His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 23

23 /180

COLE’s POV

The bag swung back, and I hit it again. Harder. My knuckles were raw inside the gloves, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

‘Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

Olive screaming Zane’s name was on loop in my head. Over and over. That look on her face when she’d seen me at the arena-like I was nothing. Like she’d already moved on.

Bullshit. She hadn’t moved on. She was just trying to make me jealous, prove some point. Olive didn’t do casual. She was too… her. Too clingy, too invested, too much of everything I’d spent two years trying to mold into something useful.

I hit the bag again. The chain rattled.

She’d looked good, though. Better than good. That outfit, those boots. When the hell did she start dressing like that? When we were together, she wore jeans and sweaters, barely any makeup. Now she looked like she belonged in one of those Instagram posts sponsors paid for.

Maybe that was it. Maybe she was trying to get attention from the media, ride the wave of being at the game. Use me for clout now that I was with the Wolves.

My jaw clenched. She wouldn’t. Olive was too proud for that. To convinced she was above the social games everyone else played.

But she’d been in the VIP section. Front row. Right where Zane could see her.

I stopped mid-punch, breathing hard. The gym was empty except for the hum of the overhead lights and my own ragged breath. Most of the guys had cleared out after practice, headed to whatever party was happening tonight. I’d skipped it. Needed to think.

Zane Mercer.

The name made my teeth grind. I’d spent years watching him from a distance, studying every move, every deal, every connection. He was untouchable. Not just because of his stats or his family name-though those helped-but because he operated on a level most players couldn’t even comprehend. Sponsorships, board meetings, media appearances that felt more like power plays than publicity. He didn’t just play hockey. He controlled it.