His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 132

Olive’s POV

I stared at my phone, the screen mocking me with its emptiness

No message from him. Not even a response to the professional email I’d sent requesting his attendance at the assessment meeting.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath.

My office-temporary office, technically-was smaller than my space at Hopkins but still impressive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Art on the walls that screamed “we have money to burn.”

But none of that mattered right now.

What mattered were the magazines spread across my desk like a strategic war map.

Two candidates had already been approved for the AI Quantum campaign. The third slot remained open, and I had five potential candidates to choose from-all popular hockey players from different clubs who’d made names for themselves in previous leagues.

I checked the last name on the selection list, and my eye twitched.

Cole Maddox – Chicago Wolves.

Of course.

Of fucking course Sophia had somehow placed him on the list even after he’d been explicitly rejected by the AI Quantum team.

This was her handiwork. Had to be. A little power play to remind me that she had influence here. That this was her territory.

Pathetic.

I was supposed to select the best candidate and send my recommendation to Nina by end of day.

I flipped through each magazine, studying each candidate’s profile with professional detachment.

They all looked the same to me. Conventionally attractive. Athletically built. Different variations of the same manufactured charm.

Soft. Predictable, Boring.

None of them had that edge I was looking for. That raw intensity that would make the campaign actually stand out.

And then my eyes caught on a magazine I’d been deliberately avoiding.

My breath hitched.

The same magazine. The same energy drink advertisement that had first captured my attention months ago.

Before I knew him. Before Chicago. Before everything.

I stared at it, my throat tightening like it was drying up with each passing second.

Slowly-so slowly I barely registered I was doing it-I found myself tracing my fingers across the glossy page.

Across those abs. Those arms. That intense blue-eyed gaze that seemed to look directly through the camera and into whoever was watching.

Those same eyes that had stared at me while he fucked me against the wall. While he whispered filthy things in my ear. While he made me come so hard I forgot my own name.

Fuck.

My breath hitched. My throat went completely dry.

And before I could stop myself, a small moan slipped out.

The sound of a door opening made me slam the magazine shut so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.

I looked up to find Jessica standing in my doorway, staring at me with concern.

“Are you okay, Miss Monroe?” she asked. “Your face looks quite flushed.”

“Oh yes,” I said quickly, forcing my voice to sound normal. “I’m fine. Just feeling a bit warm”

Jessica’s eyes drifted to the ceiling where the air conditioning vent was clearly blasting cold air.

“Oh, it’s quite cold in here,” she observed. “Maybe I should increase the temperature?”

“No,” I said, maybe too sharply. “I’m good. Thank you. What’s the update?”

Jessica had been assigned to assist me with candidate selection and design concepts. She was young, eager, competent. And thankfully, she didn’t seem to be part of Sophia’s inner circle.

“I just wanted to check if you’ve been able to select the third candidate,” she said.

I smiled tightly. “Not yet. Still reviewing everyone.”

Jessica’s eyes drifted down to the magazine in front of me, and I realized too late which one was visible.

Antonio Mercer’s face stared up at us from the cover.

“Oh, isn’t he the second son of the Mercer family?” Jessica asked her voice perking up with interest. “Antonio Mercer?”

I nodded, glancing down at Antonio’s image.

He had a great form. Athletic. Charming. That easy smile that probably made sponsors fall over themselves to work with him.

But he wasn’t Zane.

Fuck, Olive. Stop the comparisons.

“He looks amazing,” Jessica continued, and I caught the slight dreamy quality to her voice. “He’d be perfect for this campaign. Plus, he’s already been selected as one of the main candidates, right? I wonder when he’ll be here for his assessment.”

I raised my head to look at her, my eyes narrowing slightly.

“We don’t have information regarding his arrival yet,” I said. “But it should be soon. I’ll check with Nina.”

Jessica’s face lit up immediately. “Really? Oh my… I sound so embarrassing.”

She laughed nervously, and I forced myself to smile.

“You’re fine,” I said.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Jessica added. “I received confirmation that Mr. Zane Mercer will be arriving soon. Within the next thirty minutes, actually. His assistant just confirmed. Have you been able to pull together the assessment materials? I heard it’s quite difficult working with him.”

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