Chapter 4

_Lyra's POV_

The room had barely settled when another reporter stood up. He did not smile like the others. His expression was sharp and he looked directly at Ryder.

"Ryder, everyone keeps talking about your new relationship but people still want answers about what happened during the last game."

The room became quiet again. The friendly mood disappeared almost instantly. I glanced at Ryder. His face had gone completely still. The reporter continued before anyone could stop him.

"Witnesses said you attacked another player after the final whistle. They said you completely lost control."

A few cameras zoomed in. No one wanted to miss his reaction. Ryder leaned closer to the microphone.

"I've already made my statement."

"But you never denied losing your temper."

"My lawyer has addressed the incident."

The reporter folded his arms. "So you're avoiding the question?"

I could almost feel the tension spreading across the room. Another reporter stood without waiting to be called.

"People say that you have anger issues. Sponsors are worried. Parents are questioning whether you're a good role model."

Ryder's jaw tightened. "I play hockey."

"You also frightened another player badly enough that he needed medical treatment."

"He walked onto the ice knowing the risks."

The answers were becoming shorter and colder. The reporters noticed. They kept pushing. Then the same reporter looked at me.

"Miss Storm."

I forced myself to smile. "Yes?"

"Are you afraid of him?"

The room fell silent. Even the cameras seemed to stop moving. I looked at Ryder. He was staring straight ahead. His hands rested on the table but his fingers had curled into tight fists. The muscles in his jaw moved. Something was changing. His breathing became slower and heavier.

I remembered how he had reacted when I touched his arm earlier. That had been strange but this felt even worse. It was as if something dangerous was about to happen.

The reporter wasn't finished. "Everyone knows Ryder Kane has a violent temper. Does he ever scare you when you're alone together?"

A murmur spread through the audience. Someone whispered that it was too personal. Someone else whispered that it was exactly what everyone wanted to know.

I looked back at Ryder. His eyes had become strangely bright. For the smallest moment, I thought I saw gold flicker inside the gray. I blinked and the color disappeared. Maybe it had been a trick of the lights.

He looked like he was fighting something inside himself. The room had gone completely silent. Everyone was watching him, waiting for his answer.

Instead of speaking, Ryder slowly stood up. His chair scraped loudly against the floor, making several reporters lean back while others quickly raised their cameras. One wrong move now and tomorrow's headlines would be even worse.

Without thinking, I leaned closer to him. My heart was beating so fast that I could hear it in my ears.

I whispered, "Don't give them what they want."

He didn't look at me. His breathing was still uneven.

I swallowed. "They're trying to make you angry."

He remained silent.

I took another slow breath. "If you lose your temper now....they win."

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then I noticed his shoulders slowly relax. The heavy tension around him began to fade. He closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again and slowly sat back down.

A quiet wave of relief spread through the room. Even the media coordinator looked as though she had been holding her breath.

Ryder reached for the microphone. His voice was calm again. "I understand why people have questions."

Every reporter immediately started writing.

"I regret that the game ended the way it did."

More pens moved across notebooks.

"But I won't discuss an ongoing investigation."

He pushed the microphone away. "My focus is on hockey."

The room remained quiet. The reporters looked disappointed. They had expected an explosion. Instead, they had received a controlled answer.

The coordinator quickly stood. "We have time for one last question."

A woman near the back smiled warmly. "This one is for both of you."

She looked between Ryder and me. "What is your favorite thing about each other?"

I nearly laughed. That was certainly a change from the previous questions. I looked at Ryder and he looked back at me. For the first time since we met, he seemed uncertain. The room waited for one of us to answer.

I smiled. "My favorite thing about Ryder? He likes to pretend that he is impossible to get along with but he is more thoughtful than people think."

A few reporters smiled. Ryder looked at me with a small frown as if he could not believe what I had just said.

"And what makes you think that?" he asked quietly.

"You showed up today, didn't you?" I replied. "You could have refused this whole press conference but you didn't. That tells me you care more than you admit."

The room filled with soft laughter. The reporter turned to Ryder.

"And what about you?"

He stayed silent for a moment before answering. "She talks too much."

The reporters laughed again. I stared at him.

"That isn't a compliment."

"It wasn't supposed to be."

More laughter spread through the room. Then the corner of his mouth lifted just enough for me to notice.

"But..." he continued, "she doesn't panic under pressure."

I blinked. Coming from Ryder, that sounded like the closest thing to a compliment I was ever going to get.

"I'll take that," I said with a smile.

The media coordinator stepped forward before another question could be asked. "That's all the time we have. Thank you, everyone."

The press conference finally came to an end. The moment the cameras stopped recording, the smiles disappeared.

Reporters gathered their notebooks while photographers packed away their equipment. Staff members began leading everyone toward the exits.

I let out a long breath I did not realize I had been holding. "I survived," I whispered to myself.

"You did."

Ryder's voice came from beside me. I turned toward him. For the first time since we entered the room, there were no cameras pointed at us. It was just the two of us.

"I thought they were going to eat us alive," I admitted.

"They almost did."

"I wasn't expecting questions like that."

"They never ask the easy ones."

I nodded slowly. "I can see that."

Before I could say anything else, the PR manager hurried over with a wide smile.

"That was excellent," she said.

I blinked. "It was?"

She laughed. "You completely changed the mood."

She looked at Ryder. "And you stayed calm."

He gave a small nod. "I answered what I could."

"You did more than that."

She held up her phone.

"The live comments are already changing. They're talking about the relationship instead of the fight."

Relief filled her face. "This is exactly what we needed."

I smiled. "So...we did a good job?"

"You both did."

She patted my shoulder. "Keep this up and the sponsors might stop panicking."

She walked away to answer another call. I smiled to myself. Maybe this fake relationship would actually work. I turned toward Ryder. He was already walking away.

"Hey."

He stopped but did not look at me.

"Were you planning to disappear without saying anything?"

He slowly faced me. "We're finished here."

"That's it?"

"What else is there?"

I stared at him. "A thank you would be nice."

His eyebrows lifted slightly. "For what?"

I folded my arms. "For helping save your reputation."

"I didn't ask you to."

I let out an annoyed laugh. "You're unbelievable."

He remained silent.

"You could at least admit that I helped."

Another long pause followed. Finally he spoke. "You answered well."

My eyes widened slightly. "Was that a compliment?"

"It was an observation."

I shook my head. "You really don't know how to be normal."

His expression remained serious. "I've never needed to."

I sighed dramatically. "You are exhausting."

"And yet you're still here."

"I don't have much choice."

"No."

Something about the way he said that made my smile fade. For a second, he looked almost...guilty.

Before I could understand why, he suddenly stepped closer. The hallway was almost empty now. Only a few staff members remained nearby. He stopped only a short distance from me. His eyes searched my face. There was no anger in them now but only confusion...deep confusion.

"What did you do?"

I frowned. "What?"

He did not move. "When you spoke to me."

"I talked."

"No."

His voice was quieter now. "You did something."

"I don't understand."

"You stopped me."

I blinked. "Stopped you from what?"

He looked away for a brief second before meeting my eyes again. "Losing control."

I stared at him. "I only told you not to let the reporters win."

"It wasn't just your words."

I laughed nervously. "I promise you it was."

His gaze stayed fixed on me. "I've never calmed down that quickly before."

I smiled awkwardly. "Maybe you were already calming down."

"No."

"You don't sound very convinced."

"I'm not."

A strange silence settled between us. I shifted my weight.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say."

He took another small step closer. "You touched my arm."

I blinked. "So?"

"You spoke to me."

"Yes."

"And then..."

He stopped talking. His forehead creased as though he were trying to solve a puzzle that refused to make sense.

I watched him carefully. This was not the cold and confident Ryder I had met two days ago. This man looked honestly confused and almost frustrated.

"You really don't know?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head. "I don't even know what you're asking."

He searched my face again as if expecting to find an answer there.

"I felt..."

He stopped himself.

"You felt what?"

His jaw tightened. "Forget it."

I frowned. "No."

His expression became guarded again. "It doesn't matter."

"It obviously matters."

"It doesn't."

I sighed. "You are the most confusing person I have ever met."

His eyes remained on mine. "So I've been told."

I studied him for another moment. Whatever had happened during the press conference had shaken him. I could see it. But I had no idea why.

Finally I stepped back. "I should get back to work."

He didn't answer. I gave him one last puzzled look before turning toward the hallway. As I walked away, I could still feel his eyes on my back. It made the hairs on my neck stand up. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder.

Instead, I kept walking. One thought kept circling through my mind. Ryder Kane was acting strange.

And somehow, I had the feeling that whatever was happening inside his head was only the beginning.