All Chapters of The Hockey Star’s Hidden Daughter : Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

Claire: The moment I stepped out of Emma’s bedroom, I heard the low murmur of male voices coming from down the hallway.I stopped near the archway to the study, staying out of sight as Damon’s sharp, angry voice cut through the conversation.“I don’t care what my father threatened, Miller,” Damon said firmly. “My contract is with the franchise, not Black Enterprises. He doesn’t own my skates, and he doesn’t own my ice time.”I leaned against the doorframe, watching him through the half-open door. He paced behind his heavy mahogany desk, still wearing his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His phone sat on the desk with the speaker on, and an agitated voice crackled through it.“Damon, listen to me!” Miller, his team manager, pleaded through the speaker. “Arthur called the team owner twenty minutes ago. He’s threatening to pull the multi-million-dollar stadium sponsorship and freeze the team’s foundation funding if you don’t show up at the press conference at

Claire:The silence in the penthouse after I hung up the phone made it hard to breathe.I stood beside the side table, gripping the edge so tightly my knuckles turned white. The lawyer’s words kept replaying in my head. Emergency petition. Unfit mother. Preliminary hearing.“Claire.”Damon’s voice was low and steady. He took two steps toward me, his hands hovering near my shoulders as if he wanted to comfort me but didn’t want to push me.“Look at me,” he said softly.I slowly lifted my eyes. Panic tightened my chest, but when I looked at Damon, I didn’t see the reckless hockey star I had known years ago. I saw a man who was angry at what Arthur was doing and determined to protect us.“He’s not taking her,” Damon said firmly. “Arthur can file whatever paperwork he wants. He will not set foot in this home, and he will not touch our daughter.”“You don’t understand how he operates, Damon,” I whispered. My voice cracked, but I forced myself to stay composed. “He has teams of family lawye

Claire: The car pulled into the penthouse’s underground garage, and the engine went quiet. Neither of us spoke. Damon’s words kept replaying in my head. Playing your husband tonight was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. And I’m not playing. I sat still, my heart beating faster than it should. When I turned to look at him, he was watching me with a serious expression. He meant what he’d said, and that was the problem. For five years, I had convinced myself that Damon Black was part of my past. I had built a life for myself and Emma without him, determined not to let anyone hurt us again. Now, I didn’t know what to think. I took a breath and put on the sarcastic expression I usually wore whenever a conversation got too personal. “I think this fake marriage is getting to your head, Damon,” I said, reaching for the door handle. I stepped out before he could respond and headed for the private elevator, my heels clicking against the concrete floor. Damon followed a few seconds l