Page 48 of Make the Play

Chase hums, tapping his fingers against the table. “Damn, they really covered all the bases, huh?”

I exhale through my nose. “It’s almost like people expect you to be a nightmare.”

His grin is slow, easy, entirely unbothered. “Ouch, sweetheart. Kick me while I’m down, why don’t you?”

I do not look at him. “You’ll live.”

John doesn’t even react to our bickering because he’s already accepted his fate. He moves on, outlining the contract details, but Chase is relaxed as hell, leaning back in his chair like this is the most casual conversation of his life.

Finally, the paperwork slides across the table. The room fills with the quiet sound of pages flipping and pens scratching, and I take the pen, ready to sign, until Chase exhales sharply beside me.

I glance over. His posture is different now. He’s shifted forward, elbows braced on the table, a crease forming between his brows. He’s actuallyreadingthe contract.

“Something wrong, Walton?” Neil asks, sounding impatient.

Chase’s jaw tics. He flicks to another page, then looks at John, ignoring Neil entirely. “If this contract is broken due to fraternization, Zoe loses her job.”

A pause.

John folds his hands on the table. “That’s standard protocol, Chase.”

“But I won’t losemine.” Chase’s voice is light, but something sharp lingers beneath it. He taps a finger against the document. “You’ve covered all your bases on how this protects the team, how it protectsme.But Zoe?” He looks at John, then Neil. “She’s the one putting her career on the line, yet she’s the one who takes the fall.”

Neil straightens, lips pressing into a thin line. “That’s the policy we have in place, and she has agreed to it.”

“But I don’t.” Chase’s voice cuts like a blade.

Neil shifts. “It’s just a technicality—”

“It’s bullshit.”

I open my mouth, then close it, because suddenly this is not just a stupid fake dating agreement anymore. This is an important conversation.

“Let’s just clarify how this all started.” Chase tilts his head, gaze cutting through the room. “I fucked up.Idid. And when shit hit the fan, you guys decided that the best move for optics was to put Zoe in this position.” His voice is easy and conversational, but his grip on the pen tightens. “So tell me something—how exactly is thisfair?”

John exhales, eyes flicking to me. “Zoe is aware of the risks.”

Chase shakes his head, chuckling under his breath. “That wasn’t my fucking question.”

Neil frowns. “Chase—”

“No, let’s be real here.” Chase leans back, gaze steady. “This was my mess, and if you remember correctly,youare the ones that initiated this fake dating arrangement because we’re already friends and have been for years. So, if we’re doing this, if she’s taking the hit forme”—his voice drops to something quiet, something lethal—“then no one touches her.”

The air is thick now, the usual charming man who waltzed in here barely recognizable beneath this version of him.

I sit perfectly still because I have never seen Chase Walton this serious, and I have no idea what to do with it. Especially when the reason he’s being serious is toprotect me.

Neil clears his throat, glancing at John, who looks mildly exhausted.

“Chase,” I murmur, becausewhat the fuck is happening right now?

But he doesn’t look at me, even though I’ve just used his first name. His focus stays locked on them, voice steady.

“She doesn’t lose her job.” He taps the paper. “Put it in writing.”

Neil looks pissed, but John sighs and runs a hand through his graying hair. “We’d have to revise the terms.”

“Then do it.”

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