Chapter 184 : The High Profile Corporate Lawyer.

Chapter 184 : The High Profile Corporate Lawyer.


HAYDEN’S POV

Stephen looked like a goddamn zombie walking down the hallway, but my blood was still pumping full of pure, unfiltered adrenaline.

Ryan was crushed, destroyed and erased. But if anyone thought a basic-ass athletic board meeting was going to be the end of this shit, they didn't know my family.

They especially didn't know the woman who raised me.

When my biological mom passed away, Stephen’s mom, Eleanor, didn't hesitate for a single fucking second.

She took me into her home, legally adopted me, and loved me just as fiercely as she loved her own blood. She became my mother. And if there was one thing you never did in this life, it was fuck with Eleanor’s boys.

The fact that Ryan had leaked a private tape of Stephen and me to the entire world hadn't just crossed a line….it had started a goddamn war.

And Eleanor wasn't just a protective mother. She was a lethal, high profile corporate lawyer who chewed up corporate boards and spat them out for breakfast.

The very next morning, the administrative building looked like a crime scene.

Coach Vance, Mr. Harrison, and the school’s legal team were all packed into the grand conference room again. But this time, they weren't the ones running the show. And Ryan wasn't alone either.

The pathetic little rat was sitting between his parents, who looked like they were about to throw up from sheer panic. His dad was sweating through a cheap suit, and his mom was clutching a designer purse like it could save them from the storm that had just walked through the door.

Eleanor sat at the head of the long table, looking like an absolute queen of death. She wore a sharp, tailored black suit, her hair perfectly done, and a mountain of legal folders stacked neatly in front of her.

Stephen and I sat on either side of her.

"Let’s get one thing straight before we even begin," Eleanor started, her voice cutting through the room like a razor blade. She didn't shout. She didn't need to. The quiet coldness in her tone was enough to make everyone freeze. "This isn't a negotiation. This is a notification of the absolute ruin I am about to bring down on your heads."

Ryan’s dad cleared his throat, trying to find his balls. "Now see here, Ms. Cross... our son has already been expelled from the camp. His athletic career is completely finished. Isn't that enough punishment for a stupid mistake?"

"A mistake?" Eleanor turned her ice-cold gaze toward him, and the man instantly flinched. "Your son didn't slip and fall, Mr. Miller. He deliberately, maliciously sent a private, intimate moment between my sons. He conspired with an offshore media broker. He took fifteen thousand dollars to distribute non-consensual pornography across the internet to sabotage their futures. That is not a mistake. That is a federal crime, a massive privacy breach, and a disgusting violation of human decency."

She slammed a thick document onto the center of the table. The loud thud made Ryan jump in his seat.

"I am officially filing a civil lawsuit against Ryan Miller, against both of you as his legal guardians, and against this entire athletic institution," Eleanor announced, leaning forward. "We are suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress, severe reputational damage, and civil privacy violations. The damages we are seeking will ensure that your family will be paying off this debt for the rest of your miserable lives."

Ryan’s mom burst into tears. "You can't do this! We don't have that kind of money! You'll ruin us!"

"Then you should have raised a son who wasn't a greedy, projecting piece of shit," I snapped, unable to keep my mouth shut anymore.

"Hayden and Stephen," Eleanor said softly, raising a single hand to silence me. I leaned back, a dark, vicious smirk on my face. She looked back at the crying mother without a single ounce of pity. "My sons spent years sweating on the turf, bleeding for their stats, and working their asses off for the upcoming draft. Your son tried to flush all of that down the toilet for fifteen grand. So excuse me if I don't give a flying fuck about your bank account."

The camp’s legal counsel shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Ms. Cross, the institution has already taken immediate action by revoking Ryan's membership. We are fully cooperating with…"

"Save it," Eleanor cut him off, pointing a sharp manicured finger right at him. "The school let a hostile environment fester. You failed to secure the dorms, you failed to protect the privacy of your athletes, and your digital security was a goddamn joke until my sons had to hand-deliver the proof to your inbox. You are just as liable for the systemic failure that allowed this tape to be broadcasted to national scouts. You will be seeing us in a federal courtroom."

Mr. Harrison looked completely pale. The school's reputation was already bleeding out from the Varsity article, and a massive federal lawsuit from a powerhouse lawyer like Eleanor Cross was going to bury the entire athletic program six feet under.

Ryan was shaking, staring down at the table, completely hollowed out. Yesterday he lost his soccer career; today, his family was realizing they were about to lose everything else they owned.

"We can settle this," Ryan’s dad pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. "Please, there has to be a number. We can figure something out without going to court."

Eleanor smiled, but it was the scariest fucking thing I had ever seen. It was the smile of a predator right before it snapped the neck of its prey.

She stood up, smoothing down her jacket, and packed her folders back into her leather briefcase.

"There is no settling," Eleanor said, looking down at the broken Miller family. "I am going to strip you of every asset, every dollar, and every piece of dignity you think you have left. I am going to make an example out of your son so that every scout, every club, and every pathetic little rat in this country knows exactly what happens when you try to destroy my family."

She turned to Stephen and me, her expression instantly softening into something warm and fiercely protective.

"Come on, boys. We are done here. Let the process servers handle the rest of the garbage."

I stood up, towering over the table, and looked directly at Ryan one last time. He looked up, his eyes wide with pure, unadulterated terror. He knew he was fucking done. Not just on the pitch, but in life

"See you in court, asshole," I muttered.

We walked out of the conference room, leaving the heavy silence of their total destruction behind us. As we hit the fresh air outside the building, I finally felt the heavy knot in my stomach completely untie.

The legal war was just beginning, but with Eleanor leading the charge, victory wasn't just guaranteed…it was going to be a goddamn bloodbath.