All Chapters of Breaking the ice : Chapter 21 - Chapter 25

The flight from Santiago back to John F. Kennedy International Airport was the longest ten hours of Ethan’s life. After the chaos in Bellavista, he had formally requested permission from the National Geographic expedition coordinators to return to New York temporarily to handle his urgent family and legal matters. Given the media storm paralyzing the project, they had quickly granted his request, relieved to have the lightning rod of controversy fly back across the hemisphere.But landing in New York brought no relief. The city felt smaller now, choked by the static of a scandal that refused to die.Every billboard, sports bar television, and morning news broadcast was dominated by the fallout of the NYPD’s raid on Thomas Miller's private office. The investigation had pulled back the curtain on a dirty, coordinated machine. While Victor Kane had immediately held a slick, televised press conference to deny any involvement claiming his assistant had acted entirely on a rogue, jealous im

The ice rink at the TD Garden in Boston was alive with the sharp, rhythmic scrape of steel on fresh ice, the heavy thud of pucks slamming against the boards, and the booming echo of the coaches' whistles. But for the first time in months, the chaotic noise felt like a symphony rather than a threat.In the high altitude media booths overlooking the ice, Ethan checked the shutter speed on his heavy camera body.The league's PR department, desperate to capitalize on the massive wave of public support following Adrian's press conference, hadn't just invited Ethan to attend they had hired him as the official lead photographer for the entire Charity Classic event. It was a massive, unprecedented peace offering.For Ethan, it was a lifeline. He was back behind the lens, his fingers moving with a familiar, comforting muscle memory as he captured the raw, explosive energy of the players below. He could feel his damaged portfolio rebuilding itself with every frame.But his favorite subject was

The digital world did not sleep, but for once, it was not mean. By morning, the picture from the dark hallway of the stadium was everywhere. It was on every sports news site and social media page. The picture was simple: the star captain, still in his hockey gear, pressing the winning puck into his photographer’s hand. But the feelings in the photo were huge. Adrian’s big hand stayed over Ethan’s wrist. Adrian looked at Ethan with deep care, and Ethan looked back with soft surprise. It was a real photo. It looked like the truth. "Look at these numbers," Sophia Carter said. Her voice was not as sharp as usual. She pushed a tablet across the glass table of the hotel lounge. Adrian did not look at the screen. He was staring out the window at the gray Boston sky. He held a cup of hot black coffee. "I don't care about the numbers, Sophia." "You should, because they are saving your career," Sophia said with a real smile. "Victor cannot control the story anymore. When you gave that spee