Page 76 of Offside Secrets
CHAPTER 27
CAMPBELL
The last reporter files out of the press room, leaving Sutton and me alone in a space that still hums with the energy of what just happened. She’s standing at the podium, gathering her things, and I can see her hands shaking slightly as she shuffles papers that probably don’t need shuffling.
I’ve been sitting in the back row for twenty minutes, watching her dismantle every argument against us with the precision of a surgeon. Watching her claim me in front of the entire sports media like I was something worth fighting for.
And you know what? It washot.
I stand and start walking toward her, my footsteps echoing in the empty room. She looks up when she hears me coming, and the uncertainty in her eyes nearly undoes me.
“How long have you been there?” she asks, her voice smaller than it was when she was commanding the room.
“Long enough to hear you say I’m yours in front of every sports reporter in this room.” I stop in front of her, close enough to see the flecks of gold in her eyes. “You know, I wanted to be the one to do the grand gesture, but you beat me to it.”
A flush creeps up her neck. “Campbell?—”
“That was incredibly hot, by the way. You standing up there, telling the world that there’s something between us.” I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “Though I have to ask—what changed your mind?”
She sets down her papers and looks at me with an expression that’s vulnerable and determined all at once.
“Elle and my brother Gavin staged an intervention. They made me realize I was letting fear make my decisions instead of following what I actually wanted.” She takes a shaky breath. “And what I want is you. This. Us, and whatever it is that comes our way.”
“Even with the media circus? The board breathing down your neck?”
“Especially with all that.” Her voice gets stronger. “Because of you...you’re worth fighting for, Campbell. You’re worth the risk.”
I reach up to cup her face, my thumb brushing across her cheekbone. “Sutton, there’s something you should know.” I pull out my phone, opening the video file Sawyer sent me. “Victor won’t be a problem anymore. We made sure the right people got the evidence they needed.”
I show her the video of the event photographer confessing to his dirty deeds and feeding information to gossip blogs on Victor’s payroll, then another one that Marcus had sent to me while I was in my game. He’d done me a giant solid in editing it to a few quick clips I could show Sutton so she could know the truth. I watch her face change as she processes what she’s hearing—shock, then anger, then something that looks like relief.
“He really did orchestrate all of it,” she breathes. “The photos, the articles, the anonymous sources.”
I swipe to another file. “Remember I told you I followed him and caught him harassing your female staff members in the restricted corridor? Sawyer and I made sure the board got that security footage, too.”
Her expression hardens as she watches Victor, clearly drunk, positioning himself to block Jenny and Lisa by the elevator, making inappropriate comments while they try to get past him.
“The board shared it with Alexandria’s ownership group,” I continue. “Turns out minority shareholders have strict conduct clauses in their agreements. Victor violated about six different policies in that hallway alone.”
“Please tell me they bought him a one way ticket to outer space?”
“He was asked to step down immediately. Lost his ownership stake, his influence over the affiliation deal, everything.” I pocket my phone. “The NHL doesn’t mess around with harassment, especially when it’s documented and involves partner organizations.”
Sutton stares at me for a long moment, then lets out a laugh that sounds slightly hysterical.
“So he destroyed himself. All his scheming, all his manipulation, and in the end, it was his own behavior that brought him down.”
“Justice,” I say simply.
“Or karma,” she whispers.
“Whatever it is, it means he’s completely out of our lives now. No more manufactured scandals, no more anonymous sources, no more trying to sabotage your reputation or the team.”
Sutton stares at me for a long moment, then lets out a laugh that sounds slightly hysterical.
“So…after all this time, it’s over?”
“It really is.” I step closer. “But it also means you just gave the speech of your life defending a relationship that was under attack by a man with an agenda, not one who had legitimate concerns.”
