Chapter 138: Katty's Deal

Theo's POV

The noise of the dinner came back all at once, but it sounded far away. I sat at the table, staring at the empty chairs where Kieran and Asher had been sitting just moments before. My hand was deep inside my pocket, my fingers crushed tightly around the broken silver chain.

The sponsors were still laughing and talking with Reed and Milo, completely unaware of the bomb that had just dropped under my seat.

Katty sat across from me, her sharp eyes tracking my face. She saw me put my hand in my pocket, and her tight smile grew wider. She reached for her glass of red wine, her movements slow and careful.

Suddenly, her hand slipped. The glass tilted, and a massive wave of dark red wine splashed straight across the front of my white vest.

"Oh! I am so sorry, Theo!" Katty apologized loudly. few people turned around to look at the mess. Katty stood up fast, grabbing a white cloth napkin. "That was completely my fault. Come with me to the upstairs washroom right now. We need to clean this before the fabric stains forever."

Landon shook his head. "Go on theo"

Everyone at the table believed it was a total accident. But as Katty gripped my arm to lead me out of the dining room, her fingers dug deep into my skin. I looked at her side profile as we walked toward the back stairs. Her face was perfectly calm. I knew right then that she had done it on purpose. She wanted to get me away from the table. She wanted me alone.

We walked up the stairs to the quiet second-floor hallway. Katty pushed open the door to the restroom, stepping inside first. I followed her, as the door clicked shut behind us.

I grabbed a paper towel and turned on the tap, rubbing hard at the dark red stain on my vest "What is your problem, Katty? You did that on purpose."

Katty didn't answer right away. She leaned her back against the wall, taking a slow sip from a fresh glass of wine she had grabbed on the way up. She watched me clean the cloth, enjoying the way she had cornered me in the quiet room.

"You know what is funny, Theo?" she said softly.

"Nothing about this is funny," I snapped, not looking at her.

"Everyone keeps watching Kieran and Asher," Katty continued, her voice dropping into a low, smooth rhythm. "The team, every younger players. They all want to know what is going on with the star captain.

But nobody notices the way you watch Asher."

My body went completely rigid. I stopped rubbing the paper towel against my chest. The bathroom went totally dead silent except for the sound of the running tap water.

"You always defend him," Katty said, stepping away from the wall. "You get angry whenever someone talks badly about him in the locker room. You look at him longer than anyone else on the roster does. I am not blind, Theo."

She stopped right beside my shoulder, her reflection staring at me in the mirror.

"You like him," she said flatly

.

I snapped around, my face turning red with a mix of closeted panic and raw fury. "Watch your mouth, Katty. You are completely insane. Mind your own business and get out of my face."

Katty did not back down. She did not even blink. She just let out a cold, soft laugh and smiled. "Deny it all you want, Mercer. It does not change what I have seen with my own eyes."

She reached out, her fingers catching the edge of my wet lapel, twisting the fabric slightly to force me to look at her.

"Do you know what Kieran got for Christmas?" she asked, her voice turning into a sharp whisper.

I frowned, my chest tightening as a wave of jealousy hit my brain. "Why would I care what Kieran got for Christmas?"

"Because the person who gave it to him wasn't me. Asher gave him a gift," Katty whispered, her eyes. "A custom present. Kieran looked happier opening that present than I have ever seen him look in my entire life. Whatever is between those two... you are already losing, Theo."

The words cut straight through my defense. It felt like a physical blow to my chest. I thought about the silver necklace inside my pocket, matching the memory of the championship tunnel kiss. My mind started to fracture from the pressure.

"You are just saying that to make me mad," I choked out, my voice tight and shaking. "You don't know anything."

"I know if that what you feel, but at least it is working," Katty smirked, her face full of pure arrogance as she saw the pain in my eyes. She let go of my jacket, smoothing her own dress down. "You need to fight back, Theo. You just have to throw a massive New Year's Eve party at your house next week."

I stared at her, totally confused by the shift. "What?"

"Invite everyone from the academy," Katty proposed, her fingers tapping a fast rhythm against my sleeve. "Invite the whole hockey team. Invite Asher. Confess your real feelings to him there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being who you are, Theo. Force him to choose between you.

I looked at her smiling face, and a sudden wave of suspicion made me step back. She was pretending to support me, but her voice felt too cold. She wanted an explosion. She wanted to create absolute chaos inside our group.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, my voice dropping low. "What do you get out of this?"

Katty's smile never faded. "Because I want the truth to come out."

"Forget it," I said, pushing past her shoulder and ripping the restroom door open. "I am not playing your sick games. Leave me alone."

I needed air, Instead of going downstairs, I walked toward the rear balcony overlooking the service corridor. Then i hears voices.

It was Silas and a younger sophomore player from our roster. Silas had the younger kid pinned hard against the wall, his hand gripping the front of the boy's collar.

"I don't care about your excuses," Silas hissed, his voice carrying up the quiet stairwell. " I want the cash tonight or you can transfer the money into the wallet ID right now".

The younger kid was trembling, his eyes wide with pure terror as he reached into his pocket to grab his phone.

A dark wave of fury hit my brain. Silas had been holding a knife to my throat for months because of Asher. He thought he could use fear to control everyone on the team. I slowly pulled my phone out of my pocket, keeping my body hidden behind the balcony bars.

I aimed the lens straight down and started recording the entire physical exchange.

The camera caught everything perfectly. It caught Silas's face, his hand on the kid’s neck, and the raw intimidation.

I had spent months feeling like a trapped animal inside a cage. But looking at the glowing screen in my palm, a cold, dangerous realization settled into my chest. I could use Silas's own toxic conduct to get my revenge. If I showed this video to the school board, his athletic career would be completely ruined. I could use his own dirt to protect myself, destroy his leverage, and clear my path.

I turned off the screen and slid the phone back into my pocket, my heart hammering with a brand-new purpose. Maybe Katty wasn't the only person playing games tonight. Revenge came first.