Contracted to the NHI superstar
Seventeen years ago, Klaus and Liam were two halves of a whole, bound by bruised knuckles and a love they didn't know how to name. Then Klaus vanished, trading their friendship for a hockey stick and a billionaire legacy. Now, Klaus Conti is the "Ice King" of the NHL—a cold, untouchable superstar who lives behind a wall of PR-approved silence. Liam Vance is a ghost in his own life, drowning in debt and fighting to keep his ten-year-old brother, Leo, alive.
When a locker-room scandal threatens to melt Klaus's reputation, his team offers Liam a contract: pose as Klaus’s "ambiguous" best friend to humanize the star. Liam needs the money for Leo’s treatment; Klaus needs a shield. But as Liam captures the boy behind the superstar through his lens, the professional lines shatter. When a staged betrayal forces Klaus to choose between his hard-won reputation and the man he never stopped loving, his cowardice costs Liam everything. To earn a second chance, the Ice King will have to step out of the shadows and face the world—or lose Liam forever.
قراءة
Chapter: Chapter 4The Golden CageThe car ride to the city center was quiet. I sat in the back seat, staring at the blurred lights of Seattle. Everything felt different now. The air in the car was too clean, and the leather was too smooth. I kept looking at my phone, waiting for another update from the hospital, but there was nothing. No news was good news, I told myself.The car pulled into an underground garage that looked like a showroom. The driver stopped in front of a private elevator and opened my door."Top floor, Mr. Vance," he said. He didn't offer to help with my camera bag. I preferred it that way.The elevator moved fast. When the doors opened, I stepped directly into the penthouse. It didn't look like a home. It was huge, with white walls and massive windows that showed the entire city glowing below. There was no clutter, no pictures on the walls, and no signs that anyone actually lived here. It was a beautiful, expensive cage.Klaus was standing by a long kitchen island, pouring water in
آخر تحديث: 2026-04-25
Chapter: Chapter 3The Price of a SoulThe bus ride back to Ballard was long and quiet. I sat by the window, watching the rain start to smear the glass. My head felt light, like it was filled with static. I had walked out on a billionaire. I had thrown a contract at a superstar. My pride was still buzzing in my chest, but it was a cold, hollow feeling.I kept thinking about Klaus’s eyes. They were so hard. So empty.When I finally reached my neighborhood, the sun was starting to go down. Our house was a small, gray thing that looked like it was leaning to one side. The paint was peeling, and the front porch creaked under my feet. It was the only thing my parents had left us, and I was failing to keep it together.I walked inside and headed straight for the kitchen. I needed to drink some water and figure out which bill to pay first with the little money I had left from the gala.My phone rang. It was the hospital.I picked it up on the first ring, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Hello? This is Liam
آخر تحديث: 2026-04-25
Chapter: Chapter 2The Room Where Truth Goes to DieI didn't sleep much after that phone call. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Klaus’s face on that giant screen. I kept wondering if I was in trouble. Maybe he wanted to make sure I never talked about our past. By the time the black car pulled up to my small house the next morning, my stomach was in knots.The driver didn't say a word. He just opened the door and waited for me to get in. The car seats smelled like money and expensive air freshener. It made me feel out of place in my best jeans and a clean hoodie.We drove deep into the heart of the city, stopping in front of the Conti Tower. It was a massive building made of dark glass that seemed to touch the clouds. I stepped out, clutching my old camera bag like a shield.A woman in a sharp suit met me at the entrance. "Mr. Vance? This way, please."She led me to an elevator that moved so fast my ears popped. When the doors opened, we were on the top floor. Everything was white and silver. She opene
آخر تحديث: 2026-04-25
Chapter: Chapter 1The Cost of LivingI stood in the hallway in Seattle city, leaning my forehead against the cool glass of the observation window. On the other side, my ten-year-old brother, Leo, was asleep. He looked so small in that big hospital bed, his skin almost the same color as the white sheets.I looked down at the paper in my hand. It was the latest bill. The numbers at the bottom didn't look real. They looked like a phone number, something too long and too high for a nineteen-year-old with three part-time jobs to ever pay off."Mr. Vance?"I turned around. Dr. Reed was walking toward me, looking at a tablet. He looked tired, but he always had a soft smile for me."Hey, Doc," I said, trying to tuck the bill into my back pocket so he wouldn't see it. "How is he doing today?"Dr. Reed sighed and stopped next to me. "He’s stable, Liam. But the new treatment is expensive. We need to start the next round of specialized care by the end of the week. If we don’t, his progress might slip.""I know," I
آخر تحديث: 2026-04-25
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