Chapter 90

                                    

                                          
Nik's POV: 
After the game, I went through the usual motions-media interviews, quick handshakes, a final glance at the scoreboard where my name flashed with the most points. The adrenaline was still pumping as I hit the showers. It was routine by now, the cycle of victory. Every win felt like a confirmation that I was exactly where I was supposed to be-in control, on top.
But despite the high of the game, something had been gnawing at the back of my mind all day. Those payments for Layla's education. After my dad's message, I brushed it off, thinking it was nothing, just some typical accounting mess-up. Still, something felt off. Maybe it was the amounts-higher than expected, especially for her time at Oxford. Or maybe it was just my curiosity about Layla's life, since we'd barely spoken after that breakup.
After Victoria.
I slammed the locker door shut, pushing the name out of my head as quickly as it came. I wasn't thinking about her. I refused to.
But as I pulled on a clean shirt and headed out of the locker room, I felt the itch again. Maybe it was worth looking into. My father wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't important.
Back at my apartment, the place was quiet. Perfect for thinking. I poured myself a glass of whiskey, loosened my tie, and sat down in front of my laptop. I pulled up the financial records again, narrowing it down to the payments from the last three years-specifically those related to Layla's studies. At first glance, everything seemed normal, typical tuition fees for a psychology degree at Oxford. But when I dug deeper, there were transactions that didn't quite fit. The amounts were too high, especially twe years ago during her master's program.
What the hell is this?
My father wasn't one to overlook discrepancies, but maybe he hadn't been paying as much attention. Or maybe... he had been keeping something from me.
I zoomed in on one of the payments. It wasn't just tuition; there were larger sums that seemed out of place. Additional expenses were listed-accommodation, fees for materials, but the numbers still didn't add up. My father might have been funding something-or someone-else. But who?
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples, trying to piece it together. I wasn't one to obsess over Layla's life, but this was different. This was something more. Someone else had to be involved.
I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my damp hair. Layla wasn't the type to hide things, but then again, she wasn't the type to tell me everything either. Our relationship had been distant for years. The NHL and Wolves Enterprises took all my focus, and Layla was off doing her own thing in England.
But now... now something wasn't adding up, and it was getting under my skin.
Instinctively, I pulled up Layla's Instagram. It wasn't like we were close anymore, but I'd check her page every now and then, just to make sure she was okay. But this time, I wasn't just scrolling through out of idle curiosity. I was looking for answers. There were the usual posts-pictures of her at Oxford, studying, with friends, the typical college stuff. No hints of anything out of the ordinary. No signs of anyone particular I might've been looking for in her life that would explain these extra payments.
I scrolled back further, combing through old posts, but nothing stood out. And certainly no sign of her. Not that I expected to see Victoria plastered all over Layla's Instagram, but the thought crossed my mind. If Layla was in contact with her, wouldn't there be something? A post, a tag, anything?
I shook my head. I was reaching. I wasn't checking this for her, I was checking because... well, I wasn't even sure anymore. Layla's safety. Yeah, that's it.