Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Hope’s POV

A

༢ ཛཱ ༣༠

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The article stared back at me that Saturday morning while I sat in bed with a pack of frozen peas pressed against my swollen

eyes.

Yes, I cried last night.

A lot.

Don’t get me wrong-I was still angry after everything Connor had said to me. But after he left, after the adrenaline disappeared and the apartment became quiet again, all the hurt I’d been suppressing somehow crashed/into me all at once.

So naturally, I did what any emotionally stable woman would do.

I watched an incredibly sad movie.

One with dying lovers and heartbreaking background music. It worked a little too well, and now my eyes felt like they weighed ten pounds each.

I squinted at my phone screen while adjusting the peas against my face.

The article was difficult to read through the swelling, but once my vision finally focused properly, I immediately sat up straighter.

“Glaciers’ star player, Levi Reevè, in bad condition? Is this finally the Glaciers’ downfall?”

My brows furrowed instantly.

“What?”

I quickly scrolled through the article.

There wasn’t any actual proof in it, but there were several photos from the practice game against the Pucks. Someone from their side clearly leaked them despite the game supposedly being private.

The photos captured moments where Levi looked visibly uncomfortable.

There were also clips from earlier regular season games where he looked tense or briefly in pain after aggressive plays.

I kept scrolling, and unfortunately, the comments were worse. The top comments were from rival team fans already celebrating the possibility of Levi being injured.

Meanwhile, mixed with such comments, were Levi’s fans. Some were defending him like internet warriors, others sounded genuinely worried and begged for him to take a break before things got worse, and the rest were curses at the franchise for letting him get hurt.

“Beth is definitely going to have a tough day,” I muttered.

Almost immediately after saying those words, my phone started ringing. I jumped, nearly throwing my phone across the bed. The peas slid off my face while I scrambled to catch the phone before it hit the floor.

Beth’s contact flashed brightly across the screen.

I answered quickly and placed the phone against my ear.

“Beth?”

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Chapter 25

“Hope!”

Her voice was urgent enough to make me sit up properly.

“Is/something wrong?”

Beth exhaled deeply like she’d been holding her breath for hours.

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“I know you’re only supposed to come in during weekdays and game days,” she started quickly, “but would it be alright if you came to the office today?”

I looked toward the mirror across my room and winced.

My eyes definitely looked better than they did earlier. But they were still swollen enough to make it obvious that I had cried last night.

Still, if Beth needed help, I couldn’t exactly refuse.

“I’ll be there in thirty.”

The relief in her sigh was immediate.

“Thanks, Hope,” she said quickly. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Then the call ended abruptly.

Leaving me even more confused than before.

I hurried toward Beth’s office the second I arrived at the arena.

I was already a few minutes late. Mostly because I spent too long dunking my face/into ice water trying to reduce the swelling around my eyes and ended up missing the bus by seconds.

I reached Beth’s office door and knocked three times quickly before waiting a few seconds.

“Come in,” a voice called.

I pushed the door open immediately.

“Sorry, Beth. I missed the bus-”

The apology died in my throat.

I froze right at the doorway.

Beth wasn’t alone in her office like I had expected. Instead, she stood stiffly near her desk with both hands clasped tightly in front of her.

Levi sat in one of the chairs across from her desk.

And sitting behind Beth’s desk, was a woman who radiated money and authority.

No joke.

Her pearl earrings alone probably cost more than my yearly rent. Gold rings adorned her fingers elegantly, catching the artificial office lights every time she moved her hand. Her salt and pepper hair was styled perfectly, and even her posture screamed expensive.

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Chapter 25

She looked vaguely familiar, but my brain refused to work fast enough.

I instinctively lowered my head politely before glancing toward Beth with subtle panic in my eyes.

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I could feel Levi’s gaze settle on me immediately. His eyes stayed fixed on my face the second I entered the room, and suddenly I became aware of my appearance.

I was only wearing a simple hoodie with jeans and sneakers that were far too worn.

Meanwhile, the elegant woman continued studying me calmly. For some reason, her presence alone made me nervous

“Hope,” Beth said quickly, hurrying toward me. She cleared her throat awkwardly before lowering her voice slightly. “Thanks for coming in on a weekend.”

“Is this her?”

The older woman’s voice sliced through the room smoothly.

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