Chapter 20
I'd had bad mornings before. The time my car was towed on the day of a major press conference. Waking up with the flu during the playoffs. Reading Zayne's name in trade rumors for three straight weeks during a slump a few years ago.
But this? This was catastrophic.
I was still reeling from my conversation with Cam and had just returned with a coffee when Katie's face appeared in my doorway, her expression grim. "Lana," she said, holding her tablet like it might burst into flames. "You need to see this. Now."
The headline from glared up at me:
EXCLUSIVE: SLASHERS' STAR AND PR DIRECTOR CAUGHT IN FAKE ENGAGEMENT SCANDAL
My stomach dropped through the floor. The coffee slipped from my hand, splashing across my heels and onto the carpet. I barely noticed the burning liquid as it seeped into my Maison Margiela stilettos.
Katie closed the door as I scrolled through the article, each paragraph more devastating than the last.
A source inside the St. Petersburg Slashers confirm that the much-publicized engagement between left winger Cameron "The Hitman" Murphy and team publicity director Lana Decker was fabricated as part of an elaborate scheme to secure Murphy a lucrative endorsement deal with Redline Athletics.
According to documents obtained exclusively by HockeyInsider, both Murphy and Decker signed non-disclosure agreements regarding their arrangement, which was designed to rehabilitate Murphy's well-known playboy image ahead of final negotiations with the sportswear giant.
They had a copy of the NDA. Someone had leaked our actual NDA. I felt sick.
The source confirms the relationship was entirely professional until recently, the insider noting, "It was Lana's idea from the beginning. She created the playboy image for Cam, and then had to fix it when it backfired. The whole thing was a PR stunt."
I kept reading, unable to look away from the devastation unfolding on the screen.
The revelation comes as Murphy is reportedly considering a trade offer from Montreal, raising questions about the timing of the engagement and its potential dissolution.
Redline Athletics has not yet commented on how this development may affect their pending contract with Murphy, estimated to be worth over $5 million.
When reached for comment, the Slashers' front office declined to address specific allegations but stated that "personal matters between staff and players are handled internally."
My mind raced, trying to identify the source. Who had access to the NDA? Coach Sully, Coach Rocco, Marcus, Ryan Keller, legal... but why would any of them leak this? It made no sense.
"Who else has seen this?" I asked Katie, my PR brain calculating damage control scenarios while my personal life crumbled around me.
"It's everywhere," Katie said quietly, pulling up multiple tabs on her tablet. "ESPN picked it up. So did The Athletic. It's trending on TikTok. #FakeSlashers is the top hashtag in sports right now."
I scrolled through social media, each post like a knife to my gut.
@HockeyTalk79: So the Slashers PR director CREATED Cam Murphy as a player just to "fix" him later? That's some next-level manipulation. #FakeSlashers
@SlashersNation: I feel betrayed. We all bought into their love story. This is why you can't trust anything anymore. #FakeSlashers
@PuckPrincess24: @LanaDecker is a LIAR who used Cam for publicity. No wonder he's looking at Montreal. Get away from her, Cam! #FakeSlashers
I put the phone down, unable to take in any more. Numbly, I dabbed at my shoes with a wad of paper napkins.
"Just got a text from the GM's assistant. He called an emergency meeting in the conference room. Everyone's waiting," Katie said.
I grabbed my tablet and my coffee, taking a deep breath. Professional Lana needed to take over. I couldn't afford to be heartsick Lana right now.
"On my way," I said, squaring my shoulders. Crisis management 101: Acknowledge, Address, Advance. I'd navigated plenty of difficult scandals before, but nothing like this.
As we walked through the corridor, I noticed the stares. Staff members who normally greeted me cheerfully suddenly found reasons to look at their phones. A few whispered as I passed.
For over a decade, I had built my reputation in this organization. I'd started with the Slashers as a summer intern after my sophomore year of college. Ten plus years of integrity, hard work, and dedication. And in one morning, it was dissolving before my eyes.
The conference room felt like a war zone. Marcus, our GM, was at the head of the table, phone pressed to his ear. Coach Sully and Coach Rocco sat grim-faced to his right. Ryan Keller, Cam's agent, was pacing by the window, gesturing wildly during his own phone conversation.
And there was Cam, sitting alone at the far end of the table. Our eyes met briefly, his filled with apologies I couldn't accept right now.
I sat as far from him as possible.
"Redline is threatening to pull the entire deal," Ryan announced as he ended his call. "They're claiming potential brand damage. I've got a Zoom with their executive team in an hour."
Marcus hung up his own call. "I've just spoken with ownership. They're concerned, obviously, but they want to know our strategy before making any statements." He turned to me. "Lana, what are we looking at here?"
All eyes in the room turned to me. Despite the circumstances, they still expected me to fix this. It was both comforting and daunting.
"First, we need to identify the source of the leak," I said, falling back on training and experience.
"Someone potentially breached the NDA, which gives us legal recourse.
Second, we need coordinated messaging – from the team, from Cam, and from me.
Third, we need to contact Redline directly and try to get ahead of their public statement. "
Coach Sully nodded, "Who had access to the NDA?"
"Everyone in this room," I replied. "Plus legal."
"It obviously wasn't anyone here," Cam spoke up, his voice rough. "It had to be someone else."
"The only other people who knew the details are Logan and Zayne," I said. "And they wouldn't do this."
"Never," said Cam.
"Agreed," said Marcus. "But someone clearly did."
Coco knew too, but neither Cam nor I volunteered that information. She wouldn't betray us.
"Does anyone on your staff know?" Marcus asked me.
"No," I said. "They all assumed it was real."
"Well, you did a helluva job selling it," said Ryan. It sounded a lot more like an accusation than a compliment – rich coming from the certified genius who came up with this disaster-in-the-making in the first place.
I straightened in my chair, professional instincts taking over despite the emotional hurricane inside me. "We'll also need to correct some key misrepresentations in the reporting."
"Such as?" Coach Sully asked.
"For one, we never explicitly claimed to be engaged to the press," I pointed out. "We deliberately avoided using those terms in any official capacity. If you look at the NDA, the words 'engagement' and 'fiance' never appear – because I worded it that way intentionally."
"Why does that matter now?" Ryan asked, frustration evident in his voice.
"Because we haven't lied," I said firmly. "We've allowed assumptions, yes. We've been strategic with our presentation, absolutely. But we've never made false statements to the press or public."
"Will that distinction really help?" Marcus asked.
"It gives us solid ground to stand on," I explained. "And NDAs are standard practice in celebrity relationships – especially when they involve workplace dynamics. There's nothing inherently scandalous about having one."
"They're citing a source inside the Slashers organization," Marcus noted, reading from the article. "That could be anyone from coaching to equipment management to janitors."
My phone buzzed with an incoming call from ESPN. I silenced it, only to have it immediately start buzzing again with calls from Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, and several local stations.
"They're circling like sharks," Ryan muttered. "You need to make a statement before this gets worse."
I felt ill, watching my career disintegrate in real time. Everything I'd built, every barrier I'd broken as one of the few female PR directors in the league – all threatened because I'd crossed the line between professional and personal.
"We need to respond," I said, voice steadier than I felt. "I'll draft a statement for the organization refuting the unnamed source's claims..." Professional mode. Just focus on the job. "Cam, we should discuss what you want to say."
Cam nodded.
"Also, HockeyInsider was the original piece, and all the other outlets are running with their reporting so far.
They're only quoting one source, which means they couldn't find confirmation.
The NDA doesn't stand on its own without a source to tell the story – it looks like every other pro athlete's relationship NDA.
"What does that mean?" Marcus asked.
"If we can discredit the source in time, then the story dies," I say.
While I worked on the draft, my phone continued to light up with notifications. I couldn't help but glance at them.
@RedlineAthletics has officially put their deal with Cam Murphy "under review pending further information" #FakeSlashers
Sources say @LanaDecker masterminded the fake engagement to save Cam's deal after years of promoting his playboy image. Talk about creating a problem to solve it. #FakeSlashers
Montreal reportedly reconsidering trade offer for Murphy after character concerns raised by scandal. #FakeSlashers #NHL
The room felt suddenly airless. Not only was I watching my own reputation implode, but now I might be responsible for destroying Cam's career opportunities as well. The Redline deal. The Montreal trade. All potentially gone because of our fake fucking engagement.