Nico.
My thumb hovers over the keyboard.
What do I say?
I'm proud of you?
You made the right choice?
I love you?
I delete the draft. Close the app.
Not yet.
Not here.
But tonight, when the race is over and the cameras are gone, I'll find him.
And I'll tell him what he needs to hear.
That choosing himself wasn't giving up.
It was the only way forward.
***
The sponsor event is set in a chalet that looks posh despite being all wood and alpine charm.
Eiswerk banners on one side. Vektor on the other. Federation logos everywhere in between. The Finals sponsor evening is exactly what I expected: too many suits, too much champagne, and athletes in team jackets looking like they'd rather be anywhere else.
But I'm working tonight.
Clipboard in hand, earpiece in, coordinating the Vektor photo wall rotation. Three athletes. Fifteen minutes each. Media appearances. Sponsor handshakes. Smile. Move. Repeat.
"Élise, we need Hoffman at the wall in two minutes," Marco says through the earpiece.
"Copy. On it."
I spot Hoffman across the room, talking to a journalist. I weave through the crowd, a professional smile locked in place.
This is what I wanted. A job where I'm busy, not ornamental. Where I have tasks and deadlines and a reason to be here, that isn't my last name.
I'm good at it.
And I like it.
"Élise."
The voice stops me mid-step.
I turn to face my father.
He's standing by the Eiswerk display, champagne glass in hand, suit impeccable. Charcoal. Perfectly tailored. That glacier smile that never quite reaches his eyes.
"Father."
I incline my head, this was supposed to be my break. But sure, I can spend it catching up with my father, why not?
