My Brother

Chapter Three

Kaia’s POV

I had spent years building my name in hockey, yet now that I was trying to build something of my own, my name did not seem to be enough.

I walked out of the building where I had just finished another meeting, holding my phone tightly in my hand as I looked at the message I had received a few minutes earlier, another  rejection.

I stopped beside my car and stared at the screen for a moment before locking my phone.

I was tired of hearing the same excuses.

Some people said they needed more time, some  said they were not ready to take the risk, others simply stopped answering after I mentioned the name of my new team.

I knew exactly why. Roman.

I refused to let myself believe that he was behind every rejection, but it was becoming harder to ignore the pattern.

I opened my car door and was about to get inside when a black car slowly moved in front of mine and stopped.

I immediately recognized it, my expression hardened.

Of course, the  window rolled down, and Roman looked at me from the driver’s seat as if he had been waiting for me. “Get in.”

I stared at him. “No.”

He didn’t even look surprised. Instead, he leaned back slightly and looked at me through the open window. “We need to talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“You’ve been trying to build a team for days, and you’ve already managed to turn it into a bigger problem than it needs to be.” 

My jaw tightened. “You’ve been keeping track of what I’m doing?”

“I don’t have to keep track of everything you do to know you’re struggling.”

His calm voice annoyed me more than anger would have.

I closed my car door without getting inside. “Then enjoy watching me struggle.”

I turned around, intending to walk away, but Roman spoke again. “Kaia.”

I stopped.

“Get in.”

I slowly turned back to him.

There was something about the way he said it that made me want to argue with him even more, but I also knew that if I walked away without getting answers, I would spend the rest of the day wondering why he had come looking for me.

I walked toward his car and opened the passenger door.

I got in but kept my arms crossed over my chest.“Say what you came to say.”

Roman started the engine, but he didn’t move immediately.

He looked at me for a few seconds before turning his attention to the road. “You look tired.”

“I am.”

“Because of the team?”

“Because of people who suddenly become too scared to talk to me after hearing your name.”

His hands remained steady on the steering wheel.

I watched him carefully. “Did you tell anyone not to help me?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and that silence made my suspicion grow. Finally, he shook his head. “No.”

I frowned. “No?”

“No. I didn’t tell anyone to refuse you.”

“Then why is everyone suddenly afraid?”

Roman glanced at me briefly before looking back at the road. “Because once people hear my name, they tend to think carefully before making a decision.”

I gave a bitter laugh. “So you admit it.”

“I admitted nothing.”

“You just said people are afraid of you.”

“I said people know who I am.”

“That is the same thing.”

“No, it isn’t.”

I turned toward the window, trying to calm myself.

Roman had an answer for everything, and that was one of the things I hated most about dealing with him.

He always made it sound as if he was simply stating facts while everyone else was being unreasonable. “You bought my team,” I said. “You put conditions on my contract, and now everyone who might help me is suddenly too afraid to do business with me. You expect me to believe that has nothing to do with you?”

“I didn’t buy your team to stop you from building another one.”

“Then why are you so interested in what I’m doing?”

“Because you’re making decisions that could affect my investment.”

There it was, the  truth.

I looked at him. “This is about money.”

“It has always been about business.”

I shook my head.“Then stop pretending you’re trying to help me.”

“I never said I was trying to help you.”

That answer caught me off guard.

I stared at him, and for the first time since getting into the car, I had nothing to say.

Roman continued driving as though the conversation meant nothing to him. “I didn’t buy that team because I wanted to make your life easier, Kaia. I bought it because it was a good investment. You happen to be one of the biggest reasons that investment is valuable.”

I looked away again, at least he was honest, he wasn’t pretending to be my protector, he  wasn’t pretending he cared about my dream.

To him, I was part of an investment and somehow, that made me even more determined not to give him what he wanted.

“I am still not going back,” I said.

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“I am not signing your three-year condition.”

“I know.”

“I am not going to let you decide where I play.”

“I know.”

“And regardless of how much influence you have, I am not going to bend to your rules.”

Roman was quiet for a moment.

Then he said, “You see, I can also be considerate.”

I turned toward him with disbelief.

“Considerate?”

“Yes.”

I almost laughed. “You?”

His mouth twitched slightly, but his expression remained serious. “I can allow you to work with another team.”

I stared at him.

For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrong. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

My suspicion immediately returned, there  was no way Roman would suddenly decide to give me exactly what I wanted without expecting something in return.

I narrowed my eyes. “What is the condition?”

Roman drove for a few more seconds before finally speaking.

“You can play for another team.”

I waited.

“But you will stay in my house for a few years”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

I actually laughed this time because I could not believe what I was hearing. “A few years?”

I turned toward him immediately.

“Your house? Brother.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Now you address me as your brother?”

“Yes, because that is what we are supposed to be.”

He looked at me for a moment before speaking.

“Yes, I am always your brother, Kaia. That is what your mother and my father want. They want me to look after you.”

I hated those words.

Look after me.

It sounded harmless when someone else said it, but coming from Roman, I knew exactly what it meant.

Control me.

Decide where I went.

Decide what I did.

Make sure I stayed close enough for him to know everything about my life.

“I don’t need you to look after me,” I said firmly.

Roman sighed.

“You’re impossible.”

“And you’re controlling.”

I opened the door as soon as he slowed down and stepped out of the car.

I didn’t wait for him to say anything else before walking toward my own car.

His offer followed me in my thoughts.

He had given me a way to return to professional hockey, but he had placed a price on it that I wasn’t ready to pay.

For now, I would keep trying to build my own team.

But deep down, I knew Roman had just given me a choice I would eventually have to face.

Either I continued fighting against his influence with almost no resources, or I accepted his condition and moved into his house.

Neither choice felt like freedom.