Chapter Eleven #2
“You are suspended, facing a disciplinary investigation, and possibly losing a major contract. Firing your agent now is reckless.”
“Then it is my reckless choice.”
“You need representation.”
“I need someone who understands that people are not contract terms.”
Graham’s face hardened.
“You are destroying years of work.”
Emmett did not move.
“No. You decided the work mattered more than the woman being harmed.”
The room went silent.
Piper could see the accusation was not only for Graham.
Emmett heard himself inside it.
That mattered more than the anger.
Graham slipped the sunglasses into his pocket.
“You will regret this.”
“Possibly.”
“Do you have another response?”
“No.”
Graham looked at Piper.
“I never agreed to help Owen hurt you.”
“You decided the possibility of my humiliation was worth exploring if it improved Emmett’s prospects.”
“That is not what happened.”
“It is exactly what happened. The only disagreement is how politely you would phrase it.”
His expression tightened.
Piper held out her hand.
“Send every message, email, projection, and file Owen gave you to Daniel.”
“I am Emmett’s former representative. I have confidentiality obligations.”
“To Emmett,” Emmett said. “I authorize the release.”
Graham looked between them.
“You trust her with everything now?”
The question sounded designed to reopen a wound.
Emmett did not hesitate.
“Yes.”
Piper’s heartbeat changed.
Graham sent the files.
Maren confirmed their arrival in the shared evidence folder.
He left without saying goodbye.
No one spoke until the front door closed.
Tyler exhaled.
“That was the least enjoyable firing I have ever attended.”
“How many have you attended?” Ava asked.
“Two. The other involved a frozen-yogurt machine.”
Griffin pointed toward the kitchen.
“Go inventory snacks.”
“That is not a real task.”
“It is now.”
Tyler and Beckett disappeared together, which made the snack inventory immediately unreliable.
Piper turned toward Emmett.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“That answer is contractually suspicious.”
“I am not under contract anymore.”
“Too soon.”
His mouth moved.
Piper lowered her voice.
“You did not have to fire him because of me.”
“I did not.”
“It sounded related.”
“I fired him because I cannot trust him.”
“Because of what he did to me.”
“Because of what he believed he was allowed to do.”
The distinction mattered.
Piper nodded slowly.
Emmett reached for Graham’s forwarded messages.
“Owen said he knew how to make the relationship happen.”
Maren moved closer.
“That was before the bet.”
“Yes.”
Piper reopened the photograph.
“The night before.”
Griffin checked the first message timestamp.
“Owen sent it at ten. The livestream happened the following afternoon.”
Ava looked toward Piper.
“Who knew the boyfriend question would come up?”
“Tyler,” Piper said.
Griffin shook his head. “Tyler did not know. The breakup clip entered through the live comment feed. He reacted.”
“Who submitted the clip?” Maren asked.
Everyone went quiet.
The video had appeared on the giant screen because it was tagged into the livestream’s public media feed.
Any viewer could submit content.
Piper opened the event control log.
Maren sat beside her and entered the administrator password.
Hundreds of user submissions appeared.
Photographs.
Comments.
Short video clips.
The breakup video had been uploaded three minutes before Tyler asked Piper whether she believed in love.
The account name was random.
The file origin was not.
Maren opened the technical details.
“Same software used to edit the audio recording.”
“Owen’s team,” Piper said.
“Probably.”
Emmett leaned over the screen.
“What about the envelopes?”
Piper looked at him.
Tyler had admitted there were two cards with Emmett’s name.
Beckett had switched the colored labels, but that alone should not have created a duplicate card.
“Call Tyler,” Piper said.
Griffin shouted toward the kitchen.
Tyler returned carrying three bags of chips.
“Inventory is strong.”
“Who created the name cards?” Piper asked.
“I did.”
“When?”
“The morning of the livestream.”
“Where?”
“The supply tent.”
“Did you leave them unattended?”
Tyler thought about it.
“For ten minutes.”
“Why?”
“Beckett said the inflatable goalie was moving.”
“It was wind,” Griffin said.
“It appeared motivated.”
“Who was inside the tent while you were gone?” Emmett asked.
Tyler’s expression changed.
“Sasha.”
Piper straightened.
“Owen’s photographer.”
“She was returning sponsor equipment. I did not think anything of it.”
“Did she touch the envelopes?”
“I do not know.”
Tyler placed the chip bags on the table.
“When I came back, they were in a different order.”
Griffin stared at him. “You did not mention that.”
“I assumed Beckett moved them.”
Beckett called from the kitchen, “I only changed the labels.”
Piper opened the registration photo of Sasha Reid.
Blue sweater.
Dark hair.
The woman who helped stage the Briar Bean scene.
She had access to the supply tent.
The contract.
The envelopes.
She could have added Emmett’s name.
“Owen created the bet,” Piper said.
“Not completely,” Maren replied. “He could not have predicted your exact response.”
“He did not need to. He needed public chaos involving me and a Ridgeview player.”
Emmett looked at the messages from Graham’s phone.
“He wanted me.”
Piper’s attention moved toward him.
“He knew I would agree,” Emmett said. “He told Graham that.”
“Because he knew you had feelings for me.”
“Yes.”
Piper looked at the event timeline.
Owen submitted the breakup video.
Tyler reacted.
The crowd demanded a bet.
Sasha added Emmett’s name to the envelopes.
Emmett arrived at exactly the right moment.
That final part still felt too convenient.
“How did Emmett know to come to the stage?” she asked.
“I did not,” Emmett said. “I finished training early.”
Griffin looked at him.
“Why?”
“Coach canceled the final drill.”
“Why?”
Emmett’s expression changed.
“He received a call.”
The room went silent.
Griffin pulled out his phone.
“From whom?”
“I do not know.”
Emmett called the Ridgeview assistant coach.
The conversation lasted less than a minute.
He ended it and placed the phone on the table.
“The caller reported a gas smell near the training rink.”
“Was there one?” Piper asked.
“No.”
Someone had ended practice early.
Someone had ensured Emmett arrived while Piper stood on the stage.
This was not opportunistic.
It had been choreographed.
Piper’s phone vibrated.
A new email from the anonymous sender appeared.
NOW YOU UNDERSTAND.
A second line followed.
I PUT HIS NAME IN THE ENVELOPE.
Piper’s fingers tightened around the phone.
Emmett moved beside her.
Another message arrived.
OWEN PAID ME TO CREATE THE STORY.
The sender attached a photograph of Sasha Reid holding her driver’s license beside her face.
Alive.
Terrified.
The final message appeared.
I WILL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING, BUT HE KNOWS I CONTACTED YOU.
Piper read the words aloud.
Then Sasha sent an address.
A roadside motel forty minutes outside Lake Briar.
Beneath it was one final warning.
COME BEFORE DARK. DO NOT brING POLICE. IF I AM NOT THERE, OWEN FOUND ME FIRST.