Page 49 of Boards & Betrayal

“Wow,” Janet replied mockingly. “You’d actually give up your precious office so we can talk?”

“Soshecan talk to you,” Thomas corrected, his tone sharp.

I said nothing, feeling a knot of anxiety tighten in my stomach. I had no idea what Janet wanted, but if Nick had really told her everything, I needed to be careful. This could get ugly fast.

Janet smirked and turned on her heel, following Thomas as he led us towards his office without another word. I followed, my mind racing with possibilities and potential threats.

The office was small but functional, dominated by a large wooden desk covered in papers and hockey memorabilia. A framed picture of Thomas with his college team hung on the wall behind it, their faces beaming with victory after a championship win.

Janet sauntered over to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down, crossing her legs elegantly as she waited for me to take a seat opposite her. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath before sitting down.

“Well,” Janet began, her tone dripping with faux concern. “Where should we start?”

I sighed, feeling the weight of the tension in the room. "What do you want, Janet?"

Janet leaned forward, her expression serious. "I want what's owed to me."

Her eyes were sharp, piercing through me with a look that made my skin crawl. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"You think you're so clever, don’t you?" she asked with a sneer. "Thomas may be a lot of things, but he's a man who honors his debts. And he owes me."

I frowned, genuinely confused. "Owes you what?"

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Money."

I blinked, taken aback by her words. "Money? You know he has no intention of giving you any money. You’re delusional if you think I have any sway over him."

Janet laughed, a bitter sound that echoed in the small office. "You really are an idiot, aren’t you? Loathe as I am to admit this, he’d do anything for you. You tell him to jump, he will."

"I don't want that," I said firmly.

"You don’t get what you want," she snapped back, her gaze dropping pointedly to my stomach. "Clearly."

Her cruel words hit me like a punch to the gut, but anger flared up just as quickly as the pain. I clenched my fists, fighting to keep my composure.

"What?" Janet asked with a mocking smile. "Did that hurt your feelings? Too damn bad. Grow up, little girl. You think you're the only person in the world who's suffered through that? You’re not. It's more common than you think."

The fury boiling inside me threatened to spill over, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break. She didn’t understand—couldn’t understand—the depth of my pain and grief.

"I’m not here to argue with you," I said through gritted teeth. "And I'm certainly not here to let you manipulate Thomas or me."

"Then what are you here for?" Janet challenged.

"I'm here because Thomas asked me to be," I replied coldly.

Janet's eyes narrowed as she studied me. "He asked you? Or did you come running like a lovesick puppy?"

I didn’t respond immediately, choosing my words carefully. "Thomas is capable of making his own decisions."

"And yet," she said with a sly grin, "here we are." She examined her nails, a smug smile playing on her lips. "I'm sure Nick wouldn't want to know the love of his life ran off with his father. Again."

My teeth clenched. The audacity of this woman was unbelievable. "Nick doesn't get a say in who I'm seeing," I shot back, my voice icy. "We broke up almost a year ago."

"And yet," Janet said, leaning forward, "you owe him. He's keeping a very precious secret, isn't he?" She gave me a pointed look that sent chills down my spine. "You know what happens if Thomas finds out you had an abortion and didn't tell him, right?"

I swallowed hard; the words cutting deep. Janet leaned back in her chair, her eyes gleaming with malice. “Let me tell you a little story about Thomas,” she began, her tone deceptively casual. “When Thomas was young, he had dreams of becoming an NHL star. But an injury ended all that. You know what that did to him? It shattered him. He felt like he lost everything—his identity, his purpose.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, but I couldn’t help listening.

---