Page 229 of Make the Play

Neil glares. “You made us rewrite legal documents before the contract began because youanticipatedfalling for her?”

“No,” Chase says, grinning so hard I see a molar. “I already had.”

Rachel looks impressed despite herself as she reads the contract. “He’s right. Says right here Pulse and Storm hold no claim over employee relationship status after campaign conclusion.”

Beige Legal Guy clears his throat and flips through his folder, while Coach lets out a barely audibleJesus Christunder his breath.

“Okay,” John says slowly, trying to ground the chaos. “But, from a PR standpoint—”

“—It’s a win,” I cut in smoothly. “We’ve already run the narrative of Chase’s redemption arc. Now you’ve got the ultimate payoff. What’s better than a bad boy gone good? Hedoesn’t get papped at nightclubs anymore. He’s got a skincare routine. He hasn’t been fined for flipping off a ref inweeks.”

Chase winks. “You’re welcome.”

Coach Benson cracks a knuckle. “So let me get this straight. You fake dated Carlson, then real dated her, then pre-edited the legal terms so she couldn’t be fired when you inevitably convinced her to fall in love with you.”

Chase shrugs. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

Rachel quirks a brow at me. “And youchosehim?”

“I did,” I say, chin high. Chase’s warm palm finds my thigh under the table. “And I’m not sorry.”

Neil splutters. “But what about the optics? Public perception? You just came out of a major scandal—”

“I came out of anassault, Neil,” I snap. “In case anyone’s forgotten, I was stalked. Drugged. Hospitalized, because of aStormfan. And through all of that, Chase showed up. He protected me, checked in on me, and never once tried to spin it for the cameras. Even when fans said I was throwing off his game.”

“Which, for the record,” Chase says, “she wasn’t.My goals-per-game ratio has increased. She’s my lucky charm, but with more backtalk.”

I elbow him. He grins.

John shifts in his seat. “I just want to know if we can officially shut down this PR stunt without tabloids publishing a ‘Storm star fakes relationship, catches feelings, joins fork cult’ headline.”

“Oh my god,” Rachel mutters.

“We’re not a cult,” Chase says. “But Iaminto forking her.”

Coach Benson makes a strangled sound again as I close my eyes.

“I’d bench him,” he says dryly, “but he’s scoring.”

Chase winks at me. “Inmultipleways.”

“CHASE,” I hiss.

Rachel holds up a hand. “Enough. Jesus. Look, this isn’t ideal. But it’s also not grounds for dismissal. The contract is airtight, Zoe’s work remains exemplary and the Storm’s reputation has improved.”

Neil frowns, rifling through his papers like he’s searching for a loophole. “But what about the fanbase? The narrative? You didn’t give us a clean break. No official statement. No closure to the campaign arc. This feels unresolved.”

Chase stills, and then he laughs. A single bark of disbelief as he leans forward, planting his elbows on the table and fixing Neil with a look so cold it silences the entire room.

“You want a clean break?” His voice drops. “You wantclosure?”

I shift beside him, but he doesn’t look at me. He’s locked on Neil.

“You got months of photos. Public appearances, carefully scripted interviews. You got yournarrative. And Zoe?” His voice gets sharper. “Zoe nailed every second of it. Even when she had cameras shoved in her face. Even when it put agoddamn target on her back.”

Neil blinks. “Chase—”

“It’sWalton,” he snaps. “Only people who give a shit call me Chase.”

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