Chapter 195: Legacy

Lena’s POV

I looked at Ryan before either of us spoke. The words Detective Harper had just said still echoed in my mind, and everything inside me told me that accepting the meeting would be a mistake.

Ryan seemed to reach the same conclusion. “No,” he said quietly.

Detective Harper nodded. “I expected that answer.”

Ryan folded his arms carefully to avoid putting pressure on his healing shoulder. “If Richard Moreeti has something to say, he can say it with my lawyer present.”

“He will not like that,” Harper said.

Ryan gave a weary smile. “I stopped worrying about what Richard likes a long time ago.”

Harper returned the smile. “I thought you might.” She picked up the evidence folder. “The board deserves to see this before anyone speaks with him.”

Ryan looked at the folder. “So does the league.”

“They will.” Harper glanced at Detective Grant. “I want copies sent immediately.”

Grant nodded. “I will take care of it.”

Ryan turned toward me. “You have barely said a word.”

“I am thinking,” I said.

“About what?” He asked.

I looked into his eyes. “I am wondering how many times you stood alone against people like Richard before I met you.”

His expression softened. “More times than I ever admitted.”

“Why?” I muttered.

He looked toward the conference room window. “I thought that was part of being captain.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I believed that protecting everyone else meant carrying everything by myself.” He said.

I reached for his hand. “You do not have to do that anymore.”

His fingers tightened gently around mine. “I know.”

The four of us walked together toward the executive level, where the ownership meeting had been delayed. Security officers now stood outside every entrance, and several board members waited in the hallway, speaking in low voices. The mood had changed completely, because the atmosphere was no longer a celebration after a playoff victory. It felt like the beginning of a courtroom hearing. As we approached, Michael Warren stepped away from the group, and he looked relieved to see Ryan.

“I have been trying to reach you.” He said.

Ryan nodded. “I know.”

Michael noticed Detective Harper carrying the evidence box. His expression immediately became serious. “Did you find something?”

Harper answered without hesitation. “We found enough to justify expanding the investigation.”

Michael slowly exhaled. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

One of the owners opened the boardroom door. “Ryan", he gestured politely. “The board is ready.”

Ryan looked at me. “You are coming with me.”

The owner hesitated. “This meeting is intended for organisation personnel.”

Ryan’s voice remained calm. “She stays.”

The owner looked toward Michael.

Michael answered before anyone else could. “She stays.”

The owner stepped aside without another word. The boardroom was larger than I expected, and a long wooden table stretched across the centre of the room. Championship photographs covered one wall. Trophies filled glass display cases.

Ryan slowed as he looked at them. “I remember when some of these were taken.”

Michael smiled faintly. “You are in half of them.”

Ryan looked away. “I never cared about being on the wall.”

“I know,” Michael said. “You cared about the people standing beside you.”

Ryan nodded. “I still do.”

The owners took their seats. Richard Moretti sat alone near the far end of the table; he looked calm, too calm. His expensive suit looked untouched despite the investigation surrounding him. When Ryan entered, Richard smiled as though they were old friends.

“Ryan.” He whispered.

Ryan stopped several feet away. “I am only here because the board asked me to attend.”

Moretti folded his hands. “I expected nothing less.”

Detective Harper remained standing near the door. She placed the evidence box on a nearby table without saying a word. Richard's eyes briefly moved toward it before returning to Ryan; the movement lasted only a second. It was enough for Harper to notice.

Michael cleared his throat. “We have two matters to discuss tonight.” He looked around the room before continuing. “The first concerns the ongoing investigation.” He paused. “The second concerns Ryan Kade's future with this organisation."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Michael opened a folder. “The ownership group has reached a temporary decision.”

Ryan remained completely still.

Michael looked directly at him. “Your current contract expires at the end of next season.”

Ryan nodded once.

“We are prepared to offer you a lifetime role within this organisation," Michael said.

I smiled before Michael finished speaking.

Then his expression changed. “There is one condition.”

Every instinct inside me told me I was not going to like what came next.

Michael looked genuinely uncomfortable. “The board wants this entire controversy behind us.”

Ryan’s expression hardened. “What are you asking?”

Before Michael could answer, Richard leaned back in his chair, and a faint smile crossed his face.

“I believe what they are asking is actually very simple.” He looked directly at Ryan. “You can keep your future…” He paused just long enough for the room to fall completely silent. “…or you can keep telling the truth.”

No one at the table spoke. Ryan never looked away from Richard; neither did I.

The silence that followed felt heavier than anything Richard had said. I looked around the table; several owners lowered their eyes. Others shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and no one interrupted him.

Ryan remained calm. “I want to make sure I understand you correctly.”

Richard folded his hands. “Go ahead.”

“You believe my future with this organisation depends on whether I stop cooperating with the investigation,” Ryan said.

Richard smiled politely. “I believe everyone benefits when unnecessary conflict comes to an end.”

Ryan did not react. “You did not answer my question.”

Michael Warren leaned forward. “Ryan, that is not the position of the entire ownership group.”

Richard glanced toward Michael. “No, but it is the practical position.”

Detective Harper spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Mr Richard, you are discussing an active investigation.”

“I am aware.” He said.

“You should choose your words carefully,” Harper said.

Richarsy looked at her without concern. “I always do.”

Ryan rested both hands on the back of an empty chair. “I have one question.”

Richard nodded. “I am listening.”

“If I agree to stay quiet, what happens to the players who trusted me enough to speak?” Ryan asked.

Richard answered without hesitation. “They move on with their careers.”

Ryan shook his head. “No, they learn that telling the truth comes with consequences."

The room fell silent again.

Ryan looked around the table. “I know every player in our locker room.” He spoke slowly, making sure every owner heard him. “Some of them played through injuries because they were afraid of losing their place.” He looked at Michael. “Some of them hid pain because they thought nobody would believe them.” He turned toward the owners. “If I stay quiet now, I tell every young player who comes after me that winning matters more than honesty.”

I watched several board members exchange uneasy looks.

Ryan continued. “I cannot do that.”

Richard sighed as if he had expected the answer. “You are making the situation far more complicated than it needs to be.”

Ryan smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “No, you are.”

Richard leant back in his chair. “You have worked your entire life for this organisation."

“I have,” Ryan said.

“You could spend the next twenty years shaping its future,” Richard said.

“I could,” Ryan replied.

“You only need to sign one agreement," Richard said.

Ryan looked directly at him. “I have already signed the only agreement that matters.”

Richard frowned. “What agreement?”

Ryan’s voice stayed steady. “The one I made with myself when I became captain.” He paused. “I promised that I would always protect my team.”

I felt my eyes sting with tears because he was not speaking like a hockey player anymore. He was speaking like the man I loved.

Michael cleared his throat. “Ryan, if you refuse the proposal, I cannot guarantee what the board will decide.”

Ryan nodded. “I understand.”

“You could lose the long-term position,” Michael said.

“I understand,” Ryan responded.

“You could lose endorsement opportunities connected to the organisation," Michael said.

“I understand,” Ryan replied.

“You could even lose your chance to retire with this franchise,” Michael said.

Ryan took a slow breath. “I understand every risk.” He looked around the room one last time. “But I also understand something else.”

Everyone waited.

“My career will end someday.” He placed one hand over his chest. “My name on a banner will fade. The records will eventually be broken. The trophies will belong to another generation.” He looked directly at every owner. “The only thing that remains after all of that is the kind of man people remember.” His voice grew quieter. “I would rather leave this game with my integrity than stay in it without it.”

No one spoke, and the words settled over the room.

Detective Harper finally broke the silence. “I believe this meeting has become very useful.”

Richard looked at her. “In what way?”

She opened the evidence folder. “In the last five minutes, multiple witnesses have heard you attempt to influence a participant in an active investigation.”

Richard Moretti's confident expression disappeared for the first time.

Harper placed a digital recorder on the table. “The conversation has also been recorded.”

A murmur spread through the room. Richard slowly turned toward the recorder; he had not noticed it, and neither had anyone else.

Detective Harper met his eyes. “You came here believing you still controlled the story.” She paused. “You just became part of the evidence.”

At that exact moment, the boardroom doors swung open. A league commissioner stepped inside with two federal investigators.

The commissioner looked directly at Richard Moretti. "Mr Moretti…” He held up an official document. “We need you to come with us.”

Richard did not move. For the first time since I had met him…he looked afraid.