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Home / YA/TEEN / CHECKMATE MY ICY HEART: FALLING FOR THE HOCKEY CAPTAIN / Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

All Chapters of CHECKMATE MY ICY HEART: FALLING FOR THE HOCKEY CAPTAIN: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

61 Chapters

Chapter 11

HARPER’S POVShe seemed not to be among us, even though she was clearly seated and listening silently.She reminded me of myself, my present self.Soon, I was no longer entertained by the gossip of the other ladies, and I decided to head out.I sneaked out when Chloe was not looking, and it seemed like the others didn’t mind, as long as I wasn’t going to end their chattering.That was the first time I had moved to the back of Nyx club.There was a pool right there, shiny blue and glittering under the rays of the moonlight.Taking off my heels, I dipped my legs into it, shut my eyes, and exhaled sharply.I felt the warmth, the cool breeze cascading against my face.I could hear its soothing whispering in my ears.“Hello…” That deep voice made me slip, and I almost fell into the water.“I got you…” The hands caught me, dragging me up at once.“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you…” He apologized, but I almost couldn’t hear him.I was almost drawn into his beauty, losing my cool.

Chapter 12

HARPER’S POVI spent three days pretending the world hadn't ended.Three days of dragging myself to classes I couldn't concentrate on, picking at meals that tasted like cardboard, and dodging concerned looks from my best friend Chloe. Three days of my phone buzzing with texts from Asher that I deleted without reading.By Thursday morning, I'd almost convinced myself I was fine.Almost.The coffee shop near campus buzzed with its usual chaos of students cramming for midterms and freelancers camping out with laptops. I claimed my usual corner table, spreading my marketing textbooks across the scarred wood surface like armor. If I buried myself deep enough in consumer behavior theories and brand positioning strategies, maybe I could forget the way Asher's hands had moved across another man's skin.Focus, Selene. You have a presentation tomorrow.But the words on the page kept blurring together, and every time someone laughed too loudly or a chair scraped against the floor, I jumped like

Chapter 13

HARPER’S POVIs he?The words echoed in my head during the entire silent ride back to campus. Vincent dropped me off at the same corner where he'd picked me up, like nothing had changed, like I hadn't just been threatened by a man who spoke about my father like he was still breathing.My father. The man I'd mourned my entire life without ever really knowing him.I stumbled through the rest of my classes in a daze, my professors' voices fading to background noise. Every time I tried to focus on marketing strategies or consumer psychology, Caspian's arctic gray eyes flashed through my mind. Your father would be disappointed if you refused.By the time I made it back to my dorm room, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely get my key in the lock."Selene?" Chloe looked up from her laptop, her expression shifting from casual interest to concern. "Jesus, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"I couldn't tell her. Couldn't explain that I'd been kidnapped by a man who claim

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEENHARPER’S POVI didn't sleep that night.Instead, I sat by my narrow dorm window, watching the campus slowly come alive as dawn crept across the sky. Students stumbled out of buildings, clutching coffee cups and textbooks, heading to classes where their biggest worry was midterm exams. Normal problems. Normal lives.Everything I'd thought I wanted and would never have again.The photo lay on my desk beside my laptop, the faces staring up at me like ghosts. My father looked so young in that white dress, so happy. Her smile was radiant, the kind that came from believing in forever. The man beside her my father had his arm wrapped around her waist possessively, like he owned her. Like she was his prize.Welcome home.The words haunted me. Home. As if I'd ever belonged in that world of violence and power. As if the cramped apartment in Queens where I'd grown up, where my father counted every penny and worked herself to exhaustion, wasn't my real home.My phone buzzed with

Chapter 15

HARPER’S POVThe car waiting outside my dormitory wasn't the same black sedan from yesterday. This one was sleeker, more expensive, a midnight blue Bentley that probably cost more than most people's houses. The driver stood beside it, hands clasped behind his back, wearing the same kind of perfectly tailored suit that seemed to be the uniform of Caspian's world.He opened the door for me without a word, and I slid across leather seats so soft they felt like silk. The interior smelled of expensive cologne and danger a scent I was beginning to associate with the Santoro family.We drove through Manhattan as the sun set behind the skyline, painting the city in shades of gold and blood. I watched people on the sidewalks going about their evening routines couples heading to dinner, friends meeting for drinks, families walking home from work. Normal people living normal lives.Lives I would never have.The car turned into a private drive I hadn't noticed yesterday, winding through wrought-i

Chapter 16

HARPER’S POVI could have sworn that I wasn’t the one who made that decision for myself, but it was already too late for any regrets.The deed was already done, and not even the stars could change my fate.That night; the weekend charity Gala party Caspian talked about, I noticed that I was the only one without a smile.Every other person seemed to have a beam on their faces. Champagne flutes clicking, the sound of laughter and cheering lingered in the air, just like the stares from some of the guests at the party.It felt very odd being the only unfamiliar face in that hall, the curious eyes made me take several looks at my blue gown, wondering if I had worn something not suitable for that kind of event.“But Caspian gave me this dress.” I argued, but it was hard to tell if that was the reason why they were staring and gossiping or there was something else.Then I heard one of the voices that wanted to whisper, “I heard she is about to get married to Asher.” The old lady in a silk go

Chapter 17

HARPER’S POVFirst, I let go of Asher’s hand, and then I gave him an inquisitive stare.“I didn’t know.” He mouthed, but it was hard to believe him. “I swear, Selene. I am as shocked as you are.” He looked like he was telling the truth, but that was the same look he had on his face when he promised me that he was never going to hurt me for any reason.I chose to believe that he was being honest; after all, he didn’t look like he wanted to be in that messy situation.“Alex is going to be very offended.” He whispered, thinking that I wasn’t going to hear him. “How am I supposed to break this news to him?” His voice became a bit more audible, and then he realized from the way I looked at him that I could hear him.“I am sorry, Selene.” He apologized, his eyes displaying both guilt and shame, but no remorse.“I meant every word I said, Asher. This is just an arrangement.” I had already made up my mind to care less about anything he did with his life; it didn’t matter to me.Standing in fr

Chapter 18

HARPER’S POVI knew Marcus was going to be mad if he found that the reason why I had agreed to get married to Asher even after I had told him that we had broken up. But I was more worried about the secret that our father had kept from us.The moment we arrived at the Villa, I excused myself to answer a call. My father had been trying to run my battery down with calls, but I was still dealing with the texts from Marcus.I was glad that he had chosen to text instead of calling as well.“I am sorry, Dad. I had to do it.” I apologized before she could get to scold me, but I knew that wasn’t going to make it less of a pain for her to bear.“What have you done?” Her voice rang in my ears like a shrilling cry from a baby in pain.“You just walked into their trap, Mija! Now they are going to introduce you to the world of your father.” She could no longer hold back her tears, and I heard her sob for so long while I listened as though I didn’t have a choice.The phone felt so heavy in my head,

Chapter 19

RUSSELL’S POVI felt her skin. Selene’s slender body pressing against mine was strangely giving me so much warmth, and no matter how hard I tried to pull away, it seemed I was cursed to remain there.“What are you doing, Caspian?” I questioned myself. “She is your son’s wife-to-be,” I added, but it didn’t seem like Asher was going to be doing anything with her.He had chosen to be dominated instead of being a dominator. What a shame!“What are you doing?” Selene broke the silence, her breath shaky while she kept her eyes on me.She wanted to push me away, but fear and the euphoria of the moment wouldn’t let her.All she did was keep on staring while she muttered some inaudible words. “I haven’t felt this way close to any woman in a very long time,” I confessed, something that I knew that I was going to regret later on.“There is something about your skin, Selene. Even my eyes can see it.” I leaned closer, feeling her breath while she swallowed hard.“Please, let go. I want to go to s

Chapter 20

RUSSELL’S POVAsher asked a very unimaginable question. I couldn’t believe that he could ask such a thing.“Answer me, father. Do you hate me?” His question returned, but I still didn’t have any answer to give to him.“You cannot look me in the eyes. You think that I am the worst thing that has happened to you.”I turned slowly to see tears in his eyes, but he had managed to hold them back while he clenched his fists.Asher always did that whenever he was upset, but never had I seen him clench both fists at the same time.“You hate me so much, father. That’s why you have decided to force me to marry Selene, knowing that I would never be happy with that. You don’t even care about my happiness or how this could affect her. All that matters to you is that the interest you have is protected.”“Sometimes, son, we compromise for the sake of the future. Maybe you won’t understand why I did what I did, but in the future, everything is going to make sense.”Asher scoffed. “You don’t care about

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