Chapter 7: Cooperation and Confrontation

Nice apartment. Thin walls though. Sleep tight, little girl. I've missed you. -R

I stared at the message, heart pounding so hard I thought my ribs might crack. He knew where I lived. After all these years, Robert had found me.

Tomorrow, I had to face the only other person who'd ever made me feel this terrified and exposed—knowing that while I sat across from Caspian, somewhere in the darkness, Robert was watching, waiting for me to break all over again.

I took a deep breath and tossed my phone onto the bed. Whatever Robert was planning, I couldn't let him destroy my career. Not again. Not let him control my life again.

My anxiety meds did nothing to stop my hands from shaking as I walked into Morgan & Wright's conference room. Less than twelve hours had passed since Caspian's public confession, and the media storm was still raging. My phone hadn't stopped buzzing with reporters wanting the "true story behind the Warriors quarterback's shocking revelation."

Diana Wright was waiting for me, her Louboutins tapping an impatient rhythm against the marble floor. "Your star client arrives in five minutes. Try not to let personal history interfere with billable hours."

I forced my perfect professional smile into place. "He's just another client."

"A client who specifically requested you by name after making a rather dramatic public apology." Her knowing smile made my skin crawl. "How... convenient for your career trajectory."

The implied threat was clear - mess this up, and I could kiss my future at Morgan & Wright goodbye. I straightened my discount store blazer. "I can handle it."

"We'll see." Diana's eyes flickered to the door. "Show time."

He walked in like he owned the room - because of course he did. Six years hadn't made me immune to the effect Caspian Drake had on a space. The boy who'd broken my heart had grown into someone more dangerous - all contained power and quiet intensity that made my treacherous pulse spike.

"Miss Winters." His voice still had the power to send electricity down my spine. "Thank you for taking my case."

I focused on my laptop screen, grateful for the barrier. "The Warriors are trying to void your contract using the morality clause. Let's start there."

"About last night's press conference-"

"Not relevant to your legal situation." I cut him off. "Tell me about these photos with Victoria Palmer."

Caspian's POV:

The conference room felt like a cage, and Sage's professional mask was the bars keeping me out. She sat across from me, all sharp edges and careful polish, nothing like the shy bookworm who'd once made me believe in second chances.

"Those photos with Victoria Palmer," she said, her voice clinically detached. "Tell me the real story."

"It's a setup." The words tasted bitter. "Her father's trying to force a relationship to control me. The photos, the 'chance' meetings - it's all orchestrated."

She finally looked up, and for a moment I saw past the lawyer mask to the girl I'd hurt so badly. Her eyes still held that fierce intelligence that had first drawn me in, now sharpened by years of pain I'd caused. "They're building a case against you. Creating a paper trail of behavior that violates the clause."

"Can they void my contract?"

"They can try." Her smile held no warmth. "But if we can prove they're orchestrating the negative publicity..."

"We?" I couldn't help the hope that crept into my voice.

She stiffened, and I watched the walls slam back into place. "Figure of speech. As your attorney, I need complete honesty. No surprises." Her eyes met mine with steel in them. "No games."

The memory hit like a physical blow - standing on her doorstep six years ago, facing her stepfather's smugly cruel smile.

"Come to check on your winnings?" Robert had sneered. "Five hundred dollars? Not bad for a night's work."

I'd wanted to tell him he was wrong, that the bet had just been an excuse to get close to her. That somewhere between study sessions and late-night conversations, I'd fallen for the girl who saw past the jersey to the mess underneath. But all I could manage was, "Let me talk to her."

"My daughter learned her lesson about trusting pretty boys with daddy's money." His eyes had glittered with something that made my skin crawl. "Now get off my property before I call the cops."

That night, I'd run until my lungs burned and my legs gave out, trying to escape the knowledge that I'd destroyed the best thing in my life for my teammates' approval. The next morning, I'd thrown myself into training, trying to drown my guilt in sweat and pain. But no amount of physical punishment could erase the memory of her face when she'd overheard my friends laughing about the bet.

"Mr. Drake?" Sage's voice yanked me back to the present. Her professional mask was firmly in place, but I could see the slight tremor in her hands as she organized her papers. "Are we clear about maintaining professional boundaries?"

I forced myself to nod, swallowing everything I wanted to say. The apologies that had been burning in my throat for six years. The explanation I'd never gotten to give. "Yes, Miss Winters. Crystal clear."

"Good." She stood, armor-like composure never cracking. "I'll review the full contract and prepare recommendations. My assistant will schedule a follow-up."

As she turned to leave, her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down, and I watched all the color drain from her face. For a split second, her mask slipped completely – revealing something I'd never seen in her before.

Pure terror.

Her hand shook as she grabbed the phone, shoving it into her pocket. "I have to go."

"Sage, what's wrong?" I stepped toward her, instinct overriding boundaries.

She backed away, her eyes wild with panic. "Nothing. Just—another case. Urgent."

But I'd seen that look before. That night at her house, when Robert had opened the door, I'd caught a glimpse of that same fear in her eyes. It was the look of someone trapped in a nightmare they couldn't escape.

"Sage—"

"Don't." The word came out sharp as broken glass. "Whatever you think you know about me, forget it. This is business, nothing more."

She yanked open the door, nearly colliding with Diana Wright.

"Something wrong, Miss Winters?" Diana's perfectly arched eyebrow conveyed volumes.

"No. Nothing." Sage's professional mask slammed back with frightening speed. "Mr. Drake and I were just finishing up."

As she brushed past, I caught a glimpse of her phone screen lighting up again. A text from an unknown number. I couldn't read the full message, but two words stood out clear as day:

Found you.

The door clicked shut behind her, and I was left with the sinking feeling that there was more at stake here than just my contract. Something – or someone – had Sage Winters running scared. And this time, I wasn't letting her face it alone.

But looking at the door she'd just escaped through, I felt a determination burning inside me that I'd never known before. Six years ago, I'd let a stupid bet ruin everything. Six years ago, I'd been powerless against Robert's threats. But things were different now.

If that text really was from Robert, if he really had found her, then Sage Winters was facing more than just an awkward reunion. She could be in real danger. And in that moment, in that conference room, when fear flashed across her eyes like lightning, I made a promise - this time, no matter how hard she pushed me away, no matter how much unresolved pain lay between us, I wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

Even if that meant confronting the lie that destroyed us. Even if that meant stepping into the past she'd deliberately avoided. Because some wounds are too deep to heal alone. Some monsters too dangerous to face alone.