DECLAN
Not Giving Up
The envelope lands on my kitchen counter like a grenade.
Patricia’s face is schooled into the kind of careful neutrality that tells me exactly how bad this is going to be. Her sharp eyes glance at me then the envelope.
"Open it."
My hands are steady as I break the seal. Years of high-pressure situations have trained me not to show weakness, even when everything inside is screaming. The letterhead makes my stomach drop:
“Stallworth v. Hawthorne. Breach of Contract. Damages: $15,000,000.”
"Fifteen million? He's suing me for fifteen million dollars."
"Keep reading."
I scan the document.Breach of fiduciary duty, willful destruction of professional relationship, financial fraud…Wait!
I look up. "He's accusing me of fraud?"
Patricia nods, her expression grim. "He's claiming you deliberately concealed income to avoid paying him his contractual percentage. There are bank statements, emails, text messages. They’re all fabricated, of course, but convincing enough to cause problems."
"This is insane. He stole from me for nine years."
"I know. But Gregory's smart. He's framing this as you being the thief, him being the victim." She pulls out her tablet, pulling up what looks like financial documents. "He's got a paper trail that makes you look guilty. We can fight it and win eventually, but the optics..."
"The optics are terrible." I finish for her. "Millionaire athlete accused of financial crimes during playoffs. Even if I'm innocent, the damage is done."
"Exactly." She closes the tablet. "If this goes public, every endorsement deal you have will evaporate overnight. The team might suspend you during the investigation. Your reputation…"
"Will be destroyed," I finish for her. "That's the point. Gregory knew I was about to expose him, so he struck first."
My phone buzzes. Riley's name flashes on the screen, followed immediately by Rowan's. They've been calling non-stop since Patricia arrived. I've been ignoring them because I can't face their worries yet.
I can't face the fear that I'm about to lose everything.
Patricia stands, smoothing her skirt. "Think carefully about your next move. Gregory's given you an out. Drop your allegations against him, continue with the Evangeline arrangement, and he'll withdraw the lawsuit. You can salvage your career."
"What if I fight?"
"Legal bills in the hundreds of thousands. Years of litigation. Your name dragged through every media outlet. And there's no guarantee we’ll win before your career is over." She pauses at the door. "I've seen this before, Declan. Sometimes the cost of being right is too high."
The door closes behind her.
I stare at Gregory's signature at the bottom of the lawsuit. Nine years of manipulation condensed into legal threats. He's always been three steps ahead in the negative direction, always making sure I knew who held the power.
And like an idiot, I let him.
Just like I let him destroy things with Ivy.
My phone buzzes again. This time I answer.
"Finally!" Riley's voice is frantic. "We've been trying to reach you for hours. Rowan found something on the financial forums. Gregory's lawyer is known for these exact tactics. Apparently, he specializes in preemptive strikes against…"
"Riley, Gregory is suing me for fifteen million. He's accusing me of fraud."
Silence.
