All Chapters of SHATTERED ICE:One rink, bound by betrayal : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Samantha’s POVIsaac gestured for her to sit. “Why don’t you tell us what you think you could bring to this team?” he asked, looking impressed.Dale sat down and folded her hands neatly on the table, shoulders squared, and smiled in that practiced, polite way that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Anthony’s a powerhouse on the ice,” she began smoothly, her tone carrying the authority of someone used to being listened to. “His jumps, his speed, his edge control, textbook. What he needs is someone to keep him polished. A coach who won’t let him slack, won’t let him rely on raw talent alone.”She glanced briefly at me, almost as an afterthought, before her gaze went right back to Anthony. Yeah, red flag, I thought. She’s not here for me, she’s here for Anthony.“With the right strategy, I can help him peak at the Grand Prix.” Dale finished.Anthony’s jaw ticked. I saw it. The way his shoulders stiffened like he didn’t quite like being called out, even if she’d meant it as praise.I leaned f

Samantha’s POV Isaac’s jaw tightened, and for once, I swore I saw a vein tick in his temple. “The panel doesn’t score based on soap opera theatrics. They score on precision, synchronization, artistry within actual skating.” He said sharply, hoping that Lila understood the meaning of his words.Anthony pressed his lips together so hard they turned white, his shoulders shaking just slightly. He was dying not to laugh.Meanwhile, my brain was spinning. “So, let me get this straight,” I said slowly, trying not to burst out laughing myself. “You think the best way to win the Grand Prix is to… fake a torrid love affair on ice?”“Not fake,” Lila corrected immediately, wagging her finger like a teacher scolding a child. “Authenticity is everything. You two have history. I can see it. The fire. The tension. The heartbreak.” Her eyes went all misty, like she was seeing into our souls, or maybe just hallucinating. Damn! She knew we had history, I thought as she continued. “I would take that ra

Anthony’s POV“Vale,” the man said, voice steady but edged with something that dragged me back a decade.“Cole?” I breathed, disbelieving.Cole Westwood.I hadn’t seen him since I was a teenager clawing my way onto the senior circuit. Back then, he’d already been a star, fluid on the ice, magnetic in the air. The kind of skater who made the audience hold their breath. I’d studied his tapes until the VHS wore thin, mimicking his jumps in the dingy rink where I trained, trying to steal even a shadow of his light.And then… I’d watched his career crash. One bad fall. Torn ligaments. Gone overnight. He’d disappeared before I even got my first medal. And now, here he was, walking into our conference room like the ghost of everything I once wanted to be.He was in his late thirties, lean but not frail, shoulders squared like he’d never left the rink. His hair was darker, threaded with silver near the temples, but his eyes? Still sharp as the edge of a fresh skate.“Didn’t think you’d rem

Anthony's POVSamantha arched a brow, tilting her head toward me. “Hear that, Vale? Someone actually appreciates my sharp tongue.” She mocked.I groaned under my breath. “Please don’t encourage her.” I mumbled.Cole didn’t flinch. “Why not? That edge, it’s not a weakness. It’s fire. If you two learn how to wield it together instead of against each other, you’ll burn brighter than anyone else out there.”Her smirk faltered, just slightly, and for a second, her eyes flicked toward mine. Something in my chest tightened, like an old wound poked open.I looked away first, exhaling. “Easier said than done.”“True,” Cole agreed softly. “But that’s why I’m here.” He paused, gaze steady between us. “To teach you how to listen when it’s hardest. To trust when it’s terrifying. To stop hiding behind pride and actually skate together.”The room went still.Samantha blinked, caught off guard by his directness. “You make it really sound like we’re in therapy, not training.”“Maybe you need both,” Co

Samantha’s POVAnna’s words sank into me, and for the first time since Cole had dropped the training camp bomb, I felt something besides dread. Hope, maybe. Fragile, but there. She wasn’t the type of person who gave praise to people who didn’t deserve it. She never sugar-coated things, never handed out compliments just to make someone feel better. If she said something nice, it was because she meant it.Still, I found myself muttering, half to her and half to the half-packed suitcase in front of me, “It’s Anthony I’m worried about. You know how he is. Stubborn as ever. And me? I’m not exactly easy.” I said.Anna chuckled, her laugh soft and knowing, the kind that made me both want to roll my eyes and… listen. “The two of you are fire and wind,” she said simply. “You can destroy, yes, but you can also lift each other higher. Maybe Cole knows that better than you do.”I paused with a folded tee in my hands, staring at it like it might give me answers. Fire and wind. Destroy or lift. It