His Dangerous Love On Ice Chapter 126: Olive's Pov

"No, he won't," she said. "He's being sued for illegal acquisition of contracts. They're saying he fraudulently obtained the deal in the first place. And now..." She paused dramatically. "This is where you come in."

I raised my head, staring at her with what I hoped was a neutral expression but probably looked more like panic.

"The AI Quantum Company that Cole lost the deal to?" Brenda continued. "They're one of our new partners now. And they specifically requested you to select three candidates for their upcoming shoot. Three hockey players from different teams. And you'll be supervising the entire project."

My heart started pounding.

No. No way.

"The email with all the details should be in your inbox," Brenda said, standing up and walking toward the door with that infuriating confidence of hers.

She stopped at the threshold, turning back to look at me with a wink.

"Oh, and I heard two of the players are brothers," she said, her voice dripping with false innocence. "One of them being the guy you're dating. Or not dating. Or whatever complicated situation you two have going on."

She whistled her way out of my office, leaving me sitting there with my heart in my throat.

No.

There was no way.

My email pinged, the sound cutting through the silence like a gunshot.

I stared at my screen, my cursor hovering over the new message.

Subject: AI Quantum Brand Ambassador Selection - URGENT

From: Hopkins Strategic Development Team

My hands were shaking as I clicked it open.

The email was professional. Detailed. Laid out exactly what Brenda had said—I was to review three candidates, assess their fit for the brand, supervise the preliminary shoot, and make a recommendation.

And then I saw the names.

Candidate 1: Zane Mercer - Chicago Wolves

My breath caught.

Candidate 2: Antonio Mercer - Detroit Vipers

I stared at the two names, my brain struggling to process.

Below the names were photos. Professional headshots.

Zane looked exactly like himself—cold, intense, dangerous. His eyes stared directly at the camera with that predatory focus that made my stomach flip. He was wearing his Wolves jersey, arms crossed, jaw tight. Everything about the photo screamed "don't fuck with me."

And then there was Antonio.

I'd seen his name before, obviously. Knew Zane had a younger brother. But I'd never really looked at him. Never paid attention.

Antonio was... different.

Where Zane was dark and brooding, Antonio had this lighter energy. His smile in the photo was easy, charming. His eyes were the same color as Zane's but warmer somehow. Less guarded.

He looked dangerous too, but in a completely different way. The kind of dangerous that snuck up on you. That made you underestimate him until it was too late.

There was something about him I couldn't quite put my finger on. Something that made me uneasy in a way I didn't understand.

But the deal was clear.

I was going to meet these two brothers. Assess them. Work with them.

Spend time with Zane after a week of radio silence.

Perfect. Just perfect.

My phone rang, making me jump.

I looked at the screen.

Grayson.

I sighed and picked up, praying this wasn't going to make my day even worse.

"Olive," his voice came through, calm and professional. "Have you received the email?"

"Yes," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "From Quantum AI."

"Good." There was a pause, and I could almost hear him choosing his words carefully. "There's been a change of plans."

My stomach dropped.

"The Mercer brothers won't be available to come to Hopkins for the assessment," Grayson continued. "Due to the ongoing situation with their father—who's currently trying to bail himself out of criminal charges—they've requested that the meetings take place at the Mercer Company headquarters instead."

No.

No no no.

"So effective tomorrow," Grayson said, and I could hear papers shuffling on his end, "you'll be temporarily transferred to work out of the Mercer Company offices. You'll conduct your assessment there and also perform a review of their company to ensure they're still a healthy partner for our collaboration."

My throat was too dry to speak.

"Olive?" Grayson's voice sharpened slightly. "Are you still there?"

"Yes," I managed. "I'm here."

"Good," he said, and I could hear the faint smile in his voice. Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me. "Get ready. Your materials will be transferred there first thing in the morning. Go do a good job."

The line went dead.

I sat there, staring at my phone, my heart racing so fast I thought it might explode.

Tomorrow.

I was going to the Mercer Company tomorrow.

To Zane's territory. His world. His domain.

After a week of silence. A week of not speaking. A week of whatever the hell this cold war between us was.

I dropped my phone on the desk and put my head in my hands.

This was a nightmare.

Or maybe it was exactly what I needed.

I didn't know anymore.

All I knew was that tomorrow, I was going to see him again.

And I had absolutely no idea what I was going to say.