All Chapters of Second Chance on the Rink: Rebirth of the Ice Queen: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

69 Chapters

Chapter51 This Is My Daughter

Scarlett's POVMom stared at Preston like he'd just told her the sky was green."Wait." She set down her chopsticks. "Beaumont Group's CEO is in a wheelchair. Everyone knows that. How are you also a hockey player?"Preston didn't miss a beat. He leaned forward slightly, his voice calm and straightforward. "I faked it. The wheelchair, the limp, all of it. There are some things going on with the company and my family that made it necessary for me to keep a low profile. It was easier if people thought I couldn't walk."Mom turned to look at me. I gave her a small nod, confirming it.She turned back to Preston, studying his face. "And you're telling me this because...""Because I want you to know who I actually am," Preston said. "Scarlett matters to me. I'm not going to let you think I'm something I'm not. You deserve the truth."I watched Mom process this.Preston had delivered that whole speech without a single crack in his composure, like he'd been preparing for it. Knowing him, he pr

Chapter52 A Body on Fire

Scarlett's POVThe second I saw Owen stand up from his chair and smile at me, everything clicked.Dad wasn't drunk. He was never drunk.The text was a setup, and I had walked straight into it.I looked at my father. He was watching me with that same composed, satisfied expression from before, like he'd just made a smart move in a card game."You look pretty good for someone who's had too much to drink," I said.He ignored that. "Sit down, Scarlett. Owen came a long way tonight.""I'm sure he did." I shifted my bag onto my shoulder. "But I don't need to be here for that. You want to have dinner with someone, have dinner with them. I'm leaving."I turned for the door."Sit down."The sharpness in his voice stopped me, not because I was afraid of it, but because I knew that tone. It was the one that came right before he said something designed to cut."You walk out that door," he said, "and I'll start wondering out loud to your mother why her daughter can't be bothered to spend five minu

Chapter53 Preston at the Door

Preston's POVThe parking lot was quiet except for the occasional car pulling in or out. I stood next to Scarlett's mom, making small talk I barely registered.Ten minutes.Then fifteen.Then twenty.Scarlett still hadn't come back.I kept checking the entrance to the restaurant building, watching the glass doors slide open and close for other people. Not her.My jaw tightened.There was no good reason it should be taking this long.Her father is the one she went to — and from what I know, he's not just an unfit parent. He actively goes out of his way to hurt her.Something felt off. I couldn't put a name to it, just a cold, restless feeling that started somewhere in my chest and wouldn't quit."I'm going to go check on her," I said, keeping my voice easy. "Probably just got turned around. I'll be right back."Her mom smiled and told me not to worry, Scarlett did this sometimes.I pulled my cap down low and adjusted my mask. The lobby was busy enough that nobody paid attention to me.

Chapter54 Please

Scarlett's POVI blinked.The shape standing in the doorway didn't make sense. My brain refused to process it.The drug was still moving through me, pulling everything slow and soft at the edges, and I thought maybe I was hallucinating.But then he said my name, and I knew that voice.Preston."No," I said out loud, to nobody. To myself. "That's not real."Except it was.His expression wasn't angry exactly, but it wasn't anything close to calm either.Owen's arm was still around me. I felt him stiffen."Who the hell are you?" Owen's voice came from somewhere near my ear, sharp and territorial. He tightened his grip slightly, like he was making a point. "What do you think you're doing walking in here?"Preston didn't answer him right away. He stepped fully into the hallway, and the overhead light caught his face clearly.He looked at Owen the same way someone looks at a problem they've already decided how to handle."Let her go," Preston said.That was it. Just those three words, said

Chapter55 I'll Take Care of You

Scarlett's POVMy voice came out barely above a whisper."Preston."He pulled back just enough to look at me. His thumb was still at my jaw, and his eyes were doing that thing where they moved across my face like he was reading something."Say it again," he said.I blinked. My whole body was still running hot, and looking at him this close wasn't helping. "What?""My name." His voice was low. "You said it like you weren't sure I was real.""I'm sure now."Something in his expression shifted. Not softer exactly, but different.He kissed me again, slower this time, one hand still at my jaw and the other moving to my waist, and I stopped trying to think through any of it.The heat under my skin had been unbearable for the past hour. This was different.This was something I could actually follow, something that made sense, and I leaned into it and let myself stop fighting.His hands were steady where mine weren't. He knew what I needed before I said it, or maybe I did say it, I wasn't tra

Chapter56 I Have a Plan

Scarlett's POVI watched the video twice.That was enough.I put my phone down and sat with the specific, cold nausea of seeing yourself on a screen looking like something you weren't.The comments were what you'd expect. I stopped reading them after the first scroll.Preston was at my shoulder. He'd already seen it.I could tell by the way he was standing, very still, weight slightly forward, the posture he gets when he's angry but choosing not to show it yet."I can have it pulled," he said. "It'll take a few hours but I can get it off the main platforms.""Do it." I set the phone face down. "But that's not the main problem.""I know who posted it."I looked at him."I saw her in the hallway last night," he said. "When I was coming in from the parking level. Madison was near the service corridor, talking to someone, handing something off. I was in a rush to get to you. I didn't have time to deal with her." His jaw tightened. "I should have.""You couldn't have known what she was han

Chapter57 I Only Love Scarlett

Madison's POVThe coffee was good. The conversation was better.Or it had been, up until about three minutes ago."She looked absolutely destroyed in that video," my friend Tara said, stirring her latte with the satisfaction of someone watching a movie reach its best part. "Like, there's no coming back from that. Everyone's seen it.""Everyone," I agreed.I had my phone face up on the table and I was watching the numbers tick upward on the hashtag.Each new comment was its own small reward. I'd been planning this since the night Chase told me what he was setting up with Owen.The moment he mentioned the private dining room and the drink, I'd seen the opportunity immediately.A camera in the right spot. A clip in the right hands. Timing that I controlled.Scarlett, destroyed, by her own father's setup and my editing.Pierce, finally disgusted enough to let her go for good.And me, ready and waiting.That was how it was supposed to go.Tara tapped my arm. "You okay? You went quiet."I l

Chapter58 You're Finally Giving Me Another Chance?

Scarlett's POVI got to the tournament committee's offices at nine in the morning.Cole was already at the table when I walked in, along with his deputy and a new face, a younger man in a gray suit who turned out to be their communications director. They'd brought reinforcements.That told me they were interested but wanted cover.Good. That made this easier.Gerald stood and shook my hand. His smile was the careful kind. "Ms. Huntington. Thank you for coming in.""Thank you for the time." I sat down and put my folder on the table. "I'll get right to it. I want to sponsor the tournament restart. Full sponsorship. My company covers the venue, the security overhaul, broadcast placement, and full athlete accommodations for every participating team."The communications director wrote something down immediately. Gerald's deputy pulled up something on her tablet.Gerald himself looked at the folder without opening it yet. "We appreciate the offer. That said, given the current news cycle sur

Chapter59 Locked In

Scarlett's POVThe day of the tournament.The venue looked good.I'd walked the floor twice that morning before anyone else arrived, checking sight lines, checking the security positions, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be.I was standing near the sponsor wall when Pierce and Madison arrived together.Pierce saw me before Madison did. His face did something complicated, relief and warmth and a kind of careful hopefulness that he didn't quite manage to hide.He crossed the floor toward me with purpose, like he'd been rehearsing the walk."Scarlett." He smiled. Genuine, or close enough that it didn't matter. "You look great.""Pierce." I kept my tone even. Professional. "Glad you could make it."He fell into step beside me like we were already in the middle of a conversation, like no time had passed at all."This is incredible, what you've put together. Seriously. Everyone's talking about it. You pulled this off fast.""My team did most of the heavy lifting.""Don't

Chapter60 I'll Give My Own Speech

Madison's POVEleven minutes to opening remarks and Scarlett was still gone.I stood near the edge of the sponsor wall and watched the staff scramble. Two of them were on radios. One kept checking the back corridor and coming back empty. Gerald had pulled his deputy into a corner and they were talking fast and quiet.I kept my face worried. Concerned. The expression of someone invested in the evening going well.Inside I was barely keeping it together.My guy had done exactly what I'd asked.Whatever room Scarlett was stuck in right now, she was not making it back in time, and in eleven minutes this event was going to stall in front of fourteen thousand people and every camera in the building.Her name was on the banner. Her company had signed every contract. Her reputation was the one on the line.Pierce appeared beside me. "Nobody can find her.""I know." I let my voice go soft. "I've been asking around. Nobody's seen her since she went toward the back hallway."He frowned. "That's

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