The Hockey Silent Vow's; The Price Of The Name

The penthouse was filled with unwanted souls and their greedy scent. I adjusted my tie for the tenth time, staring at my reflection in the windows. Beyond the glass, Boston was filled with so much light. “Stop fidgeting, Alessandro. You look like you don’t want to be here." I didn't turn around. I knew that voice, always carrying a certain chill to it. “Maybe I am, Father,” I said quietly. Dante Moretti stepped up beside me, his reflection joining mine. “It’s an engagement party. Smile. The cameras are watching, and those cameras represent three percent of our projected stock growth.” “Is that all she is to you? A percentage?” I turned to look at my sister, Bianca. She was standing across the room, wearing a long white gown, laughing at something a senator was saying. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. It never did anymore. “She is a Moretti,” my father snapped. “She knows her duty. Unlike you, who seems to think this family is a buffet where you can pick and choose what you like.

The Moretti estate was a sea of black ties and silk gowns, but to me, it felt like a graveyard. Every camera flash was a reminder that we were on display. We weren't a family tonight; we were a product launch.I stood by the grand staircase, a glass of scotch in my hand that I hadn’t touched. I was watching the performance of the century.Nikolai was across the room, and he was being "perfect." He had his arm draped heavily around Bianca’s waist, pulling her flush against his side. Every few minutes, he would lean down and whisper something into her ear, making her let out a startled, fragile laugh for the photographers.He was being too loud. He was being too charming. He was overacting so hard I wanted to vomit.He’s using her, I thought, my grip tightening on my glass. He’s using my sister to wash the taste of me out of his mouth."Look at them," my father said, appearing at my elbow. He sounded satisfied. "The press is eating it up. 'The Captain and the Contessa.' It’s a fairy tal

I spent the entire morning staring at the ceiling of my bedroom. The sunlight was pouring in through the massive windows of my penthouse, but I didn't want to get up. My phone was vibrating on the nightstand every few seconds, a constant buzz that felt like it was drilling into my brain.I didn't need to look at it to know what was happening. I was trending. Or rather, Nikolai and I were trending.I finally reached over and grabbed the phone. The video from the locker room was everywhere. It was blurry, but you could see us perfectly well, probably shot by some intern or a janitor through the cracked door, but the audio was clear enough. It didn't show the almost-kiss, thank God, but it showed the raw desire between us. It showed us screaming at each other, chest to chest.The comments were a mess.“Look at them. Nikolai looks like he’s about to kill the guy. Why is the Moretti heir even back there? I refuse to believe their cooked up shit”“They clearly hate each other. This merger i

I woke up earlier than expected because someone is knocking on my door.Not gentle knocking. Real knocking.“Alessandro. Are you alive in there?”Bianca.I sit up and rub my face.My head feels heavy. I barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Nikolai’s face. Felt his hand in my hair. Heard his voice in my ear.I push the thought away and get up.“Yeah,” I say. “Give me a second.”I open the door.Bianca is standing there with two coffee cups in her hands. She’s wearing one of my hoodies and gym leggings. Her hair is tied back.She smiles.“Morning.”“Morning.”She hands me one of the cups.“You look terrible,” she says.“Thank you.”“I’m serious. Did you sleep at all?”“Not really.” I said with a sigh.She walks into the room like it’s hers and sits on the edge of the bed.“Jet lag?” she asked her face looking a bit worried“Something like that.”She watches me for a moment while I drink the coffee.Then she says, “I saw Nikolai this morning.”My hand pauses halfway to my mou

"Ale? Are you even there?"Bianca’s voice came through the phone, sharp and clear, but it felt like it was coming from a different planet. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the spot on the carpet where Nikolai had stood nights ago."Yeah, B. I’m here. I’m listening," I said, rubbing my face with my free hand."You don't sound like you're listening. I was saying that the modeling agency here is incredible. The interview went so well! Montreal is so different from Boston. People actually care about style here."Bianca had left two days ago for a shoot. It should have made things easier. But after that night in the gym—after Nikolai had pinned me down and looked like he was about to break into a million pieces—he had just... stopped. He got up, wiped the blood from his hands, and walked out without a word.Since then, he hadn't said a thing to me. He wouldn't even look at me in the hallways. I was beyond confused. One minute he was crying on my chest, and the next he was a