Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Hope’s POV

Silence filled the office for a while. Not the comfortable kind, either.

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Mrs. Tundra simply stared at me with an unreadable expression while I sat there trying not to fidget under the weight of her

gaze.

Meanwhile, Beth looked one second away from passing out beside me. Even the blasting air conditioner wasn’t enough to stop the sweat forming on her forehead.

I cleared my throat softly and straightened my posture.

Mrs. Tundra tilted her head slightly before finally speaking.

“Well,” she started smoothly, “you’re not what I expected.”

I pursed my lips into a polite smile. I honestly didn’t know whether that was a compliment or an insult.

“You look quite… young,” she continued carefully. “How old are you again?”

“Twenty-four,” I answered quickly.

“Ah.”

A small smirk appeared on her lips.

“The same age as Levi.”

“You must be competent at your job for you to be hired this young,” she continued, “Did you have prior work experience?”

“I’ve had several jobs before,” I answered honestly. “But not exactly in this field.”

“Hmm.”

Her gaze slid toward Beth, who somehow looked even more nervous.

“Well,” Mrs. Tundra muttered, “I suppose Beth hired you for a reason.”

Beth nodded immediately like her life depended on it. “Yes, Mrs. Tundra.”

Honestly, the tension in the room was becoming unbearable.

“Umm…” I spoke carefully, trying not to sound intimidated. “Is there something specific you need from me, Mrs. Tundra?”

“Anyway,” she said instead, leaning farther against the chair while lightly swaying side to side. “I’m sure you’ve seen the articles.”

I immediately thought back to the headlines from earlier.

“In fact,” she continued, “anyone remotely interested in hockey has probably seen them by now.”

Her tone remained calm, which somehow sounded even scarier.

“I’m disappointed Beth wasn’t able to stop it from coming out sooner.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Tundra,” Beth said quickly. “It was already circulating by the time I woke up.”

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Chapter 26

Mrs. Tundra waved her apology away dismissively.

I stayed quiet, wondering where exactly this conversation was heading.

Then Margaret sighed softly.

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“Apollo called me personally this morning,” she said. “The chief editor even had the audacity to wake me up during my sleep.”

She chuckled lightly, but there was absolutely nothing amused about the sound.

“They said they’re considering backing out from the sponsorships if the article turns out to be true.”

My breath hitched slightly. Sponsorships? That serious?

Instinctively, my eyes shifted toward Levi.

He looked like he wanted to be literally anywhere else. His jaw was tight, his posture tense, and he avoided looking directly at anyone in the room.

“They also mentioned,” Mrs. Tundra continued casually, “that you still haven’t approved their proposal for the front cover shoot.”

Levi immediately sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Did you really come here just for that?” he muttered.

Mrs. Tundra raised a brow.

“Just tell Apollo it’s not true,” Levi continued. “I’ll still play for the Winter’s Crown.”

Then he leaned back slightly.

“But tell them I’m not doing the front cover. Have Desmond do it instead.”

Beth awkwardly looked down at the floor.

“I already told Beth I wouldn’t do shoots after the underwear ad,” Levi added. “That was the deal.”

At the mention of the ad, my mind very unhelpfully remembered Freya shoving the behind-the-scenes video in my face last night.

My cheeks warmed slightly.

Mrs. Tundra’s gaze slowly shifted toward Beth again.

Margaret sighed softly before turning back toward Levi.

“I heard from your teammates that your shoulder isn’t doing well.

“Based on what I heard from the Pucks,” she continued, “your ankle also landed badly during the practice game.”

Then suddenly, her eyes landed on me.

“Can you vouch for these injuries, Hope Henderson?”

I stiffened immediately at hearing my full name.

Beside me, I could feel Levi’s stare burning into the side of my face. I didn’t even need to look at him to know what

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Chapter 26

expression he was making. It felt like he didn’t want me to tell her anything.

But the problem was-I couldn’t lie. At least, not about this.

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Levi clearly needed rest. And if he refused to listen to everyone around him, then maybe hearing it from the actual owner of the franchise would finally force him to slow down.

I inhaled quietly and nodded.

“Yes, Mrs. Tundra.”

The second the words left my mouth, I heard Levi click his tongue in annoyance.

Still, I forced myself to continue. I straightened slightly in my seat.

“His overall physical condition isn’t very good right now,” I admitted carefully.

Mrs. Tundra watched me silently.

“From what I observed during the practice game, he’s still performing incredibly well,” I continued. “But years of playing without proper rest have clearly taken a toll on his body.”

“His shoulder is currently in the worst condition,” I explained honestly. “And to be frank, I’m genuinely surprised he can still play at this level despite it.”

I swallowed softly before continuing.

“Based on my assessment, he needs at least six weeks of rest combined with proper rehabilitation and restricted gameplay.”

Saying it aloud made my chest feel strangely lighter. Like I’d finally removed a thorn that had been bothering me since I started working with the team.

For a brief second, I glanced toward him and immediately regretted it. There seemed to be anger in his gaze, so I quickly looked away again.

I tried gauging Mrs. Tundra’s reaction instead. However, before I could even figure it out, she burst into laughter, making me blink in confusion.

Mrs. Tundra laughed for several seconds while I sat there wondering if I had somehow accidentally told a joke. When she finally calmed down, she elegantly pulled out a pristine white handkerchief from her designer bag and dabbed the corners of her eyes.

“What did you say?” she asked between lingering amusement. “Six weeks?”

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