Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Hope’s POV

“Good work today.”

I lifted my head and found Jerome placing a juice box in front of me.

“You deserve a sweet treat.”

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I looked at it for a moment before taking it with a small nod of thanks, slipping it inside my bag before standing.

“Thanks,” I muttered, preparing to leave.

It was my first day at the center, and it had gone better than I had anticipated. Most of the patients were elderly, with the occasional local athlete or someone who had come in with a minor dislocation. The facility only had two doctors and mainly focused on trauma and rehabilitation, so we referred more severe cases to the hospital.

After more articles about Levi came out this morning, being here was actually good for my well-being. It gave me something else to focus on. I actually wanted to go back to the city and demand that Margaret explain why she wasn’t keeping her end of the deal, but I was afraid confronting her would only make everything

worse.

“Wait,” Jerome suddenly said just as I began walking.

I turned around to look at him. He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat, looking oddly

nervous.

“I recently bought a car. Do you want me to drive you home?”

I shook my head.

“Harley’s actually picking me up.”

“Oh,” he muttered. “I see. Next time, then.”

“Hmm,” I hummed, preparing to leave again.

But before I could take another step, someone suddenly walked into the PT room, making me stop in my

tracks.

The woman staring at me was unfamiliar for a split second. Then it all clicked.

Harley had told me Carmen was working here.

“So, it’s true,” she said.

Instinctively, I took a small step back while she stepped farther inside, smiling at me.

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Chapter 122

“You’re really here. I thought Jerome was just joking.”

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“I wanted to come here a while back, but our station was too busy. So many patients to triage today.”

I smiled back at her.

“Nice to see you again, Carmen.”

“Hmm,” she merely hummed.

I pursed my lips.

Well, it seemed Harley was right about one thing again.

Some people didn’t change.

They just became more mature assholes.

“Well, I should take my leave,” I said, not wanting to prolong our conversation any longer.

“Thanks for the offer again, Jerome.”

I started walking out.

However, Carmen stopped me once more.

I looked down at where she had grabbed my arm and frowned. She was definitely holding me more firmly than necessary.

“Carm,” Jerome called, and only then did Carmen loosen her grip and let me go.

“Sorry,” she chuckled, though she didn’t sound sorry at all. “I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come to our high school reunion.”

I frowned.

“High school reunion?”

“Yeah, it’s like an annual thing,” Jerome explained. “But it’s mostly for the people who stayed in Thousand Islands.”

“But since you’re here,” Carmen continued, “I wanted to invite you. I’m sure plenty of our batchmates would want to see you. You’ve been MIA for years, so everyone’s been wondering how you’re doing.”

“I even heard you were working for the Glaciers, but since you’re here..” She tilted her head ever so slightly. “I’d say that didn’t work out too well.”

Her smile never faltered. Neither did the quiet satisfaction behind it.

From the tone of her voice, I knew she wasn’t saying any of it casually. Every sentence sounded like she was testing how much she could get under my skin.

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Chapter 122

“I’ll see,” I simply said.

There was no point giving her the reaction she was looking for.

I turned around and walked out.

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I greeted the incoming staff members before heading outside the center, letting out a quiet breath the moment the doors closed behind me.

Gosh.

Even after all these years, Carmen still felt suffocating.

I quickly spotted our beat-up car, my dad’s old one that Harley drove whenever he was here.

The moment I climbed inside, he greeted me with an exaggerated scowl.

“Why do I have fetching duty now? My high school classmates wanted to play hockey!”

“Suck it up,” I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. “You can just go after dropping me off at the house.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” he smirked. “I’ll do it anyway.”

I rolled my eyes.

Somehow, his complaining was oddly comforting.

With that, he started whistling as he drove us back home.

The familiar sound filled the silence, making the drive feel lighter than the day had.

On our way there, I pulled out my phone.

Another article about Levi had already been posted.

This time, they were claiming he’d been rude during his Apollo photoshoot.

I stared at the headline for several seconds before letting out another quiet sigh.

No matter how many times I read them, the articles still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I scrolled farther down.

At least the Glaciers had won their game today.

Forest and the rest of the boys looked irritated in the postgame photos, though.

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