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The Hockey Captain’s Final Penalty New New
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The locker room hummed with the post-practice vibration of heavy breathing and the rhythmic
00:04thud of gear hitting benches. I sat on the training table. The ice pack taped to my knee
00:09a stinging reminder of the hit I'd taken during morning drills. My phone buzzed against the
00:14marble surface. Jackson Jacksthorne, the face of Northwood University's hockey dynasty,
00:19and the projected first-round NHL draft pick had just updated his Instagram story.
00:24We were in the middle of a 48-hour freeze, out of silence so cold it felt like the rinks
00:29we
00:29lived in. The post was a shot of the empty arena, the ice gleaming under the rafters.
00:34The text was a jagged blade, 100 likes, and we're done. My heart performed a slow,
00:39sickening roll in my chest. Within an hour, 99 likes filled the screen. I knew he was waiting,
00:45his thumb probably hovering over the glass in some dimly lit locker room.
00:48Nine times now, Jackson had dangled that same jagged threat, expecting me to crawl back to
00:53the team house with apologies and promises to be better. He thought this ninth time would be
00:58exactly like the eight before. I stared at the screen until the blue light burned my retinas.
01:03Then I double-tapped. 100. I didn't text. I didn't call to scream about the disrespect.
01:08I simply blocked his number, shoved my phone into my pocket, and went back to packing my life into
01:14cardboard boxes. Ten days later, Jackson's teammate and enforcer, Brooks Hayes, slid into my DMs.
01:20Jax is waiting for you to fold, Sloan. Tomorrow's his birthday and the team's big preseason gala.
01:25Show up with a gift, and this all blows over.
01:28I typed back two words. I am booked. It wasn't a lie. My flight to Stanford took off at 7am.
01:34Jackson Thorne finally got his wish. But my hundredth like wasn't a surrender. It was a
01:39declaration of war. Let him wait for a call that would never come. For the first time in 10 years,
01:44I was the one holding the cards, and the ice was finally beneath my feet.
01:48The reason our relationship had iced over. Jackson had permitted Kinsley Vance,
01:52the charity project. The Thorne family had bankrolled since her mother's illness to sabotage
01:57my early decision application. When I discovered the betrayal, I didn't just get angry, I detonated.
02:02Jackson, however, couldn't fathom the offense. He stood there, smelling of cold rink air and
02:07expensive cologne, and dismissed my fury as hysterics.
02:10It is just a prank, Sloan. Jackson had said, his voice as smooth and hard as fresh ice.
02:16It is not like she can't reverse it. Kinsley was having a bad day after her scholarship review.
02:21I was merely trying to cheer her up. Now that she is not angry anymore,
02:25you can simply switch it back. He added, looking at me as if I were the one being difficult.
02:30Problem solved. My voice trembled, not with sadness, but with a raw, jagged rage at his casual cruelty.
02:37So her foul mood grants her license to sabotage my future, I demanded. Do you realize this
02:43constitutes deliberate sabotage? I could take her to court. Jackson's eyes darkened,
02:48that dangerous on ice captain persona bleeding through. I told her to do it,
02:52so direct your outrage at me. Go ahead, file your goddamn lawsuit.
02:57He stepped closer, his physical presence designed to intimidate.
03:00It is not some catastrophic disaster. You caught it, you'll fix it. Stop manufacturing drama, Sloan.
03:06Keep pushing this, and I'll have to seriously reconsider our relationship.
03:09Jackson knew I couldn't leave. He always wielded our history as a weapon during arguments,
03:14knowing I had nowhere else to go. We'd been unshakable before Kinsley insinuated herself
03:19into our lives. Ever since her arrival, she'd become the perpetual wedge, the victim Jackson
03:24felt the need to protect from my privilege. This marked our ninth explosive confrontation over her.
03:29In the previous eight, he'd deployed the breakup threat like a tactical hit on the boards.
03:34Each time, I'd collapsed, crawling back with my tail between my legs.
03:38Jackson believed this instance would be no different. But as he berated me without glancing
03:43up from his phone, typing some flirtatious reply to Kinsley, that infuriating smirk playing on his
03:48lips, I simply went numb. I felt nothing. No impulse to grovel. Just a cold, dead weight settling in
03:56my chest. When I didn't crack, didn't perform my scripted role of the weeping girlfriend,
04:00Jackson scoffed. He shoved his phone in his pocket and stalked out, probably headed back to the rink.
04:05I sat alone in the quiet of the Thorn Mansion, staring at my laptop until my vision blurred.
04:11Then, my phone lit up with a series of leaked voice messages from the team's private group
04:15chat. I hit play. Kinsley's saccharine voice curled through the speaker.
04:20Is Sloan upset about my little joke? Should I call her over so I can apologize in person?
04:24Jackson's voice sounded irritated.
04:27Forget it. Let her sulk. I am not her father. I don't have to coddle her.
04:31Oh, Jax. Don't be like that. Kinsley cooed. Girls need to be sweet-talked. You'll only drive
04:37her further away. I don't have time for that nonsense.
04:40Jackson snapped. She thinks she is so exceptionally precious. If my grandfather hadn't forced the
04:46arrangement, I would have never agreed to babysit Sloan. She is clingy. She is a crybaby. I've
04:52been exhausted by it for years. True? Sloan's like a walking fountain of tears.
04:57Right. All theatrics. No spine. Jackson added.
05:02Wave the breakup threat, and she comes running with apologies and waterworks. I am sick of it.
05:07Maybe if she actually develops some backbone and ignores me for once, I can finally be free.
05:12Brooks Hayes chimed in with a laugh. Free from Sloan. Not a chance. The girls like
05:16industrial strength adhesive. I'll wager anything she'll be weeping on your doorstep by tomorrow
05:21begging forgiveness. You are on. Loser buys dinner. Jackson replied. That night for the first
05:26time in a decade, I didn't bombard his phone-demanding explanations when he didn't come
05:31home. After my parents died, Silas Thorne, Jackson's grandfather, took me in. I grew up under his
05:37roof, alongside the boy who would become the Prince of the Ice. Jackson had been my protector
05:41once. He'd defended me when schoolmates turned cruel. We'd been inseparable since I was 8-10 years
05:46of shared secrets and shared dreams. Jackson had memorized my cycles, brought me heating pads
05:51and hot chocolate when cramps seized me and purchased tampons without a flinch. We were
05:56that couple joined at the hip. Everyone referred to me as the Thorne family's promised girl.
06:00Jackson never corrected them. He'd become my oxygen. I thought I couldn't breathe without him.
06:06Then Kinsley happened. She appeared sophomore year, begging for her mother's million-dollar
06:11surgery. The Thorns possessed wealth to spare, so Silas, soft-hearted as ever, wrote the check.
06:17Then he enrolled her in our elite academy and installed them in a luxury townhouse rent-free.
06:22We felt for her at first. We tutored her. We visited the hospital. It was fine until I overheard
06:29a conversation between Kinsley and her mother while standing outside their hospital room with
06:33a thermos of soup. Any progress with Jackson? Her mother asked. Definitely. Kinsley replied.
06:40He is interested, but Sloane's attached to him like a leech. Can't shake her loose yet.
06:45Work harder. Her mother urged. The Thorns are hockey royalty. Bag that boy and we're set
06:51for life mansions. Cars never scraping by again. Don't worry, Mom. I'll land him.
06:57My breath caught. I stumbled back, my heel catching on the linoleum.
07:02The sound was loud enough that they both looked up. The fear on their faces should have been
07:07satisfying. It wasn't. I felt sick to my stomach, torn between rage and disbelief.
07:13I had to tell Jackson. I had to expose them for the grifters they were.
07:18But before I could even find him, Kinsley made her move.
07:23Kinsley cornered me at the park near the estate, eyes bloodshot, voice fragile. She claimed it was
07:29her dying mother's desperate idea and swore she'd only played along. She dropped to her knees,
07:34begging me not to tell Jackson. Foolishly, I believed her. I reached down to help her up.
07:39The mask slipped instantly. Kinsley yanked me forward with malicious strength,
07:44and we both crashed into the freezing lake. I fought to the surface and scrambled onto the muddy
07:48bank, screaming for help. Kinsley couldn't swim. Security fished her out. She spent days in the ICU.
07:55When she woke, she pointed her finger at me, claiming I'd pushed her out of jealous obsession.
07:59I told Jackson the truth. He just looked at me with disappointment.
08:02Sloan, just tell me what really happened. No lies. I am not lying. She dragged me in.
08:10Sloan. He sighed.
08:12Kinsley can't swim. You can. That was his entire logic. I spilled everything I'd overheard at the
08:17hospital. Jackson sighed again. I get that you are into me, but you can't ruin another girl's
08:22reputation because you are jealous. I don't like this side of you. He delivered the knockout punch.
08:28Kinsley had already come to him crying about my supposed bullying. Her mother had asked Silas if
08:32they could move out, implying I was the problem. Their voluntary move became proof of their
08:37innocence. My accusation became proof of my jealousy. Suddenly, everything was my fault.
08:43Kinsley's food poisoning. I must have spiked her milk. Then she stole the last photo of my parents,
08:49my only copy, and ripped it to shreds in front of me. I didn't think. I slapped her hard. Jackson
08:55walked in at that exact moment. From that day on, he started pulling the breakup card every other
09:00week, and every time I crawled back, desperate to prove Kinsley was a liar. My groveling only made
09:05me look more unstable. Kinsley targeted my replacement interview admission ticket. Next.
09:10I got a replacement in time, but the message was clear. She could burn my life down, and Jackson would
09:15hand her the matches. This time, hearing the boredom and indifference in his voice message,
09:21betting his teammates I'd be back by morning, I finally saw the truth. Jackson was done with me.
09:26He'd been using Kinsley as an excuse to push me away. Fine. I wouldn't crawl back.
09:31And I sure as hell wasn't fixing the application. He'd let Kinsley sabotage.
09:35I didn't change my application back to Northwood. I called the Stanford recruiter and accepted their
09:40offer. That is the smartest decision you'll make, Sloan, she said. Full ride.
09:45Only after locking down my future did I sleep deeply for the first time in months. I woke without dread,
09:50without checking my phone until. I saw Kinsley's Instagram story. Taking care of my drunk prince
09:56all night. Exhausted but worth it. Jackson was shirtless, sprawled across her bed. The ache
10:02was duller now. More exhaustion than heartbreak. I went shopping for dorm supplies and returned to
10:08find them on the couch. Kinsley bounded over with her fake sweet smile. Sloan, let me help with those.
10:13I sidestepped. Kinsley crumpled to the floor. Jackson hauled her up, glaring at me.
10:18Why'd you push her? I didn't touch her. Bullshit. Mad I crashed at her place.
10:23I didn't. Check the security footage. At the word footage, Kinsley piped up with her practiced
10:29tremor. It is not her fault. I slipped. Jackson's jaw tightened, but he didn't apologize. Instead,
10:36he examined her scraped palm with concern. He no longer offered me. I caught the smug flash in
10:41Kinsley's eyes before I headed upstairs. She'd expected hysterics, tears proof I was crazy.
10:47That girl was dead. At dinner, Kinsley served soup, carrying a steaming bowl toward me.
10:52I instinctively shifted away. She anticipated it, stepping into my path. Her scream was Oscar-worthy
10:58as the scalding liquid splashed down her front. Sloan, I was just trying to be nice.
11:03Jackson shoved past me, pulling Kinsley toward the sink. His shoulder hit me hard,
11:07throwing me into the wall. Skin tore from my knees and back. The burns and scrapes throbbed,
11:12but they were nothing next to the ice spreading through my chest. He zeroed in on me.
11:17Apologize. I met his eyes, searching for the boy who'd once defended me. All I saw was disgust.
11:22Kinsley's being generous. You apologize, and this goes away. What if I don't? Sloan!
11:27His voice dropped to a warning. Don't test me! You want to stay together. Say sorry.
11:32He'd promised me forever once. Now he wielded our relationship like a weapon.
11:36I held his gaze. No. His face, hardened. Fine. Have it your way.
11:41He stormed out with Kinsley clinging to him. The clinic doctor cleaned my wounds and prescribed
11:46cream. On the ride home, a friend called. Jackson just took Kinsley and the crew to the resort.
11:52Fireworks and everything. And check his latest post. 100 likes and we're done. He is at 99.
11:58I pulled up his profile, 99 likes. My thumb itched, not to beg, but to finish it. I double tapped.
12:05Let
12:05him wait for call number 100. I had a plane to catch and a new life waiting. Eight times before,
12:11Jackson had pulled this exact stunt. Eight times I cried into my pillow and begged him to take me
12:16back. Not this time. I looked at his new post, the resort plaza, fireworks blazing. His voice echoed in
12:23my head from three weeks ago. Sloan, I am putting on a show just for you. He'd given her our
12:28moment.
12:29I stared until my vision blurred, then double tapped 100. I screenshotted it and felt a strange
12:35electric lightness. Back at the mansion, I packed boxes of 10 years worth of guilt gifts to return.
12:41At the resort, Jackson sat in the VIP lounge, waiting for my groveling call. His phone stayed silent.
12:47He checked the post 100 likes and the final one was mine. Rage detonated in his chest.
12:52Who did I think I was challenging him? Oh no. Kinsley murmured, peering at his screen.
12:57Sloan's mad. She actually liked the breakup post? The crew went quiet. Brooks quickly unliked the
13:03post. Others followed. But the damage was done. Jackson couldn't swallow his fury. I'd slapped
13:08him in front of his entire world. Was I bluffing? He decided I needed a lesson. To drive it home,
13:15he took Kinsley to the coast. Her feet exploded with curated perfection. Strolling old town,
13:19hiking to a cliffside chapel, sharing funnel cake at the carnival, a tandem bungee jump.
13:25Kinsley's caption. This rush is for you alone. I didn't cry. I dropped a like and commented,
13:30congrats. Her posts vanished within seconds. My phone rang. Brooks.
13:35Sloan Jax is back tomorrow. You picking him up? Why would I? We're done.
13:41Wait, you are serious. It is his birthday. Just apologize. Everyone wins.
13:45I don't have time for Jackson's birthday. I hung up. He was confident I'd come crawling.
13:50But the boxes were sealed, and my Stanford confirmation glittered in my inbox.
13:55Let him celebrate with Kinsley. The game had changed. The next afternoon,
13:59I wheeled my suitcase out of the Thorn Mansion and headed for the airport.
14:03Near the security gate, I ran into Brooks Hayes.
14:06You are here to pick up Jackson, right? His charter just touched down.
14:10Without waiting, he dialed.
14:11Jax, bro. Sloan's at arrivals. I told you she couldn't stay away.
14:15I brushed past him without a word. Jackson stepped off the Gulf Stream, Brooks' words ringing in his ears.
14:21His foul mood evaporated, replaced by smug certainty. He turned to Kinsley.
14:25Take the other exit. Don't walk out with me. Sloan might misunderstand.
14:29Venom flickered in Kinsley's eyes, but she nodded sweetly. As she walked away, Jackson dialed Brooks.
14:35Get the roses. The expensive ones.
14:38The silence between us had been gnawing at him. I hadn't cracked. That impossibility terrified him.
14:44When I commented, congratulations, you two, on the bungee photo, he'd seen red and forced Kinsley to delete every post.
14:51He'd cut the trip short and flown back, desperate to force my hand.
14:54But Brooks' call changed everything. I was here. These past few days without me had been torture.
15:00He swore he'd never pull this stunt again. Jackson strode through the VIP gate, grabbed the roses, and scanned the
15:06hall.
15:06No Sloan. He dialed my number busy. Maybe I was finalizing his birthday surprise.
15:12Minutes stretched into half an hour. When he tried again, my phone went straight to voicemail.
15:17Jackson whirled on Brooks.
15:18Where is she? You said she was here.
15:21Brooks scratched his head.
15:22I saw her, man. She was right by the check-in counter. I turned my back, and she was gone.
15:27Jackson fired off a text.
15:29I know you are here. Stop playing games.
15:31No answer. Then a trembling voice came from behind Kinsley's.
15:35Jax, I... I saw Sloan.
15:37Tears streamed down her face.
15:39You saw Sloan? Where is she?
15:41She is over there.
15:42Kinsley sniffed, gesturing toward international check-in.
15:45I tried to apologize for your birthday, but she lost it.
15:48She slapped me, clawed me, and called you a disgusting piece of shit.
15:52She fumbled for her phone and played a recording.
15:54My cold, clipped voice filled the space.
15:56Don't talk to me about trash. Trash belongs in the dumpster.
16:00You two garbage humans should lock yourselves away and stop polluting the rest of us.
16:04Where is she?
16:06I don't know. She hit me and stormed off.
16:09The recording continued.
16:10I have standards. I don't do sloppy seconds.
16:13If Jackson's been rolling around in your filth, get married and stay away from me.
16:17Jackson's fury erupted. He hurled the roses to the ground and stormed out.
16:21What actually happened? I just checked my bag when Kinsley slithered into my path.
16:25Sloan, have you no shame?
16:27Jackson posted the breakup.
16:29Everyone's taking bets on how low you'd sink and here you are crawling back.
16:32I am not here for him.
16:34Keep lying. Jackson and I have been inseparable.
16:37Same-y hotel room, same bed.
16:39He told me Silas forced him to pretend to love the charity case orphan.
16:42Something snapped, but I kept my voice low.
16:45You think I care what lies you tell yourself?
16:48Kinsley's face, twisted.
16:49Every time I set you up, he didn't pick me because he felt sorry for me.
16:53He picked me because he loves me more.
16:55You are just a pathetic obligation.
16:57She leaned closer.
16:58Your parents died and gave you a golden ticket.
17:01Weak jeans.
17:02If they hadn't croaked, you'd never have gotten near a man like Jackson.
17:06My palm connected with her cheeks so hard, her head snapped back.
17:10Get married and stay out of my life.
17:14I walked away, my phone buzzing with a message from my legal team.
17:18Documents served.
17:19Phase 1, complete.
17:21The flight touched down at SFO.
17:23Emery Reed, a senior from my program, met me at arrivals and helped with my bags.
17:28We grabbed Foe off campus, and she gave me the unfiltered rundown of campus life.
17:33By the time she dropped me at my dorm, it was past 10.
17:35My phone vibrated.
17:37Brooks Hayes again.
17:37Again.
17:39I declined three times.
17:41On the fourth, I picked up.
17:42What?
17:43Brooks.
17:43Sloan, thank God.
17:45You need to get down here.
17:47Jackson's birthday dinner.
17:48The whole team, the owners, everyone.
17:50He is waiting for you.
17:51We broke up, Brooks.
17:53Or did you miss his social media stunt hitting 100 likes?
17:56Silence.
17:56Then Brooks stammered.
17:58But he said it was barely 30.
18:00He said you'd never actually do it.
18:02I have screenshots.
18:03Exes should stay dead.
18:05Don't call me again.
18:06Before I ended the call, I heard ragged breathing, then glass shattering violently against a wall.
18:11Someone-o had been listening.
18:12I silenced my phone and showered.
18:14When I came out, Brooks had left a video.
18:16Jackson and Kinsley dressed for a gala, surrounded by the Northwood crew.
18:20The crowd chanted.
18:21Kiss.
18:22Kiss.
18:22Kiss.
18:23Brooks, text, read.
18:25Come now, or they're doing it.
18:26This is your last chance to save him.
18:28I watched Kinsley lean in, her hand on Jackson's chest.
18:31I deleted the video, powered down my phone, and climbed into bed.
18:34For the first time in 10 years, I fell asleep without waiting for Jackson Thorne.
18:39Tomorrow, I had meetings with legal counsel.
18:41The first strike in a war Jackson didn't know he'd started.
18:44Jackson's birthday bash at the Obsidian was a spectacle of athletic elite.
18:48But the king of the rink sat slumped on a leather sofa, looking volatile.
18:52He barely glanced at the mountain of presents, his eyes drifting to the entrance, waiting for a ghost.
18:57Kinsley poured into a designer dress, felt the burn of his indifference.
19:01She knew who he was waiting for.
19:03She'd been sure her edited recording Sloane calling him trash would have killed his hope.
19:07Hours passed.
19:08Jackson checked his watch obsessively.
19:10Finally, he spoke.
19:11Start the party.
19:13Sloane's never missed your birthday.
19:15Brooks reminded him.
19:16He dialed and put it on speakerphone.
19:18My cold, distant voice filled the room.
19:20We're over, Brooks.
19:22Tell him happy birthday.
19:23But exes should stay dead.
19:24No contact forever.
19:26The words landed like bullets.
19:27Every eye swung toward Jackson.
19:29Jackson exploded.
19:31He kicked over a table stacked with vintage Cabernet, arranged to spell happy birthday.
19:35Millions of dollars of wine bled into the white carpet.
19:38The manager scrambled to relocate the party.
19:41Jackson drank in terrifying silence.
19:43Brooks suggested truth or dare.
19:45Jackson lost the first round.
19:47Brooks dared.
19:48Kiss someone in this room.
19:49On camera.
19:50We'll send it to Sloane so she knows what she is missing.
19:53Brooks pushed Kinsley toward Jackson.
19:55Phone recording.
19:55He showed her the message.
19:57Sending to Sloane now.
19:58The room waited for the explosion.
20:00For Sloane to crash through the doors.
20:0230 minutes passed.
20:03Nothing.
20:04Brooks called again.
20:05Straight to voicemail.
20:06Jackson didn't kiss Kinsley.
20:08He didn't even look at her.
20:09He just reached for more whiskey.
20:11By midnight, he was blackout drunk, carried to a private suite.
20:14Kinsley didn't leave.
20:16She told the team she was staying to make sure he was okay.
20:19Alone in the suite, she pulled a small spray bottle from her clutch, a designer drug to lower inhibitions.
20:25She spritzed the mist across Jackson's face three times.
20:28Within minutes, his eyes snapped open.
20:31Glassy.
20:31He grabbed Kinsley with rough violence.
20:33She let out a practiced whimper and allowed herself to be pushed onto the bed.
20:37Her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
20:40She didn't check it.
20:41She should have.
20:42It read, security footage from suite 2408 has been flagged and archived.
20:47Jackson woke with his skull splitting and a gut-deep wrongness.
20:50The suite was flooded with harsh morning light.
20:53The wait next to him.
20:54A body that wasn't Sloane's made his blood run cold.
20:57What the fuck are you doing here?
20:59Kinsley's eyes fluttered open, shifting to wounded vulnerability.
21:02Jax, last night.
21:05You were so drunk.
21:07You forced yourself on me.
21:08The accusation was meant to be checkmate, but Jackson Thorn lived by brutal discipline.
21:12His hand cracked across her face before she finished the lie.
21:16Kinsley's cheek ballooned.
21:17This wasn't the guilty.
21:19Groveling reaction she'd banked on.
21:21Jackson grabbed her hair and yanked her head back.
21:23Did you drug me?
21:24Answer me, you disgusting piece of shit.
21:26No, no.
21:27Jax, I swear.
21:29Tara cut through her act.
21:30Her hatred for Sloane burned white hot.
21:32This was Sloane's fault, for not groveling, for leaving him vulnerable.
21:36Bullshit.
21:37Jackson's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
21:39You think I'd touch you willingly?
21:41I made a pact with Sloane.
21:43Our first time was supposed to be sacred.
21:45The thought of his first time wasted on this leech made him physically sick.
21:49He felt contaminated.
21:50For her to force this was criminal.
21:52Unforgivable.
21:53He started hitting her open-handed slaps, turning to closed-fist strikes.
21:57When she scrambled off the bed, he followed, mechanical and brutal.
22:00As she curled into a ball, sobbing and bleeding, Jackson's phone buzzed with a notification from
22:05an unknown number.
22:06He didn't see it, but the message had already been routed to Sloane's legal team.
22:11Phase 3 had just begun.
22:12Jackson felt sick to his core.
22:14Sleeping with Kinsley felt like watching his legacy get dragged through the gutter.
22:18How dare this scheming bitch think she was worthy of him?
22:20Now the fog was lifting.
22:22He understood what Sloane had been trying to tell him.
22:25Kinsley and her mother were trash parasites feeding off the thorn name.
22:28He'd bought their sob stories, blamed Sloane's warnings on jealousy.
22:32The knife in his own back woke him up.
22:34The realization made him want to punch himself.
22:36He'd gone cold on Sloane because of this manipulative slut.
22:39Since he couldn't hit himself, he unloaded his rage onto Kinsley instead.
22:42Mercy was the last thing she got.
22:44Jackson kept going until blood smeared the white carpet.
22:47Chest heaving.
22:48He snatched his phone and dialed Brooks.
22:50That bitch Kinsley set me up.
22:52She fucking drugged me.
22:54I am losing my mind.
22:55Brooks jolted awake, immediately aligning with his captain.
22:58Sloane can't find out.
23:00Jackson interrupted, voice cracking with fear.
23:03If she knows I slept with Kinsley, she'll never forgive me.
23:06We need to bury this.
23:07Now.
23:08If a single word gets back to Sloane, you and your mother are dead.
23:14Kinsley nodded frantically.
23:15I won't say anything.
23:17She rasped, her body trembling with pain and toxic hatred for Sloane.
23:22Jackson spat on the floor and stormed out.
23:24The oak door slammed shut.
23:25He believed he could handle this, scrub the records, pay off the club, find Sloane, and
23:30explain away the mistake.
23:31But secrets this big never stayed buried.
23:34The moment Jackson stepped out of the hotel, he speed dialed his security head.
23:38I want everything Kinsley Vance has done behind my back.
23:41Every secret, every transaction.
23:44I think that bitch drugged me.
23:46Cold Dread tightened his gut.
23:48He was certain now.
23:49Kinsley's scheme had nothing to do with devotion.
23:51She had an angle, and he'd skated right into her trap.
23:54He'd never marry her.
23:55He'd pay her off and ship her out.
23:57But the real terror was Sloane.
23:59Finding out he had to fix this, he burst through the mansion's front door.
24:03Is Sloane still asleep?
24:05He asked the housekeeper.
24:07Miss Sullivan isn't home, sir.
24:09He froze.
24:10What do you mean?
24:11Where is she?
24:12She left for school yesterday.
24:14Told all her luggage.
24:16Said she wasn't coming back.
24:17Panics spiked into terror.
24:19That is impossible.
24:21Registration hasn't even opened.
24:23The stairs two at a time and threw open Sloane's door.
24:26The room was spotless, stripped of every personal touch.
24:29In the center sat several sealed boxes with a note in Sloane's handwriting.
24:33Jackson Thorne, every gift you ever gave me is in these boxes.
24:37I am returning them all.
24:39Consider this my resignation from the role you assigned me.
24:42Ten years of memories, systematically erased.
24:44He couldn't wrap his head around it.
24:46Sloane Sullivan, the girl who had waited for him since they were children,
24:50had finally stopped waiting.
24:52He dialed her number, blocked.
24:54He grabbed the housekeeper's phone.
24:55This time it rang.
24:56Hello.
24:58Is everything okay?
25:00Her warmth was for someone else.
25:02It is me.
25:03The line went silent.
25:04When she spoke, her voice was ice.
25:06Jackson Thorne, we've broken up.
25:08Where I am is none of your business.
25:10Don't call again.
25:11She hung up.
25:12Who said we broke up?
25:13I never agreed to that.
25:15The delusion almost made me laugh.
25:17Are you serious?
25:18You posted that.
25:19100 likes and we're done trash yourself.
25:21I screenshotted it.
25:22Everyone saw it.
25:23And you've been playing house with Kinsley for weeks.
25:25What more proof do you need?
25:27Sloane, there is nothing between Kinsley and me.
25:30Save your breath.
25:31We're done.
25:32Your life is none of my business and mine is none of yours.
25:35I didn't sleep with her.
25:36So, you didn't have sex with her.
25:38My voice was flat.
25:40Jackson went silent.
25:41Before last night, he could have said it with conviction.
25:44That hesitation was his full confession.
25:46I scoffed.
25:47It is pathetic.
25:48His voice cracked with panic.
25:50Where are you?
25:51Tell me where you are.
25:52We were supposed to go to school together.
25:54We were supposed to go together.
25:55But you let Kinsley sabotage my application.
25:58You decided my future for me.
26:00Sloane, please.
26:01I am begging you.
26:02Not good enough.
26:03You chose Kinsley the first time she lied about me and you've chosen her every day since.
26:08This is the bed you made.
26:09Lie in it.
26:10It is over.
26:11I hung up.
26:13He tried calling back five times.
26:15I declined each one, letting him feel powerless for once.
26:18While he was still reeling, the doorbell rang at the Thorn Mansion.
26:21Jackson yanked the door open to find Molly Vance Kinsley's mother, standing on his doorstep.
26:26My daughter was raped.
26:27She stated, coldly.
26:29And since your little stunt left her bleeding on a hotel floor, we're going to have a conversation
26:33about responsibility.
26:34The kind that involves lawyers.
26:36Molly Vance was a completely different woman from the frail, sickly creature who had swayed
26:40in the breeze of thorn pity.
26:42She hauled Kinsley forward, bruised, swollen.
26:44Mr. Thorne, you owe my daughter an explanation.
26:47Molly demanded, voice like cold steel.
26:50Jackson's jaw tightened.
26:51What kind of explanation?
26:53You slept with her, took advantage of her.
26:55Doesn't that deserve an explanation?
26:57Jackson's laugh was pure acid.
26:59Took advantage?
27:00She's the one who drugged me, trapped me with her cheap tricks.
27:03Like I'd ever touch that disgusting trash willingly.
27:06Molly saw the raw disgust on his face.
27:08She'd hoped her daughter could sleep her way into the thorn dynasty.
27:11But watching Jackson look at Kinsley like something scraped off his skate.
27:15Those wedding dreams died.
27:17Time for plan B.
27:18The fact is, you forced yourself on my daughter.
27:21Molly said, voice hardening.
27:23I've got the medical report.
27:25The obsidian has surveillance footage.
27:27And Kinsley's phone recorded everything.
27:29Her fighting you, begging the Prince of Northwood to stop.
27:31You assaulted her.
27:32Then you beat her.
27:33Jackson curled his lip.
27:35Get to the point.
27:36One hundred million dollars.
27:37Wire it to our account.
27:39And all of this disappears.
27:40And if I tell you to go to hell.
27:42Then we go public.
27:43PR sharks and lawyers crawling up your ass.
27:46Your shiny reputation.
27:47Your draft status.
27:49Your grandfather's legacy.
27:50Molly stood with the calm certainty of someone holding a winning ticket.
27:54You are dreaming.
27:55Not a fucking penny.
27:56Prison time doesn't look good on an NHL resume.
27:59Does it?
28:00Molly knew Jackson wouldn't dare call her bluff.
28:02A rape charge would destroy the thorn name.
28:04But this wasn't Jackson's problem alone.
28:07He had to bring in Silas.
28:08Silas was overseas when the call came.
28:10And the old man was livid.
28:12He flew home that night.
28:14Certain his grandson had been snared.
28:16The thorn security team moved fast.
28:18Silas called me himself.
28:19I told him everything.
28:21The lies.
28:21The manipulations.
28:22How they'd play Jackson like a fiddle.
28:24And how they'd targeted me first to isolate him.
28:27The old man listened and understood.
28:29While Molly and Kinsley dreamed of their payday.
28:31The thorn team uncovered Molly's real past.
28:34Not a frail victim.
28:35But a professional escort who'd scammed rich men for years.
28:38Dragging Kinsley City to city.
28:40Living off scraps.
28:42Kinsley was about to drop out when the thorn charity program threw her a lifeline.
28:45That is when Molly saw the real opportunity.
28:48They engineered the sob story.
28:50Knowing the thorns wouldn't verify a medical bill that was pocket change.
28:53When Molly saw Jackson in person.
28:55She upped the stakes if her daughter could land the heir.
28:58They'd be set for life.
28:59They set their trap and waited for me to walk into it.
29:02Jackson chose to believe them over me.
29:04The manipulation was clockwork.
29:06Make me look jealous.
29:07Make Kinsley look like a victim.
29:09Make Jackson feel like a hero.
29:10But thorn connections are not decorative.
29:13They found the dealer Molly bought the drugs from.
29:15And had him in custody within days.
29:17They traced every payment and text.
29:19Extortion.
29:20Possession.
29:21Assault with intent.
29:22The evidence was airtight.
29:24And justice moved without mercy.
29:25I didn't see Jackson Thorne again until six months into my first year at Stanford.
29:30The scandal hadn't made global headlines.
29:32But everyone in our world knew.
29:33It had aged him.
29:35He was quieter.
29:36Less sure.
29:36When he finally tracked me down to apologize.
29:38I let him speak.
29:40Nodded once.
29:40And made it clear we were done.
29:42Ten years of memories couldn't survive the poison Kinsley Vance introduced.
29:46I learned the hardest way possible.
29:47The only person you can trust unconditionally.
29:50Is yourself.
29:51Your own hustle is your only salvation.
29:53Now I had my scholarship and zero distractions.
29:56I wasn't taking Jackson back.
29:58And I wasn't looking for anyone else.
30:00My only focus was the grind.
30:02Study.
30:02Study.
30:03Men will betray you.
30:05Friends will betray you.
30:06But knowledge.
30:07Knowledge is forever.
30:08Every fact, formula, and theory I mastered became permanent armor that no one could ever strip away.
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