The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 31

That night had turned into an unexpected celebration at the local bar. It was the nicest one in town, at least in terms of cleanliness. We figured we'd invite Lucas out as well, and he swiftly accepted the offer.

We had ordered a few rounds of every drink on the specials menu and downed them with reckless abandon. By the third, I'd already grown dizzy and had to drop out of the challenge. Lucas and Aria persisted, chugging down their margaritas before slamming down their glasses.

“You've gone soft, Evie!” Lucas drawled, and he threw his head back with laughter. “Aria, you can actually keep up.”

“As if I’m going to be outdone by you. This was my town first, newbie!” Aria spouted defiantly. A waitress passed and Aria called to her, motioning for her to approach before ordering their next set of drinks.

“Leave me out. I’m quitting,” | mumbled. It was difficult to keep my head up as it rolled back and forth. Too much weight in one direction meant losing my balance completely. The two of them booed me and | waved them off.

It felt nice to let loose for the night. The nerves had been tearing me apart recently, and | could feel the extra stress causing some pain in my gut. If | kept it up, I'd end up passing out from exhaustion.

The waitress finally came by with their next set of drinks. After counting down, Aria and Lucas raced to finish them.

As | watched in amusement, my phone began to buzz against my hip. Wearily, It took it out and checked the screen. It wasn’t from Bruce, but who it was instead didn’t make me feel any better.

| excused myself from the table and made my way to the ladies‘ room on the other end of the bar. My nose twitched at the fresh scent of bile and stale food as | shuffled into one of the stalls. | answered the call, bracing myself for what he’d have to say.

“Mr. Fitzgerald.” | tried to keep my voice as steady as possible, still feeling lucid from the drinks. “How may | help you?” “This is my last warning,” he blurted out, not bothering with the pleasantries. “If

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you don’t drop the case now, there is no turning back.”

“You have very weird timing,” | grumbled, leaning against the wall for support. “But I'll humor you. We'll be proceeding with the case as planned.”

Mr. Fitzgerald groaned, clearly at his wits end on the matter. He seemed as tired as Iwas.

“Very well,” he said, and he let out a long sigh. “I will see you in court then.” Agiggle slipped from my lips. “All right then. Bring some tissues for the aftermath.”

His next words were far less restrained, carrying the weight of an intense hatred. “Laugh now, Ms. Sinclair. You'll need the confidence boost for when | destroy you and that pathetic little career of yours in court!”

He hung up, leaving me speechless in the rancid smelling bathroom. I had mye

against Mr. Fitzgerald, but | was starting to wonder how much good it would do in the aftermath. If he really was the most powerful man, how could an upcoming lawyer like me fight against him?

| woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. My temples were buzzing as | rolled out of bed and stood on my aching feet. Our time at the bar had been at nice shift from all the drama with Timothy's case, but that had ended quickly with Mr. Fitzgerald’ call.

After washing up and getting dressed, | made my way to the kitchen and found Aria seated at the breakfast bar with a bowl of yogurt. Her free hand was fixed to the laptop in front of her as she scrolled through apartment listings.

“Getting started without me?” | asked between yawns as | shuffled over to the fridge. | didn’t have much of an appetite, so | made myself a glass of water before taking the seat beside her. They were all located downtown, based on the addresses.

“| was just browsing. Although these have looked the best out of the bunch so far,” said Aria. She scooped some yogurt into her mouth and frowned. “Plus, | needed to set some standards.”

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| scoffed. “Standards?”

“Yes. | get being frugal and all, Evie, but | think should be more lenient when it comes to our living space. | mean, look at where we are now.”

She motioned to the rest of the apartment, emphasizing the stained ceilings and torn carpet. The walls had unidentifiable blotches of color that turned my stomach whenever | even guessed the origin. While it wasn’t as suffocating as it had been prior to us adding some life to it, it was still in poor condition.

“Well, what are your expectations then?” | asked hesitantly, watching as a sly grin emerged on Aria’s face. She navigated around the website and finally found what she was looking for. She turned the screen to face me and waited expectantly.

| hummed, scooting closer so that | could read through the description. It was a fully furnished, two-story luxury apartment with an earthy modern look. It even came with a view of the city.

My admiration for it plummeted, however, once | spotted the price lingering at the very bottom. “It's almost $2,000 per month!” | gasped.

“Which we can afford,” Aria quickly added, sliding the laptop back. “We both have well—paying jobs. It doesn’t make since for us to limit ourselves based on appearing ‘humble’ in the eyes of the public.”

“It's not about appearance,” | retorted. “It’s about being practical.”

Aria clapped her hands. “Yes! Practical was also part of my plan. | mean, this is a gated apartment complex, so if random strangers can’t get inside...”

The realization dawned on me, and | felt some of my resolve slip away. If there was more protection at this place, that meant paparazzi couldn't camp outside. door. It also meant Bruce couldn't get to me.

side my Still, the cost was painful to look at. We could make a more cost-effective decision, but Aria seemed pretty determined with this one.

She grabbed my hands and cupped them in hers, her eyes pleading. “Evie, please! We could at least go check it out. Then, if you're really not feeling it, we can try something else,”

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| stared her down, fighting hard to resist her puppy—dog eyes as she beamed with hope. Eventually, | relented with a sigh and removed my hands from her grasp.

“Fine,” | said, crossing my arms. “But we’re just looking.” “Yay!” Aria hopped out of her seat and ran to her room, not even bothering to shut her door as she changed clothes.

| took another sip of my water and shook my head. | wished | could be as chipper, but | was desperate for this change above all else.

AIA