Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Hope’s POV

》69

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“Honey, your phone is lighting up,” my mom said as she placed the bowl of popcorn on the table.

I glanced at my phone and saw it was the group chat I had recently been added to, meant for the reunion. It had been active all day, with some people already greeting me and trying to start conversations.

I hadn’t bothered replying yet because I didn’t even know most of those people. Well, I knew of them, but I didn’t actually know them. Yet they were all acting so curious and so chummy.

I grabbed my phone and looked at their latest messages. They were all excited ones, excited for the very reason I was actually quite nervous about.

I muted it at once and turned my attention back to the television, where the two teams were already being called out as they emerged from their tunnels.

“Having an unbeatable run until now, dominating their bracket, and making their way straight to the semifinals-the Edmonton Dreams!”

They skated onto the ice with confidence, making my heart pound faster against my ribs. Even through the television, I could feel the energy they carried.

“And of course, facing them, a team that has secured the championship for four cups in a row, the reigning champions-the New York Glaciers!”

The cheers were definitely louder for the Glaciers, but that was also attributed to the fact that a lot of boos echoed through the arena as well.

I hadn’t been monitoring the games as much as I would have liked because Levi was here. He was a very big distraction. It had felt so easy to forget the outside world whenever he was beside me.

However, the moment I caught up on the articles, I learned that the Glaciers had actually been struggling quite a lot, only managing to win the quarterfinals by the slimmest of margins. It seemed the fans weren’t too fond of that, hence the jeers ringing throughout the arena.

The players came out one by one, and instead of looking confident, they looked tense.

My fists unconsciously clenched.

Levi had been giving me updates, but only about his daily life, never about the team or anything related to hockey. So seeing all of this with my own eyes only made me even more nervous.

The last ones to appear were Connor and Levi, walking side by side.

The noise became even louder, both the cheers and the jeers blending into one deafening roar, but the two remained focused, never letting their eyes stray from the front.

My gaze locked onto Levi, and I found myself growing even more nervous than before.

1/4

10:32 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 143

He looked… calm.

នគ

69

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Compared to the rest of them, he looked awfully calm, which only made it harder for me to predict what was going to happen.

I felt my dad’s shaky hand rest against my shoulder.

“Relax, Hope,” he said with a smile, though it came out just as shaky. I could tell they were nervous too, even if they were trying their best not to show it.

“I’m sure Levi has everything under control.”

I bit my lip and nodded, closing my eyes as I let out a slow, deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside my chest.

Yeah.

We just had to wait and see.

The game started not long after that, much faster than I had personally wanted. The moment the whistle blew, the players immediately took their positions.

The starting players were the usual ones, except Connor was still playing instead of Levi.

Although I was nervous, I had actually been anticipating Levi becoming a starter again. But then again, I should calm down and see how everything panned out.

However, as the game progressed, the more I watched, the stranger everything became.

And the stranger it became, the more my anxiety grew.

My nails became a bitten mess as the Dreams scored another point. It was their third goal of the night, and the first period wasn’t even over yet.

“What the heck is that Connor boy doing?” my mom exclaimed loudly.

She wasn’t the type to react this loudly, which spoke volumes about how bad the situation had become.

My brows furrowed even deeper as the Dreams managed to score another goal right after that.

Desmond’s face flashed across the television, and his frustration was already obvious.

I knew it wasn’t entirely his fault.

The Glaciers were playing horribly today.

I could already tell from the tense atmosphere, but more than that…

It felt like Connor wasn’t even fighting for the puck.

Even through the television, I could feel the disappointment settling over the Glaciers’ bench.

2/4

10:32 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 143

69

55 vouchers

As the second period rolled around, the commentators didn’t bother hiding their frustration-or their mockery.

“It seems like we’re not watching the Glaciers we know and love. They’re already down by four, and the second period is already halfway through.”

“You’re right about that. I wonder what’s going on in the minds of the coaches and players. Why haven’t they subbed out their current center for their star player, Levi Reeve?”

A chuckle escaped from the female commentator.

“Could there be some internal conflict? It certainly looks that way.”

“Oooh! The Dreams score another goal!”

6-1.

My nails dug painfully into my palms as I watched the other bench erupt in celebration.

It didn’t even feel like a game anymore. It felt like a massacre.

The camera panned across the frustrated faces of the Glaciers players, but when it landed on Connor, my breath caught.

To the average person, his face was unreadable. But I had known him for far too long.

That look showed that he was satisfied.

Why?

Why would he look satisfied when they were getting humiliated on national television? When the commentators were mocking him and the crowd was already turning against him?

A cold feeling crawled down my spine.

I had a very bad feeling about this.

My phone suddenly began ringing, and when I glanced at the screen, I saw Harley requesting a video call.

I answered quietly, his voice filling our living room.

“I could just kill your ex, Hope! He had so many chances, but he missed and slipped every single time! And he’s so slow-slower than he usually is. What the heck is happening?”

His words lingered in the air, unanswered.

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