Chapter 30
‘Chambers is demanding a complete analysis of all Palmers contracts by morning.” Diana said, tension evident in her voice. “It’s a deliberate trap.”
As I expected, a new trip was creeping up on the
in Diana’s encrypted call to me, it was announced once and for all that a new trap had descended.
glanced at the clock–11 PM What do they want?
To prove we can’t t deliver and
replace you. Get some rest. We’ll tackle it tomorrow
want me looking, somethings there.”
“No.” I said, already reaching for my laptop. “I’ll start now. If they don’t wa
By 4 AM, my vision blurred as I discovered the pattern–hidden clauses buried in legal jargon that systematically stripped players of rights while appearing to protect them, Palmer had been manipulating athletes for years.
I ignored Diana a text warning me to rest. Caspian’s name appeared repeatedly in the documents, each mention bringing unwanted memories–his determination as he’d carried me down the mountain, the protective way he’d positioned himself between me and danger.
Focus, Sage. This isn’t about him. This is about winning
|-Ms. Winter,” Victor Chambers said with
with mock
concern in the Morgan & Wright elevator, “you look absolutely dreadful, Mr. Palmer might question having
his case handled by someone so… fragile.”
I met his gaze steadily despite my exhaustion. Worried about my capabilities, Chambers? Or about what I found?”
In the conference room, I placed my folder on the i table, suppressing the tremor in my hands.
Each contract Palmer has signed over the past decade contains nearly identical hidden clauses that systematically violate player rights. Not coincidence- deliberate design.”
For two hours, I methodically dismantled Palmer’s strategy piece by piece. Victor’s arguments grow increasingly desperate as the senior partners exchanged impressed glances.
“Impressive work,” Diana said quietly when Victor finally stalked out. “But you look ready to collapse.
fine,” I insisted, my professional mask firmly in place despite the room’s subtle spinning. “Just need coffee.”
The hallway stretched endlessly before me. Lights left strange trailing patterns in my vision. I reached for the wall as everything tilted sideways.
“Sage? Oh my God–SAGE!”
oldes voice came from miles away as my knees buckled. Darkness claimed me as my body finally surrendered to exhaustion.
Caspian Perspective
I stared at Diana’s message in horror, my stomach dropping like I’d been blindaided by a 300–pound linebacker.
Sage collapsed. Extreme fatigue and meditation reaction, Mount Sinai Hospital,
“Drakat Where are you going?” Coach Mendez shouted as I headed for the door. Tactical review starts in fifteent
mry,” I replied without breaking stride.
beogitat, I found Isolde pacing the waiting area while Diana sat rigidly in a chair.
This p
åde arcused us both. “Letting her carry all this pressure alonel”
Diana explained. “He assigned her an impossible task, knowing her determination would push her past her limits.”
Winters in suffering from avere physical and mental exhaustion, compounded by anxiety medication mense. Her body simply
The
-pale and vulnerable in the hospital bed–hot me harder than any tackle I devet taken. Six years ago, I d broken her heart with a stupid
here, broken by battling demona on my behalf
practice?” Her viser mai arak, but t
| that stubbean determination still shone through
Chapter 10
“Some things matter more than American football,” I replied, my voice rough with emotions I couldn’t even name,
ʼn work tomorrow.……” she mumbled, trying to sit up.
The doctor ordered forty–eight hours minimum of complete rest,” I said firmly. “Accepting help isnt weakness, Sage.”
In the hallway, I nearly collided with Victor Chambers.
“Such a shame about Ms. Winters condition,” he said with practiced concern.
We both know this is exactly what Palmer wanted, 1 growled. “Tell him and his psychotic allies to stay away from her.”
Back in the waiting
in the waiting area, Lannounced, “I’m suspending negotiations until Sage recovers completely.”
Diana stated at me in shock. “You can’t! This plays right into Palmer’s hands!”
“No negotiations without Sage,” I stated firmly. “That’s final.
After everyone left, I returned to her room, finding her deeply asleep. My phone vibrated with an incoming email. The subject line froze my blood: “Police evidence: Sage Winters assault case.”
The police report detailed how Sage e had attacked Robert with a lamp before fleeing her home six years ago, with Rachel’s damning statements claiming Sage had been “increasingly violent and unstable.”
A text fullowed immediately: Palmer Enterprises press conference tomorrow morning. Imagine the headlines: “NFL Star Represented by Unstable, Violent Attorney with Criminal Past. Unless you meet me tonight. Alone. -Rachel
I stared at Sages sleeping form,
m, then at the
blackmail material. For once, she couldn’t fight this battle. I would
have ter
to face these demons without her.
As I turned to leave, my phone rang again. An unknown number.
“Hello?” I answered cautiously.
Mr Drake.” The voice was unfamiliar, male, with a slight accent. “I represent certain interested parties who have been monitoring the Palmer situation.”
Who is this? I demanded.
who knows Rachei Miller s
“Someone who
a real agenda. It’s not about you or Ms. Winters. It’s about what Palmer is hiding in the team’s finances.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Check the offshore accounts. Meet me in one hour at the abandoned Victory Center construction site if you want the proof.
The line went dead. I glanced back at Sage, then at my watch. Meeting a stranger at an abandoned construction site was obviously a trap-
But if there was even a chance this mysterious caller had information that could protect Sage…
I leaned and lightly touched her hand. “I fix this,” I whispered. ‘I promise.”
As I walked out of the hospital, I failed to notice the dark sedan that pulled away from the curb, following at a careful distance. Or the figure watching from
kampital room window arross the hall, phone already dialing Rachel’s number.
the haut,” the figu
he figure said quietly. Heading to the construction site now.
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