Page 94 of Until We Burn
Retired captain of the Winnipeg Narwhals.
Current president of Valdis Ventures.
Simon’s dad.
NHL players either go into business or politics after retirement, but Matthias is still very much involved in the hockey league. He’s one of Lakefield University’s largest donors. That’s why their arena was renamed after him.
I’ve only seen him a few times. We’ve never talked—just exchanged tense looks off the ice.
And he doesn’t hold back on giving me one now.
“You all probably know Matthias Valdis,” Nirah says. “His company became one of our investors after we produced the NHL documentary last year. The Pacific Observer invited him to sit in on the presentation tonight.”
Matthias finally looks away from me. He grins at Nirah and brings out his arms with the same arrogant swagger as Simon.
“Just here to make sure my investment is in good shape,” he declares.
Nirah’s smile quivers.
“Of course.” Her eyes darken with sheer disdain for the man, yet her voice is nothing less than cordial as she gestures towards the conference room. “This way.”
They walk in together.
My feet root to the floor, too nerve-wracked and shaken to take a single step through those doors.
Rowan grounds me with a strong, assured squeeze on my shoulder. “Hey, you’re going to be alright, okay? You’re not on the ice. This isn’t hockey. This is a different turf you’re on. Simon’s dad can’t hold anything against you here.”
“You don’t know that—goddammit.”I tug at my shirt collar. The air only becomes shallower. My breath pushes out of my mouth in heavy droves that leave it hoarse and dry. “What if…what if he fucks up my presentation?”
“Even if he does, it’s nothing compared to what you’ve gone through,” Luke reminds me. This time, I catch a hint of sadness on his face. “You can handle Diana Huang and all the batshit crazy things that come with sneaking around with her. That says a lot more than you realize, bro.”
“I agree,” Wallace puffs out a breath and his eyes widen. “She’s very pretty, but her family is terrifying.”
I run a hand over my face. They have a point. I’m sneaking behind Edward Huang’s back to hook up with his daughter, who I literally talked out of panic buying a seven-foot bamboo shelf, a new car, and a jet in a span of fifteen seconds.
The anxiety pulsing inside of me quiets down just a little. I nod my head and flex my shoulders back. “You know what, you’re right. I got this.”
Luke pats my back. “Atta boy!”
The boys quietly hype me up all the way to the threshold of the conference room. When I step inside, all the conversations go quiet. The business team avoids looking me in the eye, their attention suddenly zeroing in on the ballpoint pens they’re tapping their folders with. My anxiety flares up again. The urge to bolt tugs at my feet, urging me to leave before I can do something or say something to embarrass myself.
You can’t run. Your time on the ice hinges on you finishing this internship. Just focus on what you came here to do.
I reach into my pocket and give Diana’s hair clip one last squeeze before I step up to the front of the room to present.
“The strategic planestablishes the communication objectives, the target audience, key messages, and communications tactics.”
Burke Reynolds opens the presentation with a confidence that fills the conference room.
I glance at Nirah. She takes notes on the presentation with her eyes narrowed and her chin propped on her fingers. Beside her, Matthias is watching me. Probing, scrutinizing.
Sweat gathers at the back of my neck. This is the world Diana grew up in and I’ve never respected her more than I do now. All the talking and staring goes on while you pretend you’re calmer than you are. My shaking hand relaxes as it curls around Diana’s hair clip.
I can imagine her hand on my arm, her lips brushing my ear as shewhispers into it,“If you can handle playing in Division I and being friends with benefits with the heiress of the HMG, you can handle a dick in another Armani suit.”
A small smirk tugs my lips.
“And now we’ll be moving on to discussing the Pacific Observer’s environmental scan. Kai?”
