Startseite / Romance / LOVING MR HOCKEY STAR / Kapitel 161 – Kapitel 170

Alle Kapitel von LOVING MR HOCKEY STAR: Kapitel 161 – Kapitel 170

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160

Isabella's POV Silence on the other end."Maya?""It's complicated," she said finally. "And it's going to sound insane.""Try me."She took a deep breath and started talking. About her White Luna bloodline. About supernatural factions that wanted to use her power. About Marcus Blackwood not being who he claimed. About extraction teams that wanted to take her to some facility for "study and control."I listened without interrupting, my reporter's notebook filled with details that should have been impossible. But after everything I'd uncovered about Victoria's campaign and the university's complicity, nothing seemed impossible anymore."So you're telling me," I said slowly when she finished, "that underneath the harassment and the university corruption, there's an entire supernatural conspiracy?""Yes.""And people want to kidnap you to study your powers?""Yes.""And your uncle is working with them?""I think so. I don't know who to trust anymore."I looked at Miguel, who'd been listen

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Isabella's POV "The Council silencing potential whistleblowers?" I suggested."Or recruiting them." Miguel pulled up another document. "Dr. Elizabeth Thorne, the one mentioned in Ronan's files as being from the Department of Supernatural Affairs? She's not listed in any government database. The department doesn't officially exist.""But she has an office on campus," I remembered. "I've seen her around. She looks legitimate.""That's what makes her dangerous."My phone buzzed, another threatening email.Subject: Last Chance You published one article. That was your first mistake. If you publish anything about the Council, it will be your last. We are watching you, Isabella. We know your schedule. We know you're in the newspaper office right now. We know Miguel Reyes is helping you.Stop investigating. Delete your files. Forget what you've learned.Or there will be consequences for everyone you care about.The email was sent from an untraceable address, but attached was a photo that made

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Maya's POVI woke up to my phone vibrating so violently it fell off my nightstand. For a moment, I just lay there in the pre-dawn darkness, listening to the constant buzz of notifications. Part of me wanted to ignore it, to pull the covers over my head and pretend the outside world didn't exist.But I'd stopped running. I'd stopped hiding. I picked up my phone and opened social media.The first thing I saw was Isabella's article, shared thousands of times. The comments section had exploded overnight, hundreds of people arguing, supporting, condemning."I always knew there was more to this story. Maya Cross deserves justice.""About time someone exposed Victoria Sterling for the bully she is.""This is what happens when rich families think they can buy anything, including people's reputations.""I was one of the students Victoria paid to spread rumors about Maya. I feel sick about it now. I'm so sorry."That last comment made tears spring to my eyes. Someone who'd actively participated

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Maya's POV Inside the administration building, the receptionist directed me to the conference room instead of Matthews's office. That couldn't be good. I opened the door and froze.Dean Matthews sat at the head of the table. Beside him was William Sterling, Victoria's father. On the other side sat a woman in an expensive suit who I recognized as Chancellor Patricia Morrison, the head of the entire university. And at the far end, looking uncomfortable, was my uncle Marcus."Ms. Cross," Chancellor Morrison said. "Please, sit down."I remained standing. "What is this?""An intervention," Marcus said quietly. "For your own good.""Bullshit," I said, surprising myself with my own boldness. "This is damage control. The Sterling family is threatening to pull their money, so you're going to throw me under the bus.""No one is throwing anyone anywhere," Chancellor Morrison said, though her expression suggested otherwise. "We're here to discuss your future at this university.""My future?" I la

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Maya's POV And stopped dead. The quad wasn't empty anymore. Hundreds of students filled the space, many holding signs. I recognized faces from Isabella's article, students who'd been harassed by Victoria, people who'd come forward with their stories.But there were others too. Students I didn't know. Faculty members. Even some local news crews. Jaxon stood at the front of the crowd, a megaphone in his hand. When he saw me, his expression shifted from determination to concern."Maya!" he called out.The crowd turned to look at me, and I felt the weight of hundreds of eyes.Quinn pushed through the crowd to reach me. "We weren't going to let you face them alone," she said. "When word got out about the emergency meeting, people started gathering. The story's everywhere now, Maya. You're everywhere."I looked at the faces in the crowd. Some I recognized, members of the support group Jaxon had organized, students from my classes, even a few professors who'd been silently supportive. Others

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Victoria's POVEverything was falling apart. I stared at my laptop screen, watching the video of Maya's speech in the quad play for the hundredth time. The comments section was a nightmare, thousands of people calling me a bully, a monster, demanding I be expelled instead of her.My phone buzzed. Another text from my father: Call me. NOW.I ignored it, just like I'd ignored the previous fifteen messages. I knew what he'd say, that I'd embarrassed the family, that the article had damaged our reputation, that I needed to fix this immediately.But how was I supposed to fix this? The evidence was everywhere. Isabella's damn article had screenshots, bank records, witness statements. My carefully constructed campaign had been exposed down to the last detail."This is your fault," I said to Lyra, who sat across from me in my apartment, looking miserable. "You were supposed to keep Maya isolated. Instead, you turned on me.""You blackmailed me, Victoria," Lyra said quietly. "You threatened my

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Victoria's POV At 2:55, I positioned myself near Maya's usual study spot. Jeremy had four cameras set up at different angles, one obvious one that everyone could see, and three hidden ones that would capture everything from multiple perspectives.At 3:02, Maya arrived with Quinn and two other students from her support group. She saw me immediately. I watched her expression shift from surprise to wariness.Perfect."Maya," I said, my voice carefully calibrated to sound tentative. "Can we talk? Please?"Maya's friends immediately moved closer, protective. But Maya held up a hand."It's okay," she said. "What do you want, Victoria?""I want to apologize." I forced tears into my eyes, a skill I'd mastered in childhood when I needed to manipulate my parents. "I know you don't believe me, but I never meant for things to go this far. The article, the threats, all of it, I'm so sorry."Maya's expression was unreadable. "You're apologizing now? After everything?""I know it's too late." I took

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Victoria's POV I looked around at the crowd that had gathered. Some looked skeptical. But others, particularly those who'd been on my side all along, looked concerned."Maya has been claiming I'm the dangerous one," I continued, playing to the crowd. "But look at what just happened. I approached her peacefully, trying to apologize, and she violently assaulted me. What does that tell you about her mental state?""You grabbed her first!" one of Maya's supporters shouted."I touched her arm," I corrected. "There's a difference between touching someone's arm and shoving them to the ground."My phone was already out, pulling up the video Jeremy was streaming to me. The angle was perfect, it showed me reaching toward Maya, then Maya pulling away violently, then me falling. You couldn't see me grabbing her arm. You couldn't see me deliberately losing my balance.It looked exactly like what I'd claimed, an unprovoked attack."I'm going to campus security," I announced. "I'm filing a formal co

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Maya's POVI almost didn't go to the end-of-year formal. After everything that had happened, Victoria's staged assault attempt, the media frenzy, the constant scrutiny, the last thing I wanted was to put myself in another public situation where things could go wrong. But Quinn had insisted. "You can't let her take this from you too," she'd said while helping me zip up my dress. "You deserve to celebrate surviving this year. You deserve one normal college experience."So here I was, standing in the grand ballroom of the university's event center, wearing a simple navy blue dress that Quinn had lent me. The room was decorated with thousands of fairy lights, creating a canopy of stars overhead. A DJ played in the corner while students danced, laughed, and pretended, for one night, that drama and scandals didn't exist.Jaxon appeared at my side, looking uncomfortable in his suit. "You okay?" he asked."Surprisingly, yes," I admitted. "It feels good to just... be normal for once.""You look

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Maya's POV "You're right about some things," I said, taking the microphone she loosened her grip on. "I did get involved with my stepbrother. That was wrong, and I've never claimed otherwise. I did develop feelings for my professor. That was inappropriate, and we both know it."I looked out at the crowd. "But here's what Victoria isn't telling you. She didn't 'investigate' me out of concern. She targeted me because I was dating her ex-boyfriend, and she couldn't stand that he'd moved on. Everything that happened after, the harassment campaign, the payments to students, the manipulation, that was revenge, pure and simple.""That's not true!" Victoria grabbed for the microphone, but I held it away."Isabella Rodriguez documented everything," I continued. "Bank records. Email chains. Witness testimony. Not lies, Victoria. Evidence. The kind that holds up in court, which is why your family's lawyers are scrambling.""You destroyed my family!" Victoria's composure was cracking, her voice b

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