think Kitty and I are better off as friends,” Pierre states.

“Women will crucify you. Actually, everyone will. The golden boy persona will be tarnished, which will make it hard for your sponsors, which could mean they drop you, and once that starts happening, it’s all downhill,” Meadow explains.

“I’m going to be crucified either way,” Pierre says.

“Not if you tell the truth. I’m surprised Bill didn’t respond straight away to your request which is a fricken nice request. I think he thinks he has you over a barrel and that you won’t blow up everything,” Meadow states.

“You think?” Pierre asks Meadow.

“Men like him think they hold all the power in the world because of their money. He knows you do not want to ruin your career. He knows how much your image probably means to you, and I bet Little Miss Gold Digger is in his ear telling him, he’s Canadian, he’s too nice, he’s not going to do shit. The question is, how far are you willing to go?”

“All the way. I want out,” Pierre says confidently.

“Think about this, Pierre, don’t let your anger or revenge sway you. This could mess up your career,” I warn him. Look, I hate the bastard, but he has worked hard for this career.

“And what happens if Bill decides he’s going to punish me and make me stay playing for his team? Two years of utter hell, I will give him my worst, I will not let him win any silverware. Me playing shit is going to ruin my career also,” he explains.

“We need to speak to Jackson and find out if his wife knows about his affair,” I ask Harper.

“Already on it. He said he should have something for me by lunch,” she says.

“You sure about this, Pierre? Because once this gets out, your world is going to implode,” I ask him again.

“I will go anywhere in the world as long as I don’t have to stay there,” he says, and I can see the determination on his face. Nothing is going to sway him from this.

“Right. Okay. Guess we wait and see if Bill is going to come play,” I say.

“Pierre, if you need my plane to get your dog you can use it,” Harper tells him.

I glare at my friend, she really has lost her mind over Felix because that is awfully generous of her.

“Harper,” he says her name in surprise, “I … I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you, is a good place,” she says.

---