Chapter 36
Oliver
Rina’s face drains of all color as she stares at her cell, fingers clenching around the slim device as if it’s the only thing keeping her upright. “It’s from Hugh. He wants to see me in his office.”
Even though she’s trying to hold herself together, her voice is small and tight, each syllable strung with tension. Barely restrained panic flickers in her eyes as her throat works around a hard swallow.
I reach out and gently slip the phone from her hands, setting it on the desk with deliberate care. “I’m coming with you.”
Her head snaps up, eyes flashing as she shoots me a hard look. “No. I can handle it myself.”
“The hell you will,” I growl, already pushing to my feet. “You’re not walking into that room without me at your side. We’re a team now, babe. You and me.”
Her lips part as if to argue, but I don’t give her the chance.
Instead, I reach for her hand, threading my fingers through hers.
The contact is grounding. She resists just enough to make something pull tight in me before finally letting me guide her toward the door.
Her hand trembles against my palm. It’s a quiet echo of everything she’s trying to hide, and only hardens my resolve to protect her at all costs.
We walk down the corridor in silence. She chews her bottom lip, worrying it until the delicate skin turns pale. I can almost see her thoughts spinning out of control, moving faster than she can catch them. Every part of me wants to stop, tip her chin up, and make her see she belongs with me.
That she’s safe.
But words won’t convince her.
Time will.
Actions will.
And when she’s ready to believe me, she’ll finally understand I meant everything I said.
As soon as we step into Hugh’s office, the atmosphere shifts.
The space smells of rich leather and wood polish.
Floor-to-ceiling windows let in muted light that glints off the bookcases.
Evelyn is already here, poised with perfect composure on one of the worn leather chairs, her legs crossed elegantly to the side.
Hugh sits behind his antique desk, tension drawn around his mouth as a storm brews in the furrow of his brow.
I guide Rina toward the nearest chair before settling beside her. Only then does my palm find her thigh. My grip isn’t hard, but it’s firm enough to hopefully steady her. When she shifts like she might pull away, I tighten my hold just a bit.
Not to restrain, but to remind her she’s not alone in this.
She wanted to keep us hidden.
And for a while, I played it her way.
But now that’s over.
As we sit in the team owner’s office with everything about to crumble, I’m done pretending.
Hugh steeples his fingers, elbows braced on the desk as his gaze flicks between us.
His expression gives nothing away. “Oliver, this is a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you to join us.”
My stare doesn’t waver. “If something involves Rina, it involves me too.”
The woman next to me flinches. It’s a small movement, but it lands with the force of a blow.
Hugh’s eyes narrow. “Then I don’t suppose there’s a need to ask if you two are in a relationship.”
Rina falters, her body rising and falling too fast as she stares at her lap. When she finally lifts her chin, it takes visible effort, as if she has to summon every ounce of strength.
“No,” she says quietly. “Oliver and I have been seeing each other.”
Hugh exhales, the sound deliberate and controlled. “I’m sure you’re aware that you signed a no-fraternization clause in your contract, Rina.”
Her shoulders cave inward, folding as though the reminder itself has weight. Her hands twist in her lap until her knuckles turn bone white. She knows exactly what that means.
Termination, public scandal, years of hard work gone in a puff of smoke.
The woman who has no problem commanding a room, who can make executives and reporters flinch under her hard stare, is gone.
All that’s left is someone who’s bracing for impact.
“I am,” she whispers.
The defeat in her tone is all it takes for me to snap into action.
My palm slams down on the arm of the chair with a crack before I lean forward. “She’s pregnant.”
Evelyn gasps, her hand flying to the spot just below her collarbone, as Hugh’s brows jerk upward in a rare moment of shock.
Rina turns her head toward me. Her eyes are wide as fear shimmers in them like fractured glass.
Evelyn’s lips part, as though to speak, but she presses them together again, composure snapping into place. Hugh leans back in his chair as his expression flattens into something unreadable.
I glance at Rina. The stricken look on her face hollows me out. Almost like I yanked the rug out from under her. She doesn’t see it yet, but laying everything bare is the only way to move forward.
At least, that’s what I tell myself as I reach for her hand, desperate to anchor her to me.
She flinches, as if my touch burns.
For a moment, I wonder if I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Rina doesn’t understand that I’d tear down the world for her.
But what if the first thing I destroy is the life she built for herself?
The one that lets her stand on her own two feet and makes her feel safe?
Hugh clears his throat, the sound measured. “There are rules in place—”
“I don’t give a damn about your rules,” I rasp. “The three of us are a family now, and that’s all that matters.”
Another charged silence stretches, until it feels seconds away from detonating.
Evelyn clears her throat, attempting to ease the pressure. “Perhaps we should take a moment to gain some clarity.”
Her attention shifts to Rina as understanding floods her eyes along with a hint of regret.
When I drag my focus back to the woman at my side, her eyes are bright with unshed tears. She doesn’t speak or reach for me. Instead, she folds further into herself, shoulders curling inward like she’s trying to disappear.
Hugh’s voice cuts through the quiet. “If I bend the rules for you, what’s the point in having them at all?”
I grind my jaw so hard it aches.
“I understand,” she whispers.
Evelyn leans forward, tone soft but firm. “Hugh, surely we have some flexibility—”
He cuts her off. “No, we don’t.”
Rina blinks, her lashes fluttering. She’s holding herself together with nothing but sheer force of will. One wrong word and she’ll break.
“Oliver and Rina,” Evelyn says, forcing a serene smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Would you mind giving us a moment?”
“Sure,” I mutter, rising to my feet. My arm slips around Rina automatically, steadying her as I guide her over the threshold.
“If you wouldn’t mind closing the door on your way out,” Evelyn adds gently as we step into the hall.
The air out here is cooler. It’s a relief after the oppressiveness of Hugh’s office. Rina nearly collapses against the wall, her knees buckling. I catch her before she hits the floor, and drag her to me, holding her tight. She trembles as her breath comes in shallow, uneven pulls.
“You’re not alone in this,” I remind her. “You might not have figured it out yet, but you’ve been mine since day one. Which means your battles are mine to fight.” I tilt her chin upward until her gaze catches mine. “If you want me to ask for a trade, I’ll do it.”
Her eyes flare as disbelief fills them. “You’d really do that?”
There’s zero hesitation on my part. “Babe, I’d do just about anything you asked me to. Short of murder. And honestly? That’s not a hard line for me.”
Her lips quiver as an exhale leaves them. “Can you imagine the hate I’d get if the Big O got traded because of me? The fans would run me out of Chicago.”
I press my forehead against hers as my thumb brushes away a tear that’s slipped free. “No one has to know the reason.”
Even though she shakes her head, I see the faint spark of hope that fills her eyes.
“What about starting your own PR firm?” I ask, searching for anything that might give her back even a shred of control she’s lost. “The Railers didn’t make your career. You did that all on your own. They’ve just been lucky enough to have you.”
She stares at me for a long beat. Her mouth parts just as the door creaks open and Evelyn beckons us back inside.
I lace my fingers with Rina’s before squeezing them tight. It’s a silent vow that whatever comes next, she won’t face it alone.
This time, she doesn’t pull away.
Something shifts between us. It hums with everything we haven’t said, and everything I might’ve broken trying to protect her.