His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 117

Cole’s POV

Today was going to be a good day.

I could feel it in my bones as I rolled over in Sophia’s king-sized bed, the morning light filtering through her expensive curtains.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, expecting to see what’d been waiting for all weekend.

Messages from Olive. Dozens of them. Begging. Pleading. Asking for my help.

Because by now, she would have seen the news. Would have watched her precious stepfather’s company crumbling. Would have realized that Zane Mercer-her dangerous, possessive boyfriend-was probably behind it all.

And when she realized that? When she saw that the man she’d chosen over me was destroying her family?

She’d come crawling back.

A smile crept across my face. Not a nice smile. The kind of smile that came with dark thoughts and darker plans.

Sophia stirred beside me, her arm draped across my chest. She’d been more than happy to hear about Hopkins Enterprise going down. Something about Grayson being a “blockage” to her father’s company for years.

I didn’t care about the details. Didn’t care about the Mercer family drama or whatever decade-old grudge they were settling.

All I cared about was that Olive would finally see the truth. That ane was toxic. Dangerous. Wrong for her.

And I was right.

I pushed myself up, carefully extracting myself from Sophia’s grip. My head throbbed slightly-we’d celebrated a bit too hard last night-but it was worth it.

This week was going to change everything.

I grabbed my shirt from the floor and pulled it on, then reached for my phone again.

Any minute now, Olive would reach out. She’d realize she needed me. That I was the only one who could help her.

My finger hovered over the power button. I’d turned my phone off last night, wanting to make her wait. Wanting her to feel desperate enough that when I finally responded, she’d be grateful.

Pathetic? Maybe. But I didn’t care.

I turned the phone on, watching the screen light up.

Waiting for the notifications to flood in.

One message appeared. Then another. Then-

Nothing.

I stared at the screen, my smile fading.

No calls from Olive. No texts. No desperate voicemails.

Nothing.

My jaw clenched. Maybe she hadn’t seen the news yet. Maybe she was still in denial, thinking Grayson could fix it himself.

I scrolled through my notifications, and that’s when I saw it.

An email. From the AI Quantum brand.

My heart started pounding before I even opened it.

No. No, this couldn’t be-

I clicked on it, and the words hit me like a physical blow.

‘Subject: Contract Termination – AI Quantum Sportswear Campaign

Dear Mr. Maddox,

We regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances and strategic realignment of our brand vision, we will be terminating your contract for the upcoming AI Quantum Sportswear global campaign, effective immediately.

We appreciate your interest and wish you the best in your future endeavors.

My hands went numb.

The phone slipped from my fingers, clattering to the hardwood floor.

“No. No no no no-” The words tumbled out, barely coherent.

My blood ran cold.

Of course.

Of course it was Zane.

I’d been so focused on making him look bad, on framing him as the villain who’d stolen my Nike endorsement that I hadn’t stopped to think about what would happen if he decided to retaliate.

And now he had.

He’d taken something infinitely more valuable. Something that actually mattered.

“How could you be so stupid?” The words came out before I could stop them, venom dripping from every syllable.

Sophia’s head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

“You went to him,” I said, my voice rising. “You complained to your brother about me and you didn’t think he’d do something about it?”

“You told me to!” she shot back. “You wanted me to create tension between them! You wanted-”

“I wanted you to be smart about it!” I shouted. “Not run to him like a spoiled child and hand him ammunition to destroy me!”

We stared at each other, both breathing hard.

She was right, though. I’d pushed for this. Had wanted to use the sibling rivalry to my advantage.

And it had backfired spectacularly.

I sank down onto the edge of the bed, my head in my hands.

Everything I’d built. Everything I’d worked for. Gone.

Because I’d underestimated Zane Mercer.

Because I’d thought I could play games with someone who was infinitely better at them than I was.