LOGINATHENAThe cracked screen of my phone illuminated the cramped Westwood dorm room, flashing an unknown number.Dry, stagnant air baked the space, entirely untouched by the broken ceiling fan above my bed. Tonight I had to map out the defensive transition drills for tomorrow’s ice session, and keep my mind locked firmly on the hockey roster. Snatching the vibrating device off the battered wooden desk, the metal burned against my palm. The night outside my window remained cloudless and oppressive, the streetlights casting long, distorted shadows across the dry concrete courtyard.Swiping the green icon across the glass, I brought the speaker to my ear."Am I speaking to Coach Cole?"The voice dropping through the receiver carried the raspy, cultivated cadence of old money and academia."This is Athena." Tossing the dry-erase marker onto my tactical whiteboard, I straightened my spine against the stiff mattress."My name is Thorne." The heavy scratch of a fountain pen across thick paper e
JEREMIAHReleasing his throat, I stepped back.Arthur collapsed against the pillar, coughing violently. He dragged oxygen into his burning lungs, clutching his neck. He stared up at me, genuine terror finally replacing the corporate arrogance.He was completely beaten. The leverage held.Turning my back on him, I yanked the door of the Cayenne open."You are throwing away your inheritance for a girl!" Arthur croaked, sliding down the concrete pillar."Keep your blood money."Throwing my body into the leather seat, I slammed the door. The engine roared to life, a deafening, mechanical scream echoing through the garage. Dropping the transmission into reverse, the tires shrieked against the slick epoxy floor.I didn't look in the rearview mirror.Hitting the button for the massive garage doors, the metal groaned upward. I gunned the engine, tearing out into the blinding, freezing rain of the Los Angeles night.---Water cascaded across the windshield in thick, blinding sheets.The wiper
JEREMIAHIce clinked against the crystal tumbler in my hand. I was trying my best not to crash out, but it was so damn hard. Tearing my father’s pristine reputation apart would permanently shatter my mother’s fragile recovery. She needed peace. I needed leverage.Just then, the front doors swung open.Gusts of damp, freezing wind swept into the grand foyer, carrying the scent of wet asphalt and expensive wool. Hector rushed forward, grabbing the dripping black umbrella.Arthur Ashford stepped over the threshold.He looked incredibly energized. The exhausting cross-country flight hadn't touched his aristocratic posture. He unbuttoned his tailored charcoal overcoat, a satisfied, arrogant smile lifting the corners of his mouth."Eleanor, darling." Arthur strode directly into the adjoining parlor.My mother sat near the fireplace, a woven blanket draped over her paralyzed legs. The flames cast dancing, warm shadows across her pale face. She looked up, offering a small, practiced smile."A
JEREMIAH Tailing my father’s black town car down the 110 freeway felt like a sick, twisted joke.For the past two hours, I sat in a booth at a ridiculously overpriced Beverly Hills steakhouse, hiding behind a menu. I fully expected to catch him slipping hotel keys or whispering garbage into his date's ear. To my massive disappointment, they genuinely just held a business meeting. They ate scallops, reviewed zoning permits, and talked about commercial real estate acquisitions. There wasn't a single lingering touch.But following them back to the downtown luxury hotel completely shifted the narrative.Parking two blocks away, I jogged through the humid Los Angeles night air. Slipping through the revolving glass doors, I kept my head down, a dark baseball cap pulled low over my eyes. I watched them walk straight past the reception desk and head directly for the VIP elevators.Spotting an abandoned housekeeping cart near the lobby restrooms, I swiped a master keycard sitting on top of a
AUTHOR'S POVEleanor stared at her untouched plate. A single, heavy tear slipped over her pale lashes, catching the bright California sunlight before dropping onto her lap."I know." She dragged a napkin across her cheek. "I know what he is. But he holds the purse strings to your entire future. Your draft status. Your trust fund.""I don't care about the money.""He will use it to break her." Eleanor looked up, her gaze suddenly fierce and clear. "If this girl—Athena—if she makes you smile, you have to be smarter than him. You cannot fight him with sheer force. You need leverage."The waiter returned, completely oblivious to the heavy, toxic atmosphere. He cleared the plates, setting down two small cups of espresso.The bitter, rich scent of roasted coffee beans drifted up from the ceramic cups.Taking a slow sip, Eleanor’s words crystallized in my mind.*Leverage.*Arthur spent his entire life building an impenetrable fortress of wealth and respectability. He served on charitable boa
AUTHOR'S POVThe tires crunched heavily over the manicured white gravel of the circular driveway as I pulled in.Cutting the engine of the rental SUV, the sudden silence felt oppressive. The air outside tasted like dry exhaust and scorched eucalyptus leaves. Sweat trickled down my spine, soaking the cotton of my dark t-shirt.Pushing the heavy oak front door open, the blast of central air conditioning hit my skin like a wall of ice."Jeremiah."Maria stood in the grand foyer, holding a silver polishing cloth. The head housekeeper wore a crisp black uniform, smelling faintly of lavender and sharp chemical polish. Her dark eyes softened immediately."Where is she, Maria?""The conservatory, sir." Maria lowered the silver tray. "Your father left for the airfield at dawn. A business acquisition in Seattle. He will not return until Thursday."The tight, coiled knot in the center of my chest loosened by a fraction of an inch. "Good. Tell Hector to bring the adapted Porsche around to the fro
(Athena's POV).For a second, I thought I heard him wrong because there was no way Luca Ryder had just looked straight past me and called who?“Sienna?” My rival?The crowd screamed, while I just stood there, frozen at the edge of the rink with my hand still over my mouth like a complete idiot, t
(Athena's POV)“Ew. Girl! Stop staring at him like that before I throw up.”I laughed under my breath, gripping my hockey stick tighter as I turned to look at Tessa, my best friend.We were near the player's bench, the rink screaming loud around us as both schools packed the arena like tonight mean
ATHENAThe Ashford training facility gym smelled intensely of iron, chalk, and exertion. A heavy metal track blasted from corner speakers, vibrating against the concrete walls. It was raw, unpolished, and exactly what I needed to clear the sterile scent of Hayes’s office from my memory.Navigating
ATHENACrossing my arms over my chest, I shifted my weight and looked dead at Jeremiah Ashford. The air in the gritty hallway of the facility felt thick, smelling faintly of stale ice shavings and floor wax."I’m not doing this for revenge, Ashford," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet.His d







