LOGINTHIAGO I felt Anastasia's head land on my shoulder and immediately froze. My chest tightened, and I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead. At first, I seriously considered waking her up right away because having the player's sister sleeping on me went against all my rules about my discipline, but after looking around and seeing that half the team was completely asleep as well, I decided against it. Kier was snoring softly a few rows behind us, and the coach was resting his eyes at the front of the bus, so I figured it was better to avoid making a big scene in the middle of the quiet ride.Unfortunately, Cassian noticed what was happening almost immediately. The rookie walked past our row on his way back from the small restroom at the back of the bus, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Anastasia sleeping deeply on my arm. The wide grin on his face instantly annoyed me, and I felt my jaw tighten as he leaned down slightly to look closer at us."Well, look at this," Cassian whi
ALRIA When I returned to Kier's apartment that night, I was very tired and my arms were completely sore from carrying my camera bag around the facility all afternoon. I unlocked the front door and walked into the kitchen, and I was genuinely surprised to find him home. He was sitting alone at the kitchen with a protein shake in his hand, and the moment he saw me walk through the door and set his glass down."How did your first day go?" Kier asked, watching me drop my gear bags on the floor by the door. "Did you actually manage to do your work and stay out of the way like I told you to?""Yes, Kier, I stayed completely out of the way," I said, walking over to the refrigerator to find something to drink because my throat was dry. "I spent most of my afternoon in the media room editing the practice photos, and Mr. Hunts looked at them and told me my shots were excellent.""Did any of the players on the roster bother you while you were down by the ice?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as h
THIAGO The morning started with another long leadership meeting and the pressure around the upcoming championship only seemed to grow with every passing minute of the season."We need to remember that this specific season will completely define the future of the entire franchise," the head coach said, standing right at the front of the room by the large whiteboard.The rest of the coaching staff took turns speaking to the group and reminding everyone about the high expectations from the fans and the massive media pressure. Every single person in attendance knew exactly how much was on the line for us this year. While they were discussing these details, several people turned their heads and looked directly at me. I sat at the center of the long table with my arms crossed and I just nodded my head slowly because I knew exactly what they wanted from me as the team leader. Being the captain of the New York Titans meant carrying a lot of responsibilities that nobody else wanted to hand
ANASTASIA I arrived at the arena well before sunrise for my first official day as the Titans' photographer, and my hands were sweating because I was incredibly nervous. I kept telling myself that I could not afford to mess this up, especially after everything that happened at my old job. Mr. Hunts was already waiting for me near the front desk, and he looked up with a warm smile when he saw me. He walked over and handed me a clipboard with a detailed schedule attached to it, and he tapped the top page with his pen."Good morning, Anastasia, you are right on time," Mr. Hunts said, nodding in approval. "This is your schedule for the week, and I need you to look it over carefully because things are going to move very fast around here."I took the clipboard from him and looked down at the times, and my eyes widened when I saw the note at the bottom. "The travel schedule says we leave tomorrow morning?" I asked, looking up at him in surprise."Yes, we are traveling with the team for the
THIAGO We had just finished the afternoon team meeting and I could already tell exhaustion was finally sinking into my bones.The hallway had twenty hockey players talking about the upcoming road trip while I stayed silent, mentally checking the roster details for the travel schedule.Kier was walking right beside me, complaining about a minor adjustment to our line plays but then he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when we reached the elevators.I looked up slowly and followed his stunned gaze, which landed on his sister, Anastasia. My face twitched seeing her and I didn't know what to feel at that moment.But then I couldn't help but immediately notice a badge around her neck. That was clearly the official media badge for this team.I walked up behind Kier, pushing past a couple of players and I noticed her photo was printed on it.My eyes instantly locked on hers with deep disapproval and a wave of irritation washed over me.I'd then realized quickly she had been the replaceme
“I made it clear you should stay out of the arena, Ana!” Kier said immediately he pulled me out. He looked pretty angry.Before I could even say anything or try explaining myself, he raised his hand, stopping me and walking away, leaving me no choice but to take a cab to the Titans main house and find Kier’s apartment myself.It took me a few minutes to get to his apartment and once I got in, I let out a sigh of relief. I walked into the guest room and fell flatly on the bed, closing my eyes for a few minutes.A sudden realization began to sink in slowly. There was no way I could survive in my overprotective brother's apartment.I tipped my wallet upside down to dump my remaining cash on the bed and I counted the bills slowly. The total amount was a miserable forty-two dollars.I knew Kier had plenty of money he'd made from his hockey career and I knew a little amount to get on my feet wasn't a problem to him, but I had a deep sense of my own pride.I couldn't and would not depend too







