The Contract We Never Wanted

Chapter 2: The Contract

Kieran Hayes

"We're both in trouble."

The words hung in the air.

I stared at Rowan, waiting for him to tell me this was some elaborate joke.

He didn't.

The man looked deadly serious.

I dropped the contract onto his desk.

"Start talking."

Rowan folded his arms.

"The Wolves are under investigation."

My stomach tightened.

"Investigation for what?"

"Financial fraud."

I blinked.

Then laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because it was ridiculous.

"The Wolves are one of the most successful franchises in the country."

"I know."

"You own half the city."

"I know."

"So how exactly does that happen?"

His jaw hardened.

"Someone is trying to destroy me."

The certainty in his voice sent a chill down my spine.

Not might be.

Not could be.

Someone was.

As if he already knew.

As if he'd been expecting it.

I hated how intrigued I suddenly felt.

"Who?"

"I don't know yet."

That surprised me.

Rowan Wolfe hated not having answers.

He hated losing control even more.

I looked down at the contract again.

"What does this have to do with marriage?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed his face.

Apparently he thought the connection was obvious.

It wasn't.

"Three months ago, a journalist published an article."

I nodded.

I remembered.

Everyone remembered.

The article had accused Rowan of manipulating player contracts and using the team to hide illegal transactions.

Nothing had been proven.

But the media had gone wild.

Sponsors started pulling out.

Fans started asking questions.

And suddenly the golden empire wasn't looking so golden anymore.

"What about it?"

"The board thinks I need a better public image."

I nearly choked.

"A better public image?"

His glare could have frozen hell.

"Don't."

I smirked.

"You? The billionaire ice king? Fixing your image with marriage?"

His expression darkened.

I should have stopped.

I didn't.

"Who suggested that? A therapist?"

"Kieran."

"What?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You are being incredibly irritating."

That actually made me grin.

For the first time all morning.

Good.

Let him suffer a little.

I'd suffered enough because of him.

"Why me?" I asked.

The smile disappeared from my face.

Because that was the real question.

Not why marriage.

Why me?

Five years ago Rowan had looked at me like I was poison.

Like I was the worst mistake of his life.

So why was I suddenly good enough to be his husband?

The silence stretched.

Long.

Uncomfortable.

Dangerous.

Then Rowan looked away.

And somehow that hurt more than if he'd insulted me.

"Because people know our history."

My heart skipped.

History.

Such a small word.

For something that had destroyed us both.

"That's your reason?"

"It makes the arrangement believable."

Arrangement.

Not relationship.

Not partnership.

Arrangement.

I hated how much that bothered me.

The billionaire continued.

"The public already knows we were close."

Close.

Another pathetic understatement.

We had been everything.

Until we became nothing.

I swallowed the memory.

"I don't care."

His eyes returned to mine.

"Name your price."

I laughed again.

A bitter sound.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The real Rowan Wolfe."

His face remained unreadable.

"The man who thinks money fixes everything."

His gaze hardened.

"And you're still the man who lets his emotions cloud his judgment."

The words landed like a slap.

My temper exploded.

I stepped forward.

"You don't get to talk about my judgment."

His eyes flashed.

"No?"

"No."

Years of pain rose to the surface.

Years of unanswered questions.

Years of pretending I didn't care.

"You never even gave me a chance to explain."

The room went silent.

For one terrifying second, I thought I saw guilt in his eyes.

Then it disappeared.

Gone so fast I wondered if I'd imagined it.

"There's nothing to explain."

The words hit harder than they should have.

Because part of me had spent five years hoping.

Hoping he'd listen.

Hoping he'd ask.

Hoping he'd want the truth.

Apparently I was still an i***t.

"Then this conversation is over."

I turned toward the door.

"Kieran."

I kept walking.

"Kieran."

I grabbed the handle.

Then his next words stopped me cold.

"If you walk away, the Wolves might not survive this."

I froze.

Damn him.

Because he knew exactly where to hit.

Hockey wasn't just my career.

It was my life.

My team.

My family.

Slowly, I turned around.

Rowan was watching me.

Waiting.

Calculating.

Just like always.

"What aren't you telling me?"

For the first time since I arrived, genuine exhaustion appeared on his face.

It lasted only a second.

But it was there.

And somehow that scared me more than his anger.

"Someone leaked confidential information."

My chest tightened.

"What kind of information?"

His eyes locked onto mine.

"The same kind of information that destroyed us five years ago."

Everything inside me stopped.

The room.

The air.

My heartbeat.

Five years ago.

The betrayal.

The accusations.

The night everything fell apart.

Rowan opened a drawer and removed a thin file.

Then he slid it across the desk.

I stared at it.

A terrible feeling growing inside me.

"What is it?"

His voice dropped.

"Proof."

My pulse thundered.

"Proof of what?"

Rowan's expression turned cold.

Colder than I'd ever seen it.

"That someone has been lying to us for a very long time."

To Be Continued...