Elliot POV
The league briefing room smelled like wood polish, hot electronics, and too many bodies in a closed space. Not ice. Not the clean cold of the rink. Just pressure.
I sat behind the long table and kept both hands under it so no one would see them shake. Sebastian sat beside me. Close enough that the sleeve of his charcoal suit brushed mine every time he shifted. His presence felt heavier than the room itself.
Six hours ago I had signed the full thirty-six-month contract. Three hours ago, a man had broken into the apartment to take me. Now we had to sell the marriage to a room full of reporters who already smelled blood.
Dana leaned in from behind my chair right before the doors opened. Her voice was low and tight.
"Short answers only. If they push the timeline or
