The Ice Queen and Her Three Captains.

No Regrets

Cole's POV



God knew I didn't want to be there. The only reason I was sitting on Stella's couch was that my publicist had spent three days convincing me it would be good for my image. Smile and answer. Promote the season. Then go home. Simple.

"I guess I haven't found the right person yet." The audience laughed. I smiled automatically. That answer wasn't even mine. Half the things I said were false.

Stella leaned forward. "What about your first love? Everybody's got one." The audience reacted immediately. Of course they did.

I chuckled. "I did have a girlfriend in high school. She was my high school sweetheart." "Ooh." Several people leaned forward. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "We were young." "Who broke whose heart?" Stella asked. I grinned. "I broke up with her." The audience gasped. Stella pointed dramatically. "I knew it." I laughed. She wasn't entirely wrong.

"I cared about her. I really did. During college, we moved in together. I was navigating my games and school, then she complained about the slightest thing, my mum, sister, and brother all warned me." For some reason, Megan's face appeared in my head. Her brown eyes and brown hair. The way she'd looked at me the night she left. I pushed the memory away. "But after a while, it felt like I was the only one trying to make things work. I was the one losing myself."

"I introduced her to my family. I made time for her. Eventually, I felt like it wasn't working anymore." I said what my publicist, Mike, had written, and that was exactly how I remembered it.

Stella nodded. "So, you walked away." "I did." "Any regrets?"

For the first time during the interview, I hesitated. The audience waited. Stella smiled. My eyes drifted somewhere past the cameras. Then I gave the Hollywood smile that showed my charms and had sold over a million jerseys.

"No regrets." My eyes moved away from the cameras and the audience, and I looked straight at the floor.

Megan's POV

I froze at the television hanging above the coffee shop counter, which blurred for a second.

"Miss? Your order is ready." I blinked. The barista was holding out a cardboard tray filled with six coffees. "Oh. Right." I stepped forward and took it, but my attention stayed fixed on the screen. Cole Winter's face had already disappeared. His words hadn't. No regrets. A bitter laugh almost escaped me.

What a liar. Five years later, and he still couldn't tell the truth.

I pushed through the coffee shop doors and stepped into the rush of morning traffic. The city was already awake. Cars crawled through packed streets. Nobody knew that the hockey superstar smiling on television was not just one of the biggest stars, but the biggest liar.Ahead of me, the glass skyscraper of STAR TELEVISION towered above the skyline. My stomach tightened. Work. The one place where I could usually forget about Cole Winter.

I slipped into the elevator just before the doors closed. As it climbed, his face kept flashing through my mind. No regrets. I rolled my eyes. "I don't care. That is not my problem," I murmured to myself, but I suspected the cable guy heard me as he gave me a quick glance before stepping out.

The elevator doors opened onto the sixth floor. Chaos greeted me immediately. Reporters, producers with headsets and camera operators wheeled equipment across the newsroom.

"Megan! Coffee!" I hadn't even stepped fully out of the elevator. Of course. Chelley. The network's golden girl sat at the anchor desk, perfectly dressed and perfectly irritating. "I'm coming," I called. I forced a smile and delivered the coffee tray.

Chelley didn't even look up from her script. "Megan." I turned. Mr. Marshall stood outside his office. "We're having a meeting. Now." I nodded quickly.

Five minutes later, I stood at the back of the conference room while everyone with a real title occupied the table. Mr. Marshall rubbed his temples. "The executives are complaining about ratings." Nobody spoke.

My pulse quickened. This was it. I raised my hand. "I think we should expand our sports coverage." Several heads turned. Encouraged, I continued. "Hockey is one of the fastest-growing audiences we're ignoring. We could create a feature series. Exclusive interviews with the league's biggest stars. Behind-the-scenes access. Something viewers can't get anywhere else."

The room fell silent. For one glorious second, I thought people were actually listening. Then Chelley spoke. "We have to interview the hottest young athletes." I stared at her. "What?" She sat forward. "The fans want drama. Attractive athletes. And the ratings will explode." Mr. Marshall pointed immediately. "Exactly." My stomach dropped. "Chelley, that's brilliant."

Brilliant? I had literally just said it.

"Hockey series. You anchor it. We'll call it Star Athletes." Just like that. My idea was hers. Again.

I opened my mouth. "Mr. Marshall, I," But he was already gathering his notes. Meeting over. People filed out of the room. I remained frozen, standing, looking at the door. Chelley stayed behind. Of course she did. She smiled. The smile of someone who was intentionally trying to hurt a person.

My mind flashed to my best friend Kim telling me to quit this stupid job.

"Don't take it personally." I looked at her. "You're a newbie, Megan." Each word landed like a slap. "With enough hard work, maybe one day you'll sit at the table with the rest of us." She stood. Newbie what did she even mean? I had worked there for two years, and she had only just come one year ago.

"Oh, and the coffee was perfect today. You're really good at that." Then she walked away. I stared after her. For years, I had studied harder. Worked longer. Stayed later. Believed talent would eventually matter. Yet somehow, I was still the girl carrying coffee while other people got ahead.