Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Hope’s POV

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Delaney stormed out of the conference room the second the decision became final. Her heels clicked against the floor, each step sounding angrier than the last. The glass door slammed behind her hard. Meanwhile, Coach Dennis stayed frozen in place for a moment, rubbing a hand over his face before clearing his throat and following after his “dear daughter.”

The moment the door shut behind them, the tension in the room completely disappeared. And so did all my courage. exhaled, my shoulders slumping against the chair.

Before I could even process the situation properly, Aiden suddenly nudged my shoulder.

“That was freaking awesome,” he declared.

“I’m serious,” he continued excitedly. “I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Delaney like that before. Heck, even the players struggle arguing with her.”

Lia nodded enthusiastically beside him.

“She bulldozes everyone,” she admitted. “Even sponsors sometimes.”

“It’s honestly a shame Forest couldn’t make it today,” Aiden added with a grin. “His wife needed him at home, but he would’ve loved this entire scene.”

I opened my mouth to ask about Forest’s wife, but Lia suddenly grabbed both my hands.

“You’re incredible,” she said with genuine admiration. “I’ve tried talking back to Delaney before whenever she became unreasonable, but somehow she always wins.”

I laughed softly, still feeling slightly dazed from the whole thing.

“I honestly didn’t expect it to go that well either,” I admitted. “But I knew I had to push for it now.”

Because if I didn’t, Levi would never rest.

“If I waited any longer,” I continued quietly, “I probably wouldn’t get another chance.”

Then Beth finally spoke. “What exactly is our plan with Apollo?”

I looked toward her. Beth narrowed her eyes suspiciously, probably replaying the moment I confidently lied in front of everyone that we had a plan.

“Well…” I started carefully. “Apollo wants Levi as the front cover for their May campaign, right?”

Beth nodded cautiously.

“If we can convince Levi to do it,” I continued, “Apollo will stay satisfied even if he doesn’t play for two weeks.”

The moment those words left my mouth, a horrible feeling formed in my stomach. Their silence was already very telling.

Slowly, I looked between the three of them.

“Is that not possible?”

Aiden physically shivered like he had just recalled some kind of trauma.

“Oh no,” he muttered. “You don’t know.”

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Chapter 34

My stomach dropped further.

“Know what?”

Aiden leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling.

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“It’s already difficult convincing Levi to accept regular endorsements,” he explained. “And that’s with brands practically throwing money at him.”

Lia sighed deeply beside him.

“He only agrees to deals that barely show his face,” she added. “Watches. Shoes. Sports gear.”

“Even then,” Aiden continued, “it’s a nightmare.”

He pointed at himself. “I once spent three straight hours convincing him to do a campaign for a luxury watch brand.”

“What happened?” I asked nervously.

“He stared at me until I started apologizing for existing.”

“That underwear campaign was the most difficult,” Lia added.

Aiden and Beth groaned at the same time. “Oh god. Don’t remind me.”

Lia ignored him and looked at me instead.

“He only agreed because Beth promised it would be the last campaign focused on his visuals.”

“And by visuals,” Aiden added, “we mean his face. His body. His existence in general.”

“He hates attention that focuses on him personally,” Lia explained. “So getting him to become the face of Apollo for this month is going to be difficult.”

I slowly turned toward Beth.

Please say something hopeful.

Please.

But judging from the expression on her face, there was absolutely no miracle waiting for me there.

“That idea is actually really smart,” Beth admitted honestly. “Apollo would definitely stay if Levi agreed to the cover shoot.”

“But they need confirmation soon. I was told to report back within three days.”

Three days.

I stared at her.

“You think that’s impossible too, don’t you?”

Beth gave me a look full of pity.

“I think convincing Levi in three days might violate several laws of nature.”

I stood outside Levi’s room later that morning carrying a paper bag filled with takeout food. According to Aiden’s

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Chapter 34

observations, Levi ordered from this restaurant often.

Thankfully, the place was nearby. And thankfully again, it wasn’t ridiculously expensive.

The owner had even smiled warmly when I mentioned Levi’s name.

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I stared down at the bag in my hands. This was partially a celebration meal because I had successfully convinced Coach Dennis.

But also… it was partially bribery too. I needed to convince him to join that shoot.

I lifted my hand, to knock at his door, but before I could, the door suddenly swung open and revealed Mathias.

His grin widened the moment he saw me.

“Hope!” he exclaimed. “You’re back!”

His eyes sparkled mischievously.

“How did the meeting go, hmm?”

Then his gaze dropped to the paper bag in my hands. Immediately, his attention shifted. Honestly, Matthias seemed physically incapable of focusing on one thing for longer than ten seconds.

“Ooooh,” he gasped. “Food.”

He leaned closer.

“Wait.”

His eyes widened.

“You got Levi food from his favorite restaurant?”

“How did you know this was his favorite place?” he continued suspiciously. “Hope, have you been researching him?”

His grin became teasing.

“That’s actually adorable.”

Before I could defend myself, another voice cut through the room.

“Why are you still standing at the door?”

Levi’s deeply unimpressed voice came from the inside. The moment his eyes landed on me, he immediately walked toward us. Then, without warning, he grabbed Matthias by the collar and dragged him sideways out of the doorway.

“Hey-”

Levi ignored his protests. He pulled me inside the room instead..

“Hope!” Matthias countered. “Did you know Levi doesn’t let anyone inside his room except Beth, Nate, and m-”

Levi shut the door directly in his face, and silence finally settled inside the room.

I slowly turned around and found Levi staring at me with his usual unreadable, perpetually grumpy expression.

“Are you hungry?” I asked awkwardly, lifting the paper bag slightly.

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Chapter 34

His eyes dropped toward it.

“How did you know I liked food from that place?”

“Oh.” I said brightly. “So you really do like it.”

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“I only heard from Aiden that you order there often,” I explained. “I wasn’t sure what you usually get, so I asked the owner for recommendations.”

Something shifted slightly in his expression. Without another word, he took the bag from my hands and placed it carefully on the table. Then, he sat and carefully unpacked the food.

I watched quietly while he opened the containers one by one.

Suddenly, he leaned back slightly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“What is it?”

“Hmm?”

“You clearly want something,” he said. “So, say it.”

Right. The reason I was actually here. Suddenly, my confidence disappeared again.

“I have good news,” I started carefully.

He raised an eyebrow.

“You’re officially not playing for the next two weeks.”

That got his attention. His brows furrowed in surprise.