Offside Hearts

Chapter 2: viral scandal

Ethan's pov:

By the time I finally reached my apartment, I had stopped caring whether the security guards were still looking for me or not

I locked the door behind me and stood there for a moment, listening to the silence of the hallway. My chest was still rising too quickly, and my legs ached from the run, but at least I had made it home with my camera. I dropped the camera bag onto the table and pulled out my equipment.

The photograph was still there.I need to see exactly what I had captured before deciding what to do with it. I connected my camera to my laptop and started transferring the files. Hundreds of photographs appeared on the screen, beginning with the championship celebration and ending with the backstage shots.

Then I found it.I clicked on the photograph and stared.Noah Ashford stood in that dim backstage room with another man, his hand around the man's waist while the stranger touched his face. Neither of them knew they were being watched.There was nothing blurry about my original, it could never be explained away as an innocent embrace.

Anyone who saw it would understand why Noah had looked terrified when he caught me.

I leaned back in my chair “What have I done?” I knew what the picture could mean for him.

Noah wasn't just a hockey player. He was the captain of the Black Wolves, one of the most recognizable athletes in the country, and the face of several major brands. His career depended on more than what happened on the ice, a photograph like this could turn his private life into public property overnight.

My phone buzzed.Carla had sent me a message, Please tell me you got something good.I stared at the message, then I looked at Noah again. I typed a YEAH…, but deleted it, and finally sent: I got something. I'll show you tomorrow.

I wasn't ready to tell her what it was.I copied the photograph into a private folder and locked it with a password. I had no intention of publishing it without thinking through the consequences.

Then I removed the memory card from my camera.Except the card wasn't there.

I frowned and checked the camera again. Nothing.

I searched the camera bag, pulling out lenses, batteries and cables and placing them across the table.Still nothing, my stomach tightened.

I checked my jacket pockets, then the pockets of my jeans.

The memory card was gone.

It must have fallen during the chase.I sat down slowly. The digital copy on my laptop was safe, but the original photograph was still on that missing card and I had no idea where it was.

My phone suddenly started vibrating. One notification, then another, then another, picked it up. At first, I thought Carla had somehow seen the photograph.

Then I noticed the flood of messages.My social media feed was moving so quickly that I could barely read anything. A sports gossip account had posted a photograph.

The image was blurry, cropped and dark, but I recognized the scene immediately. Noah. The other man. My photograph. Except it wasn't exactly the photograph I had taken.

Someone had cropped it differently, leaving the other man's face partially hidden while making Noah unmistakable.

The caption read: BREAKING: BLACK WOLVES CAPTAIN NOAH ASHFORD CAUGHT IN SECRET ROMANTIC ENCOUNTER AFTER CHAMPIONSHIP WIN.

My stomach dropped.

“No!. NO!. NO!!!”

I refreshed the page.The post had thousands of shares already. Another account had reposted it. Then another. Sports reporters were discussing it. Fans were arguing in the comments.

Someone had created a hashtag. #NoahSecret, It was trending. I stared at the screen, unable to understand how it had happened. I hadn't sent the photograph to anyone. I hadn't posted it. I hadn't even uploaded the original file anywhere.

My eyes moved toward the empty memory-card slot. Someone had found it. Someone had taken my photograph and leaked it. But why?

I scrolled through the comments, Some people were defending Noah, others were demanding answers, a few were already calling for sponsors to drop him.

Then the first sponsor statement appeared. We are aware of the allegations surrounding Noah Ashford and are currently reviewing the situation. Another company followed. Then another.

The scandal was spreading faster than I could process it ,my phone rang. Carla.

I answered immediately. “Ethan, tell me you didn't send that photograph.” “I didn't.” “Good.”

“Someone else has it.” “What?”, “My memory card is missing.” There was a long silence. “Ethan, where did you lose it?” “I don't know. During the chase, probably.”

“Don't talk to anyone. Don't post anything. Don't answer reporters.” “Carla, what am I supposed to do?”

“Stay inside.” Her voice had become unusually serious. “I'll come to you.” The call ended, i stared at the screen again.

A new article had just appeared. NOAH ASHFORD'S TEAM REFUSES TO COMMENT ON SECRET RELATIONSHIP

I felt sick, this wasn't supposed to happen, I hadn't wanted to destroy Noah's career. I had only wanted one photograph that could help pay my mother's hospital bill.Now the entire country was talking about him.And somehow, my photograph had become the center of it all.

I walked toward the window. Several vehicles were turning onto my street. At first, I thought nothing of them. Then the first black SUV stopped directly outside my building. A second pulled in behind it. Then a third. My stomach tightened. The doors opened, men in dark suits stepped out, one of them looked toward the entrance of my building, another checked something on his phone.

I stepped away from the window, my phone vibrated in my hand, a message from Carla, “Ethan, don't open the door for anyone. I'm on my way.”

Before I could respond, someone knocked three powerful knocks echoed through my apartment, I couldn't help but stare at the door, another knock followed.

Then a man's voice came through the wood. “Ethan Brooks?” I didn't answer. The man knocked again. “We need to talk about Noah Ashford.”