Chapter 2 Bumped…

A strange feeling settled in Jasper’s chest. He quickly grabbed his phone from the locker and turned it on. Notifications flooded the screen immediately. His brows furrowed as he clicked on the number one trending topic.

The moment the page loaded, his expression froze.

THE ICE TYRANT’S MESSY PRIVATE LIFE FINALLY REVEALED

Attached beneath the article were several blurry close-up photos taken outside a hotel late at night.

In one picture, an unfamiliar woman clung tightly to Jasper’s arm. Another photo showed her leaning dangerously close to his face while Jasper lowered his head slightly, making it seem like they were kissing. Jasper’s eyes darkened instantly. He had never seen the woman before in his life. But the angles of the photos made everything look intimate. And to make things worse, the hashtag:

#IceHockeyTyrantMessyPrivateLife had already climbed to the top of the trending list.

Jasper scrolled downward and saw thousands of comments flooded the screen.

“Knew he was fake.”

“So this is the league’s golden player?”

“Disgusting. Acting perfect in public while sleeping around privately.”

“Athletes are all the same.”

“Can’t believe I supported this man.”

“Hope his sponsors drop him.”

“What a shameless player.”

"I heard he is a cheat."

Jasper’s grip around the phone tightened dangerously. His breathing grew heavier with every comment. He suddenly, threw the phone violently onto the bench.

“This is a setup!” he shouted furiously. “They fucking set me up!”

Coach Miller let out a frustrated sigh as she sat on the bench and clasped her face. “Now, the NHL League will be involved.” 

The room became more silent because everyone now understood more how serious this was. The NHL league was known for holding strict public image standards. One scandal like this could destroy endorsements, ruin sponsorships, and completely damage a player’s career.

And for someone like Jasper Warren, the league’s most famous player, this was only the beginning of the nightmare.

By the next morning, the scandal had gotten even worse. News articles flooded the internet nonstop while the hashtag about Jasper continued trending across every platform. More edited photos and fake stories began spreading online, pulling more attention toward the situation. The team management quickly called Jasper in for an emergency meeting. The atmosphere inside the conference room was cold and tense.

Several executives sat across the long table, staring at him with serious expressions. No one looked happy to see him. Jasper sat quietly in his chair, his jaw tight. 

“Seven days.” One of the executives finally spoke. His tone was calm, but it sounded like a judge delivering a sentence.

“You have seven days to reverse public opinion, rebuild your image, and make the public believe you are stable again.”

Then another executive leaned forward slightly. “If you fail,” he said firmly, “you will be reduced to a substitute player. And every endorsement deal connected to your name will be terminated.”

Jasper expression darkened immediately as the word hit him. Not one person in the room looked like they were joking. This was real. His career was hanging by a thread.

“Seven days? How am I supposed to do that?” Jasper muttered as he walked out of the meeting room, heading towards the bathroom. He turned on the tap and slowly washed his hands, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His face looks tired. Since last night, he hasn’t been able to have a good bit of sleep.

“Our Ice Tyrant is here.” Kyle’s mocking voice echoed behind him. Jasper turned sharply. 

Kyle stood at the entrance with a lazy smile, hands in his pockets, looking completely relaxed. Like he had been waiting for this moment.

Kyle sighed softly. “You know… I always thought this day would never come,” he said. “And now it finally has. My plan actually worked.”

Jasper’s expression darkened as he understood his words. “You idiot,” Jasper said coldly as he stepped forward and grabbed Kyle’s shirt. “You fucking framed me?!”

Kyle didn’t look scared. Instead, he grabbed Jasper’s wrist calmly.

“Relax,” he said. “You don’t want another scandal, do you?”

Slowly, he pushed Jasper’s hand away and straightened his shirt. Jasper’s breathing grew heavier.

“Fuck you,” he said through clenched teeth.

Kyle smirked. “We’ll see how long you keep talking like that,” he said. “After you’re reduced to a substitute.”

He gave a small laugh, turned around, and walked out of the bathroom like nothing happened. Jasper stood still for a moment as his hands slowly clenched into tight fists.

As Jasper walked out of the conference room, his phone suddenly vibrated inside his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. It turned out to be Coach Miller. Jasper let out a tired sigh before answering the call.

“I heard about the meeting,” Coach Miller said immediately. “And I heard what they told you.”

Jasper rubbed a hand through his hair tiredly.“Seven days,” he muttered. “That’s barely enough time to fix something like this.”

There was a short silence before Coach Miller spoke again. “I may have an idea.”

Jasper stopped walking. “What kind of idea?”

“We need to shift the public’s attention,” she said calmly. “Or better yet, completely defuse the scandal.”

Jasper frowned slightly. “How?”

“We create a new image for you,” Coach Miller explained. “Something stable. Something believable. We just need someone willing to help.”

Jasper immediately thought about Claire, his childhood friend. She would have been the perfect person for this. But she had already left the country the night before.

“I don’t think I have anyone,” he admitted quietly.

“Then find someone,” Coach Miller said firmly. The call ended shortly after.

Jasper lowered the phone slowly before shoving it back into his pocket. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. His head already hurt from stress.

As he stepped out of the building and headed toward the parking lot, he barely paid attention to where he was going. When he suddenly bumped into someone hard.

A camera slipped from the person’s hand and crashed onto the floor. 

“Shit—I’m sorry,” Jasper said quickly as he bent down and picked up the camera carefully.

But the moment he looked up to hand it back, a familiar face stared back at him. For a second, neither of them moved.

“Adrian,” Jasper said quietly.

“Jasper.”

They spoke at the same time.