THE ICE KING WANT ME BACK.

Lena Brooks had always believed that people made their own luck. It was why she had stayed late through university while others celebrated passing exams. It was why she accepted every difficult assignment after joining Prime Sports Network, even when it meant missing weekends, birthdays, and holidays. Success, she believed, belonged to those willing to work for it. That belief had brought her to the editor's office on a rainy Monday morning. "Come in." Martin Sullivan looked up from a stack of papers as Lena stepped inside. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms with a smile that usually meant he had another challenge waiting for her. "I've got something interesting for you." Lena took the seat opposite him. "That's normally how you introduce impossible assignments." "They're the ones you handle best." He slid a file across the desk. "The New York Blizzards begin preseason training this week. I want you to cover the team for the next few months. Lena picked up the file without thinking much of it. Hockey wasn't her usual beat, but she'd covered enough major sporting events to adapt quickly. "I can do that." "Good." Martin nodded once before adding, "You'll also be writing an exclusive feature on their captain." Lena opened the file. The photograph on the first page stole the air from her lungs. Ethan Carter. For a moment, the office disappeared around her. The smiling man in the picture wore the navy jersey of the New York Blizzards, the captain's C stitched proudly across his chest. Sports magazines called him the best player in the league. Fans admired him. Sponsors competed to work with him. Five years ago, he had simply been Ethan. The man who had promised they would face every tomorrow together. The man who disappeared without a goodbye. "Lena?" Martin's voice pulled her back to the present. She blinked and closed the file before he could notice the change in her expression. "You all right?" "I'm fine." The answer came too quickly. Martin studied her for a moment but didn't press further. "I'll need your first article after Media Day. Think of this as the beginning of our season coverage." Lena forced a small smile and rose from her chair. "You'll have it." She left the office with the file held tightly against her chest. Only when the door closed behind her did she allow herself to look at the photograph again. Five years had changed Ethan Carter. The pain of losing him hadn't changed at all. Lena walked back to the newsroom with the file still in her hand. The sound of ringing phones and hurried conversations filled the office, but she barely noticed. Her eyes remained on the name printed across the front of the folder. Ethan Carter. She hadn't spoken that name aloud in years. "Lena!" Sophie waved from the next desk. "There you are. I was beginning to think Martin had buried you under another impossible assignment." Lena forced a smile as she sat down. "Not impossible." "That means it's difficult." Sophie leaned over the desk and noticed the Blizzards logo on the file. "Hockey? Since when do you cover hockey?" "Since this morning." She opened her laptop and placed the file beside it. "Martin wants me to follow the New York Blizzards this season." Sophie's eyes widened. "That's a huge assignment." "It is." "And judging by your face, there's something else." Lena hesitated before sliding the file across the desk. Sophie opened it. Her smile faded the moment she saw the photograph. "Oh..." She looked back at Lena. "It's him." Lena nodded quietly. Neither woman spoke for several seconds. Sophie had known Lena long enough to recognize the name immediately. She had been there through the sleepless nights after graduation, through the months when Lena refused to believe Ethan had disappeared, and through the painful process of accepting that some questions would never be answered. "I thought you said you'd never see him again," Sophie said gently. "So did I." "What are you going to do?" Lena looked at the photograph one last time before closing the file. "My job." Sophie studied her carefully. "Can you?" Lena smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I've interviewed athletes who hated reporters, coaches who refused to answer questions, and champions who walked away in the middle of interviews." She took a slow breath. "I can interview one more hockey player." Sophie knew better than to argue. "If you need me..." "I know." The conversation ended as Martin stepped into the newsroom. "Everyone, quick meeting in five minutes." The reporters gathered around the conference table while Martin outlined the week's assignments. When he reached Lena, he looked up from his notes. "The Blizzards hold Media Day on Wednesday." He handed her a press schedule. "I want player interviews, locker-room coverage, and a feature on Captain Ethan Carter. This is one of the biggest sports stories of the month." Lena accepted the schedule with a calm nod. "I'll be there." After the meeting, she returned to her desk and opened the folder once more. Beneath Ethan's photograph was a short profile. Captain of the New York Blizzards. League MVP. Two-time championship winner. She read the words without emotion until her eyes stopped on the final line. Relationship Status: Single. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the page. Five years had passed. The world had moved on. Tomorrow, she would have to do the same. ……. Wednesday arrived sooner than Lena expected. She woke before her alarm, though she had barely slept. The assignment waiting for her felt different from every other story she had covered. It wasn't the pressure of interviewing one of the league's biggest stars that unsettled her. It was the man behind the title. After getting ready, she grabbed her camera bag and notebook before leaving for work. By nine o'clock, she was on her way to Blackwood Arena with a cameraman from the network. "You've covered hockey before?" the cameraman, Jake, asked as they drove through the city. "A few games," Lena replied. "Nothing like a full-season assignment." "You'll enjoy it. Blizzards fans are crazy—in a good way." She smiled politely and turned her attention to the window. The closer they got to the arena, the busier the streets became. Fans wearing navy-and-white jerseys walked toward the entrance, some carrying hockey sticks while others held posters, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. The excitement in the air was impossible to ignore. "This is bigger than I expected," Lena admitted. Jake laughed. "Wait until the regular season starts." Their vehicle pulled into the media parking area a few minutes later. Lena stepped out and took a deep breath. The arena stood proudly against the morning sky, its glass walls reflecting the sunlight. Reporters from different networks were already arriving, carrying cameras, microphones, and equipment. She clipped her media pass around her neck before following the signs to the press entrance. Inside, staff members welcomed journalists and handed out media packets containing the day's schedule. "Good morning," a woman said with a friendly smile. "You must be Lena Brooks from Prime Sports Network." "I am." "I'm Hannah from Media Relations. Here's your press kit." Lena accepted the folder. "Thank you." "We'll begin with open practice in about fifteen minutes. After that, Coach Donovan and several players will meet with the media." Lena glanced through the schedule. Near the bottom of the page, one name immediately caught her attention. Captain Ethan Carter – 11:30 a.m. Her heartbeat quickened. She closed the folder before anyone noticed where she was looking. "Everything all right?" Hannah asked. "Yes," Lena answered with a small smile. "Just taking everything in." "If you need anything, let me know." "I will." After Hannah walked away, Jake adjusted the camera on his shoulder. "Ready?" Lena looked toward the tunnel leading to the ice rink. This was just another assignment. That was what she kept telling herself. She had prepared for difficult interviews before. She could prepare for this one too. Together, they walked toward the arena, where the first players were beginning to make their way onto the ice. Lena opened her notebook, ready to record every detail. …… The arena came alive the moment Lena stepped inside. The sharp scent of fresh ice mixed with the sound of skates cutting across the rink. Coaches shouted instructions from the sidelines while photographers searched for the best angles. Around the glass, reporters compared notes and tested microphones before the interviews began. Lena took out her notebook and looked around. This was where the New York Blizzards prepared for another season. Every player on the ice carried the hopes of thousands of fans, and every practice would soon become tomorrow's headline. "Let's get a few shots before the players spread out," Jake said, lifting the camera onto his shoulder. Lena nodded. They moved closer to the rink as players skated through warm-up drills. She wrote down jersey numbers, coaching instructions, and observationsthat would help later when she began writing her article. For several minutes, she focused only on her work. Then the atmosphere changed. A murmur spread through the crowd of reporters. "Carter's coming." Several photographers quickly turned toward the players' tunnel. Cameras clicked into position, and television crews adjusted their lenses. Lena looked up. A tall figure stepped onto the ice wearing the Blizzards' navy practice jersey. The white C on his chest stood out beneath the bright arena lights. Ethan Carter. He pushed away from the boards with smooth, confident strides, greeting teammates with quiet nods before joining the morning drills. Nothing about him demanded attention, yet everyone watched him. Years had changed him. His shoulders were broader, his movements calmer, and the easy smile she remembered had been replaced by the quiet confidence of a man who carried enormous responsibility. Lena forgot to write. For a moment, she simply watched him. This wasn't the university student she had fallen in love with. This was one of the biggest names in professional hockey. As if sensing someone watching him, Ethan slowed near the blue line and lifted his head. His eyes swept across the reporters gathered behind the glass. Then they stopped. On her. The noise inside the arena seemed to disappear. Neither of them moved. Five years vanished in a single heartbeat as memories neither of them had invited rushed silently between them. Jake lowered his camera and glanced at Lena. "Do you know him?" She didn't answer. Across the ice, Ethan remained perfectly still, his eyes fixed on hers with an expression she couldn't read. Surprise. Regret. Or something else entirely. A coach's whistle finally broke the silence. Ethan looked away first and skated back toward his teammates as if nothing had happened. Only then did Lena remember to breathe. She lowered her eyes to the notebook in her hands, but the words on the page had become a blur. She had come to Blackwood Arena expecting to interview the captain of the New York Blizzards. She hadn't expected the first man who ever broke her heart to recognize her the moment he saw her. And somehow... She knew that meeting him again was about to change both of their lives.