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A heartbeat of silence passed. Then he laughed—not loudly, but with genuine enjoyment, like I’d just performed a trick he hadn’t expected to like.

“I do appreciate confidence,” he said, standing and reaching across the desk to shake my hand. “It makes the game more interesting. Two weeks. Ninety days. Limited budget. Full access. Weekly reports. Impress me, and we’ll both succeed. Disappoint me…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

“I don’t disappoint,” I said, hiding my panic.

I disconnected my laptop, gathered my things, and headed for the door. My pulse was running a fifty-yard dash, my mind already shifting into project mode, building timelines and strategies and contingencies in rapid succession.

At the threshold, I paused. “Mr. Johnson?”

“Yes?”

“You asked why people come to a circus.”

“I did.”

I smiled slightly. “They come for the spectacle,” I said. “They stay for the story.”

His answering smile was sharp and satisfied. “Then by all means,” he said. “Give them a story worth staying for.”

I stepped out into the hallway, the door closing behind me with a soft, final click.

For a moment, I just stood there, letting the adrenaline settle. Then I glanced down through the glass. On the ice below, Bwat stumbled, caught himself, and kept going.

Determined. Trying his best. Unpolished, but impossible to ignore once you noticed him. I watched him for a second longer than I should have. Then I turned away, already mapping out exactly how I was going to transform that determination into something the entire world couldn’t stop watching.

Two weeks to double ticket sales. Ninety days to take this team into the stratosphere.

Spectacle was easy. Story was power.

It was a good thing I knew how to build both.

4

ABBY

Iwas excited. And scared. But mainly excited. As I rode the elevator up to the third floor and my office, I pulled my phone out. This called for a celebration. My besties, Jordan and Willa, were both just as career driven as me, and I knew they’d be thrilled to hear about my incredible day. But my finger paused over the text icon. The Tusks left tomorrow night for two weeks of away games. Jordan would be spending every minute tonight with Ozar, and Willa had said she would be on a date. Maybe tomorrow night, although Jordan would probably be seeing Ozar off as the team left. I could still meet with Willa, though. Or wait until Friday when we were getting together at Jordan’s house to watch the Tusks play the Blackhawks.

Ugh, I couldn’t wait that long to share my incredible news with someone. Stephanie? She was more Jordan and Willa’s friend than mine, but we’d all hung out several times, and I occasionally saw her when I managed to drag my butt to the gym.

I sent the text just as the elevator doors opened, then stuffed my phone back into my purse. The office was quiet, which wasn’t surprising given that if was five-thirty on a Wednesday and aside from me most of my coworkers left right at the dot of five o’clock. I waved at Shannon who shot me an expectant, eyebrows-raised look. I grinned and nodded. She then gave me a thumbs-up and a silently mouthed “congratulations” as she shifted her phone to her other ear.

I headed straight for my office, shut the door, set my things down, and allowed myself one single, private moment of triumph.

“Yes,” I squealed, pumping a fist at no one.

Then I sat down, opened my laptop, and pulled up the research folder I’d built over the past two weeks. Baltimore Tusks. Currently a laughingstock. But a branding goldmine waiting to be unearthed.

The team website was just as dismal as it had been when I’d first looked at it two weeks ago. I made some rough notes about what I’d like to change, then sent an email off to my VP. I wasn’t an expert when it came to website design, layout, and SEO, but Daniella would whip this thing into shape by the weekend. There were zero social media accounts for the team, a fact I quickly rectified. Claiming searchable account names was tricky, especially since I wanted to keep the names fairly consistent across platforms, but I managed to secure ones that worked for my purpose. I hadn’t yet put together a concrete plan let alone gather pictures and videos for posts, reels, tweets, and TikToks, so I ended up using some decent stills from the last few games along with a “coming soon” banner as a placeholder.

Increase…no, double ticket sales for the next home game.

An amateur would hit the Baltimore market hard with promotion and discounts, but I was no amateur. Doubling ticket sales was the first hurdle, but it needed to be set up and organized in a way to help achieve my long-term goals for the team. That meant I needed to drive demand rather than beg for a fandom. Hit the social media accounts fast and hard with content that rewarded engagement. Use targeted promotions and merchandising rewards to grow an audience. Focus first on the spectacle, then build a long-term fandom with the interest pieces.

Spectacle. Orcs. Muscular and shirtless. The players were visually unforgettable, which mattered more than people liked to admit. In this attention economy, aesthetics weren’t everything, but they were a sturdy opening bid.

Sex sold, and these orcs were hot, hot, hot.