Chapter 2

Then another guy walked in. He was much taller than Theodore and Liam, and he paused for a moment before stepping closer to the group.

"Stop bothering Silverman, leave him alone," he ordered. He bent down and grabbed Jace’s chin, turning his head to examine the fresh bruises on his cheek before staring at the sticky ketchup covering his jersey.

For a split second, a wave of relief washed over me. I genuinely thought someone with a decent heart was finally stepping up to defend my brother. But I was wrong. Dead wrong.

The guy suddenly burst into a loud laugh, giving Jace a slap across the face. It was done in a mocking, supposedly friendly way, but there was absolutely nothing friendly about it.

"You know, guys, I heard Mr. Silverman paid a fortune just to get the coach to put Jace on the team," he joked, turning his attention to the other two.

"No way, Nathaniel," Theodore chimed in, shrugging his shoulders as a grin spread across his face. "So, Jace, it's not just you who's pathetic. Your dad is too. I guess it just runs in the family."

"Can you believe that during our last match, my ten-year-old brother actually thought Jace was a girl because of the way he was playing?" Nathaniel shook his head in disgust. "Even at ten, my little brother skates circles around this loser."

My feet went completely numb. I squeezed the hem of the jersey I was wearing, clutching the fabric so tightly my knuckles ached as I tried to swallow my growing rage.

"Knock it off, boys. You have better things to do than waste your time on this," Nico finally spoke up, rising to his feet. His voice was deep and commanding, carrying that intimidating, alpha-male presence he loved to project.

~Alpha male indeed,~ I thought, scoffing silently.

The group finally backed away from Jace and started stripping off their gear one by one. Nico walked over and stood directly in front of my brother, slamming one hand against the locker right next to Jace's head, effectively trapping him.

"We have practice tomorrow morning," Nico murmured, his tone cold and steady. "If you feel like this is all too much for you, save whatever dignity you have left and just quit. Not everyone is built for hockey. Give someone else a chance, and make sure to tell your father I said that."

He pulled his hand back, stuffed it into his pocket, and strutted out heading toward the bathroom like a total jerk.

Jace sank all the way down to the floor, burying his face in his hands. The moment the room cleared, I rushed inside and knelt right beside him. Hearing my footsteps, he instantly shifted his expression, trying his absolute best to look relaxed and cool. I hated that he felt the need to mask his pain in front of me.

"Jade," he whispered, reaching out to hold my hands. A flash of anxiety crossed his eyes. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I literally just walked in," I lied. I couldn't bear the thought of him knowing I had witnessed his complete humiliation.

His shoulders visibly dropped in relief. "I thought you weren't going to make it because of your modeling audition."

"I knew how important this game was to you, so of course I came to watch you play," I said, forcing a bright beam as I gently ran my fingers through his hair.

He offered a weak, strained smile and struggled to find his footing. I braced his weight, helping him lift himself up until we were both standing.

"The showers are completely packed. Can I just wear this home? I hope I won't embarrass you on the walk out," he muttered, gesturing toward the bright red stains covering his uniform. "My teammates and I were just messing around, and they ended up spraying this on me."

That was the absolute breaking point. I lunged forward and threw my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. It shattered my heart that he was standing there lying to my face, exhausting himself just to protect my feelings.

The dam behind my eyes broke, and I began to sob uncontrollably against his shoulder. The tears wouldn't stop pouring. Heaven knows how much I love my brother, and seeing him like this felt like having my heart violently crushed.

Jace gently eased me back, narrowing his eyes at me. "Why on earth are you crying?" he teased, trying to lighten the heavy mood. "You look like a total toad when you weep. Seriously, should I find a mirror so you can see how ridiculous you look?" He rested a hand on my shoulder, leaning heavily against me as we began navigating our way out of the locker room.

"You fool," I sniffled, wiping my eyes with one hand. I reached around with my other arm to hug his waist, but he instantly let out a sharp groan of pain.

"Oh god, sorry! Does it hurt that bad?" I panicked, my chest tightening with worry.

"No, Mummy," he grumbled, prompting me to fight the urge to roll my eyes.

We finally reached our sleek, black Maybach parked outside. By this point, it’s probably obvious that we are incredibly wealthy, all thanks to our workaholic parents. I slid into the driver's seat while Jace took the back.

"Snowman, care to explain where those bruises on your face actually came from?" I asked quietly into the rearview mirror as I pulled into traffic. I was practically begging him in my mind to just tell me the truth about those monsters.

But Jace just offered his usual quiet smile. "It was just my helmet. It slammed against my face when that guy checked me into the boards."

I dropped the subject, choosing not to press him any further. On the drive back, I quietly called our family nurse to arrange for someone to look at his injuries the moment we arrived.

By the time we stepped through the front doors of our massive, empty mansion, Jace was already burning up with a severe fever. We lived completely alone in the house, there was no maids, no nannies, no anyone. It was always just the two of us.

I quickly whipped up some comfort food for us to eat. Once the nurse finished treating his cuts and bruises, I brought him his medication and his dinner, sitting directly across from him. Watching him eat reminded me so much of when we were little. He looked so fragile and adorable.

Suddenly, my father’s name flashed on my phone. He wanted to do a video call with my brother, and I already knew exactly how brutal it was going to be.

"Jace," my father’s voice boomed through the speaker, his face twisted in absolute fury. "I just watched the tape of today's match. I can't even begin to tell you how deeply disappointed I am in your performance."

I let out a heavy sigh. If he had actually paid attention to the footage, he would have seen how brutally Jace had been targeted and slammed on the ice. Yet, he didn’t even bother to ask if his own son was okay.

"I'm sorry, Father. I'm really trying my hardest," Jace murmured, keeping his head low. Hearing his voice sound so defeated broke something inside me.

"Trying?" my father snapped. "I don't see Nico just 'trying.' He puts his absolute best on full display for everyone to see. You should have heard the way his father was bragging today, showing everyone the highlights. I almost had to bury my head in shame the second you appeared on that screen."

"Dad, Jace was incredibly nervous today. He’s literally sitting here injured right now, and you don’t even care! Just look at his face, Dad," I interjected, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"Be quiet, Jade. You are a girl. You don't know the first thing about how this sport works," he barked, completely shutting me down.

A hot spike of anger flared in my chest. So because I’m a girl, I’m just supposed to sit back and have zero say in my own home or society?

He turned his glare back to my twin. "By the time I return from this business trip, I expect to hear good news. Don't make me wish I had just had two daughters instead. I can't believe I got excited about having a son for absolutely nothing." With that final insult, he cut the call.

Jace sat frozen for a moment before quietly pulling the cover back over his remaining food. He had completely lost his appetite.

"I'm not going to practice tomorrow, so please don't bother waking me up," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion as he turned and lay down on the bed.

No. This wasn't my Jace. I couldn't just sit around and watch the entire world mock him until he spiraled into a deep depression. I needed to act. But before anything else, I was going to teach those bastards a lesson they would never forget, and I knew exactly how to do it.