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PIERRE

S hit.

What have I done.

I thought after earlier today when we had a moment, that maybe she was interested. She’s not. That’s not what she said. She said, she can’t even if she wanted to. What the hell does that mean?

Shit.

I have to make this right. Not tonight you don’t.

Right. I should give her space. And you should stop flirting with her.

I can’t help it, she’s just so beautiful.

Pushing her isn’t going to get her to give in to you.

What do you want from her? I want what we had back.

For fifteen years, your mistake has festered inside her.

The wound might be too big to fix. I’ve changed.

Have you? Because you kissed her when you were engaged.

But she knows that things between Kitty and me weren’t good.

Not good. You were about to marry her last weekend.

Because I … crap … I was going to marry her and try and make it work.

And now here I am trying to make things work with Issy.

You’re a mess. I am a mess. Show her you’ve changed.

I have. And I will. Don’t be jealous if she dates, remember she is single.

I don’t know if I can do that. Then she will never be yours.

Is that what you want? No. I want a second chance.

A second chance, a week after leaving another woman at the altar.

Okay. You’re right. I’m rushing things. You may have gotten freedom today, but you’re only halfway there.

You still have to announce to the public that you and Kitty have broken up, and you still need to find a new team.

Don’t rush things. It’s hard being around her all the time, though.

Just like it’s hard for her being around you, but for different reasons.

You’re right. I need to work on myself first before I can even think about a second chance with Issy.

She still remembers you as the cocky teen.

I’ve grown up. But you’re still cocky. I can’t help it. Tone it down then. I will. For her.

My phone starts ringing off the hook. Urgh. My head hurts after one too many beers. Then I hear the front door buzzer and Frankston barking. What is going on? Reluctantly, I get out of bed and go outside to investigate. I’m surprised when I see Felix and Harper walking through the front doors.

“Bro, you look like shit,” my brother states.

“Why haven’t you been picking up your phone,” Harper adds.

“I’ve been asleep,” I grumble.

“So, you haven’t seen it?” Harper gasps.

“Seen what?”

Moments later, a bleary-eyed Issy walks down the stairs.

She looks so beautiful, her chocolate hair is all messy, and she’s wearing a silky black slip that leaves nothing to the imagination as it clings to her body, it’s short and exposes her long, tanned legs with each step.

“What the hell are you guys doing here so early?”

“You haven’t seen the news either?” Harper asks.

Issy shakes her head, looking as confused as I am.

“Shit. Okay. Well, Kitty has decided to say fuck you, Pierre, and has released a statement on how you left her at the altar as you got cold feet and then disappeared, and she has no idea where you are and she’s heartbroken. ”

“She did what?” I yell.

“It’s everywhere. The internet is going wild, and people are losing their minds. She’s painting you out to be the villain,” Harper explains.

“How fucking dare, she. Kitty promised yesterday that she wouldn’t do anything,” I yell.

“She lied. Which isn’t surprising is it,” Harper adds.

“How about I make us some coffee and we talk in the living room,” Issy says.

“I’ll help,” Felix adds.

“I can’t believe she did this to me. Is it bad?” I ask Harper.

“It’s not good.”

Shit.

“What do we do? She can’t get away with this. Do you think they planned this together to take me down?” I ask.

“Possibly. Currently, you’re the runaway groom, and the female demographic is very much upset with you. A portion of the male demographic think you’ve lost your mind for leaving Kitty, and there’s a small portion who are on your side.”

“That’s not good, is it?”

Harper shakes her head. “We can turn this around for you, but we are going to have to make a statement.”

The front door buzzes, and Felix rushes to get it. Moments later, Marcus and Jordan arrive.

“Just saw the news, fucking hell, and I sent her the NDA last night,” Jordan says.

“And I have a meeting with The Mavericks today, too. This couldn’t have come at a worse time,” Marcus adds.

Shit.

I can’t believe Kitty is fucking up my life for her gain.

Are you surprised? This is low even for her.

She wanted to control the narrative, of course, she would release her own statement before you.

Now she is playing the victim in this story, knowing full well you can’t do shit about it because of the contract you signed with Bill.

They fucked you over again. “I want to make a live statement, now.”

“What? No. This isn’t a good idea. You have to stick to a script,” Harper says.

“A carefully curated speech is not going to win over the public,” I tell her.

“You have to be so careful in what you say, Pierre,” Jordan warns me.

“I don’t mention Bill, I got that. But Kitty never signed the NDA, so I am happy to expose her cheating. Let the world know I have evidence of her infidelity, and I’ll release it if Kitty doesn’t retract the lies she is telling.”

“Rather aggressive,” Harper states.

“It’s the truth, though.”

“Might stop the media trying to find him, we all know how they operate,” Felix adds, looking over at Harper.

“A heartfelt video on your socials might work. Are you up for it, though?” Harper asks me.

“Yes. I will not let them try to destroy me.”

“Kitty isn’t going to expect you to fight back.” Felix smirks.

“Exactly, and that’s why she did it.”

“Okay, if you think you can do it,” Harper says before turning to look at Jordan. “Any notes on legally what he can and can’t say?” she asks him.

“Yeah, I have some ideas,” he adds.

“Good, now, Pierre, go have a shower, get yourself together, and we will have a plan once you’ve gotten out,” Harper states.

I’m showered, Harper’s dressed me like a fricken Canadian lumberjack with a flannel shirt, white tee and jeans, apparently this makes me look down to earth and gives the illusion I am in the wilderness somewhere and not in the city.

She also asked me not to shave, so I look disheveled, making the public think I am truly upset over the relationship.

I still can’t believe Kitty did this to me.

“Are you sure about this? Once it’s out there’s no going back,” Felix asks.

“She can’t paint me out to be the villain when she is one,” I tell him.

He claps me on the back. “I’m here for you.”

My family called from Italy earlier and they gave me their blessing to do whatever I needed to do, that they would stand by me through this, and it’s exactly what I needed to hear.

I’ve gone over all the notes Jordan and Harper have given me, and I’m just going to go with my gut and hope that it translates to the public.

“Okay, are you ready?” Harper asks as she sets up the phone and stand to film me on. We’ve gone for a blank wall in the living room so that no one can work out exactly where I am, hopefully. I’m nervous as hell, but thankfully it’s not live and I can redo the video if I mess up.

“I’m ready,” I tell her as I nervously move in my chair. Just treat this like any other media interview, especially one after a bad game where you don’t want to be there, but you have to be. Harper gives me a count in and indicates she’s recording.

“Hi, everyone. It’s come to my attention today that my ex has released a statement on our breakup before our joint statement could come out.

I understand Kitty is upset and hurt over my leaving Italy, but she knows the real reason why.

I was never going to publicly talk about the reason for my leaving, but she isn’t being truthful about what happened.

Yes, I did leave without telling her personally, but I was upset.

Finding out your fiancée has been seeing someone else behind your back in the middle of your rehearsal dinner was a shock.

Kitty, I was never going to tell anyone about your affair.

I would have stuck to the statement we were releasing in a couple of days, that we both had cold feet and realized we wanted different things, that it was no one’s fault.

I would have let everyone believe that I was the bad guy to protect you, but you couldn’t do the same for me.

I cannot in good conscience let these lies continue in this way and damage my name.

I’m not angry at Kitty, I’m disappointed in how things have turned out.

We had been having problems for a while and should have called off the wedding months ago, but you feel like you can’t when your wedding has been turned into a circus.

But seeing Kitty with another man the night before our wedding, there was no way I could go through with the marriage.

Was it a cowardly thing to do, to run away?

Yes. But I wasn’t thinking straight. This will be my one and only statement on the matter, so please respect my privacy at this time.

And please do not harass or attack Kitty over this either, that is not what I want.

I just want to clear my name. Regarding my career, it is with great regret that I inform you all that I have requested to be let go by the South Dakota Devils so that I may start a new life somewhere else.

I will be coming into the next season as a free agent.

I am so sorry to the Devils’ fans and my team as I feel like I am letting you all down, especially being unable to bring the cup home.

Unfortunately, I’m being selfish, and I need this change for me.

A clean slate. Wherever I end up, I look forward to seeing the Devils thrive, they have a real chance at the cup next season.

I don’t know what the future or my career holds, but I know now is not the end.

I still have some of the best years left in my career, and I hope that I get a chance to show them off.

I appreciate your support at this time and hope to see you all on the ice again. ”

And with that, I sign off. Everyone is silent.

“That was fucking awesome, so Canadian polite. Everyone is going to lap this up.” Harper squeals with delight.

“You did good, bro,” Felix adds.

“Perfect, there was nothing in there that would get you into trouble,” Jordan states.

“You are going to have so many options from teams when this goes live,” Marcus suggests.

Then I look over at Issy, she gives me a small smile.

“Right, do I have permission to post this?” Harper asks as she plays around on my phone.

“If you think it’s ready to go, do it,” I tell her.

“Perfect.” Her fingers move rapidly over the keys. “It’s done. Gone. Good luck. How do you feel?” She grins.

“Slightly relieved, but who knows what the public are going to think?”

“I’m going to have to go, I have that meeting with The Mavericks this afternoon that I need to prepare for. Fingers crossed they see this, and I have good news,” Marcus tells me. Me too.

“I might head out, too. You’re in good hands here,” Jordan says, following Marcus out of Issy’s home.

“I’ve got to head into the office, too,” Issy says.

“You’re not going to stay?” Harper asks.

“Pierre isn’t the business’s only client,” she states.

Harper frowns at her friend. “Of course. Don’t worry, we’ve got him.” And with that, she disappears upstairs. “Are you two okay?” Harper asks me.

“Sure,” I answer, but it doesn’t sound convincing. Harper looks over at my brother before the buzzing of my phone distracts her. She starts scrolling and scrolling.

“Holy shit, people are losing their minds.”

“In a good way?” I ask.

“Like a Team PSP way.” She grins.

Relief slides over me, thank fuck.