CHP 3

Carmen's POV 

The moment I stepped out of the elevator into Maddox Management’s top floor offices, I knew today was going to be tougher than my last visit.

I had been given a laptop, a company phone, and a list of tasks for the day that looked like three people’s workloads combined. 

Whoever had been handling Chase’s schedule before me must have had the organizational skills of a toddler because it was chaos.

His appointments were overlapping, calls stacked on top of one another, and there were about four urgent emails that had been ignored for days.

I started with the basics.

At 8:15 a.m., I was sitting at my desk just outside Chase’s office, laptop open, coffee at my side, and a sticky note plan on my monitor. 

To make things easier, I had color coded his entire week, shifting meetings so he would have enough time to get from one to the other. 

I called his physical therapist to confirm appointments, rescheduled a sponsor photo shoot that clashed with a training session, and emailed a brand rep about a campaign they had 

been chasing him for months to approve.

Reaching an agreement with the brand rep was gruelling that by the time I hung up, I was drained. 

Lifting my gaze slowly, I caught Chase leaning against the doorway of his office, his arms folded on his chest with his gaze on me.

“Do you always talk to people like that?” he asked.

“Like what?” I replied, returning my gaze to my screen.

“Like you already know you’re going to win.”

I paused for a beat and then shrugged. “Maybe I do.”

He didn't counter, instead, he stepped inside and handed me a stack of papers. 

“Media packet. Go through it and pull out anything I actually need to know for today’s press stuff.”

I took it from him, our fingers brushing for the briefest second. It wasn’t dramatic but there was a spark.  

I glanced up at him, and for a milli second, I could have sworn he felt it too then, like always, his face reverted to his signature cold look. 

By noon, I had prepped his points for the press appearance and triple checked the logistics. 

It was just my first day but I had learned that Chase had a gift for saying just enough to make you feel like you had missed something. 

It was either short sentences, a raised eyebrow or a silence that lingered a beat too long. 

It was all part of his intimidation game, and I refused to flinch.

“Time to leave," I said, connecting my fist with the door.

“Stall it, I'm not prepared." 

“You can't keep everyone waiting when you can as well prepare during the drive." I retorted. 

For some reason, I felt good doing this. It was almost like I was avenging the other managers he had mishandled. 

When we arrived, I slipped into handler mode greeting reporters, ushering him to the right spots and intercepting questions that strayed too far from the approved topics.

It was hectic.

If I was told a few days ago that I would be doing this, I wouldn't have believed it. 

I couldn't tell if I was doing this just for the pure passion of the job or if it was because of the mouth watering salary I was getting by the weekend. 

“Chase, is it true…” a reporter tried to ask but I cut in, not caring about the rumor he wanted to clear. 

“We are taking only his upcoming game related questions tonight, thanks.”

“Any comment on the rumors—”

“Nope, sticking only to hockey tonight.” I repeated.

When Chase spoke, he was smooth in front of the cameras. He was charming when he wanted to be and sharp when he needed to be. 

The reporters who finally decided to stick to the approved questions asked about his injury from last season, his off season training, and the upcoming championship.

“Your eyes, if indeed you have heterochromia, why do your schedule involve visiting an optician?" A daring reporter asked just as the interview was going to round off. 

“We’re still sticking to sport related questions. With that said, that will be all for today.” 

"Let's go.” I whispered to Chase, helping him with his iPad. 

So as not to run into sneaky reporters, we decided to use the private elevator meant for only a selected few. 

Perks of being a superstar manager. — I smacked my lips, punching in the button. 

“You didn’t flinch when that guy asked about my eyes ,aren't you curious?”

“I’m not, my job revolves around your career and not personal issues,” I replied carefully, making sure my tone was intact as it was a sensitive topic. 

His jaw tightened for a moment, before he looked back at his phone. “Most people do.”

“We should get going now," I said, ignoring the crack.

Back at the facility, I found him in his office an hour later, watching a game tape on a massive flat screen. 

He was not just watching the game, he was analyzing it. 

He kept rewinding the same clip over and over again, his eyes were narrowed and his body leaning forward like the outcome of the season depended on whatever flaw he was trying to spot.

Suddenly, the phone on his desk rang, interrupting him. He glanced at the screen with a tightened jaw.

He didn't answer the call, he watched it go into voicemail. I pretended not to notice but that was another crack.

By late afternoon, the mountain of tasks that challenged me this morning had been reduced to a manageable hill. 

I was gathering the remaining media notes when he stepped out of his office.

“Press packet,” he said, holding out his hand.

I passed the papers to him, and again, that accidental brush of skin happened. His fingers were warm against mine, lingering for half a second too long.

“Did you go through it thoroughly?" He asked, flipping through the packet and scanning my highlighted notes.

“Yes." I affirmed.

After what seemed like forever, he looked up at me.

“Not bad,” he said finally.

“Is that your way of saying thank you?” I asked with a raised brow.

“No,” he said. “That’s my way of saying… not bad. For day one so don’t let it go to your head.” He huffed.

He was about to breeze out when a middle aged man breezed in, grinning from side to side like a kid. 

“Kiddo, you didn't give me heads up about your new manager.” He winked, hitting Chase’s shoulder.

"She is super hot, you should treat her differently.” He added before scooting to my side.

Leaning against the table as he exposed his perfect set of dentition, he smirked, “You’re new to the Maddox circus”

I chuckled, matching his playful energy, “Something like that.”

“Well,” he said, lowering his voice just enough to make it feel deliberate, “if you ever get tired of babysitting him, maybe you would like to grab a drink with me sometime.”

“By the way," he pushed his hand forward for a handshake, “I’m Terry, your boss's big brother.” 

“Nice to meet you," I grinned, casting Chase a quick glance. He wasn't paying attention to us, he was busy staring at the screen of his phone.