Chapter 116: Let Him Try

NORA’S POV

At eight-forty-five on Sunday morning, the third-floor corridor of the Athletic Administration Building was silent except for the click of our shoes against the polished terrazzo floor.

Knox walked beside me, dressed in his charcoal Briar team suit, a crisp white button-down, and a deep purple silk tie.

Even with the faint purple bruising along his sharp jaw and the slight stiffness in his bruised left shoulder, he looked commanding, and every inch a varsity captain.

He reached down and slipped his fingers between mine.

Priya walked half a step behind us, looking like an elite corporate litigator in her tailored black trench coat, carrying her leather briefcase tucked tightly under one arm.

Down on the ground floor, Bear, Jake, and Milo were posted by the front glass doors to keep anyone from interfering.

Coach Brennan was pacing outside the boardroom doors, his tie loosened and his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night of arguing with administrators.

When he saw us approach, he stopped dead, his gaze sweeping over Knox.

"You look ready to murder someone, Sheridan," Brennan said in a low, gravelly rasp.

"Just ready to handle business, Coach," Knox replied. "What’s the situation inside?"

"Well... your father’s attack dog, Richard Arse, has Pierce backed against the wall," Brennan said grimly. "The university’s general counsel is terrified of a five-million-dollar lawsuit. They’re telling Pierce to sign the medical release right now so the university avoids liability. Pierce has the pen in his hand."

"Not for long," Priya said, tapping her leather briefcase.

Brennan’s mouth twitched into a grim smirk. He reached out and pushed open the double doors. "Give ’em hell."

Knox didn’t hesitate. He held my hand firmly as we stepped into the boardroom.

The room was suffocatingly tense.

Athletic Director Pierce was hunched at the head of the long mahogany conference table, his forehead shiny with sweat. Sitting to his right were two university staff attorneys, Reynolds and Gable, both looking pale, anxious, and defeated.

Sitting across from them was Richard Arse.

He was the image of corporate ruthlessness. With his silver hair and sharp, charcoal suit, he looked every bit the part, his gold cufflinks shining under the lights. A thick stack of legal papers and a transfer waiver were spread out before him.

"Pierce, it’s very simple," Arse was saying smoothly in a condescending voice. "Sign the medical transfer release, and Sheridan Global withdraws the negligence filing immediately. Refuse, and we file with the federal district court by noon. We will freeze your athletic department’s operating budget in discovery."

Pierce’s hand shook as he reached toward his Montblanc pen. "I have to protect the university, Coach. If Knox has a brain bleed and we didn’t admit him to an ER, the liability will bankrupt this program..."

"Put the pen down, Pierce," Knox’s voice rang out through the room.

Every head in the room snapped toward the doorway.

Pierce froze, his pen hovering inches above the signature line. "Knox... what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in bed under concussion protocol!"

"I’m here to stop you from selling me out to save yourself a legal headache," Knox said, walking straight up to the mahogany table.

Richard Arse leaned back in his chair, letting out an amused, patronizing chuckle.

"Knox, stand down," Arse said smoothly, waving a dismissive hand. "This is adult business between institutional counsel. Your father is acting in your best medical interest."

"My father doesn’t give a damn about my medical interest," Knox retorted. "And you don’t dictate what happens to my career."

With a single motion, Knox dropped a thick manila binder directly onto the center of the table right in front of Arse and Pierce.

"What is this?" Pierce asked, blinking behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

"That is a certified emergency trauma file from Briar Memorial Hospital," Knox said. "I checked myself into the emergency room at midnight. I underwent a full non-contrast head CT scan administered by Dr. Alvarez, the attending trauma physician."

Pierce grabbed the folder, his hands trembling as he flipped open the seal. Reynolds and Gable leaned in over his shoulders, their eyes scanning the medical charts.

"CT scan is completely negative," Pierce breathed out in disbelief. "No intracranial hemorrhage. No subdural hematoma. No skull fractures. Mild concussion and soft-tissue contusion only."

Richard Arse’s smug expression stiffened slightly, but he recovered within a second.

"A midnight scan doesn’t change the fact that Briar’s athletic department failed its initial duty of care on Friday night," Arse said coldly. "Our negligence lawsuit remains entirely valid."

"Actually, Mr. Arse, your lawsuit is dead on arrival," Priya’s clear voice cut through the air.

Priya stepped up beside Knox, unzipping her leather briefcase. She pulled out three stamped legal documents and laid them across the table.

"I am Priya Patel, student legal representative working under Professor Henderson at the Briar Student Legal Clinic," Priya announced with flawless composure. "These documents are Knox Alexander Sheridan’s sworn Adult Patient Autonomy Declaration and Comprehensive Liability Indemnification Waiver."

Reynolds, the university lawyer, snatched the top sheet. "An indemnification waiver?"

"Under federal law and state medical statutes, a twenty-one-year-old legally competent adult possesses absolute autonomy over his medical care," Priya explained. "Knox has officially executed a binding waiver releasing Briar University, the athletic department, and Dr. Campbell from all civil liability regarding his on-ice evaluation."

Priya turned her piercing gaze directly onto Richard Arse.

"Under basic tort law, a negligence claim requires three elements: duty, breach, and damages," Priya continued ruthlessly. "Since Knox has zero intracranial bleeding, there are no physical damages. And since Knox has formally indemnified Briar University, there is no actionable liability. If you file that complaint in court, Mr. Arse, we will immediately move for summary dismissal with Rule 11 sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit."

Reynolds let out a sudden, breathless laugh, looking up at Pierce. "She’s right, Pierce. We’re completely protected. The university has zero liability."

Richard Arse’s face turned an ugly, mottled red. "Garrison Sheridan will pull every dollar of corporate sponsorship from this school..."

Knox leaned down, planting both hands flat on the table, invading Arse’s space until the older lawyer leaned back into his seat.

"Let him try," Knox whispered. "Because if Sheridan Global files one single motion against Briar University, or if my father attempts to touch my medical records, I will personally file an immediate civil countersuit against Garrison Sheridan."

Arse narrowed his eyes. "A countersuit for what?"

"Tortious interference with prospective economic advantage," Knox said without blinking. "Defamation of medical fitness to NHL scouts. And intentional infliction of emotional distress. And I won’t just file it in court, Arse. I will stand on the steps of this building with Coach Brennan, call a live press conference with ESPN and SportsCentral, and tell the entire hockey world that my billionaire father is trying to sabotage his own son’s college season because I refused to sign with his agency."

Silence filled the boardroom.

You could hear the hum of the air conditioner in the ceiling.

Richard Arse stared at Knox, his jaw working silently. He knew hockey. He knew the media. A public scandal of that magnitude would incinerate Garrison’s reputation among NHL executives and destroy his agency’s credibility overnight.

Arse reached out with stiff fingers, gathered his draft injunctions, and shoved them back into his leather briefcase.

He snapped the brass locks shut with a sharp click.

"Your father will hear about this, Knox," Arse muttered, standing up and buttoning his jacket.

"Make sure he hears every word," Knox replied coldly.

Athletic Director Pierce sat up straight in his executive chair, color finally rushing back into his face.

For the first time all morning, Pierce looked like a man in charge.

"Mr. Arse," Pierce said in an icy tone. "Please inform Mr. Sheridan that Briar University considers this matter permanently closed. Take your briefcase and get off my campus."

Arse didn’t utter another word. He turned on his heel and strode out of the boardroom, the mahogany doors clicking shut behind him.

The moment the doors sealed, Coach Brennan let out a booming laugh that shook the walls.

"Holy hell," Brennan roared, stepping forward and clapping a firm hand onto Knox’s good right shoulder. "That was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in thirty years of coaching."

Pierce let out a massive sigh, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. "Reynolds, file that indemnification waiver immediately."

He looked up at Knox, nodding with genuine respect.

"Your medical status remains active under Doc Campbell’s return-to-play protocol, Sheridan," Pierce said firmly. "You’re our captain. Take care of your head, follow protocol, and get ready for Friday."

"Thank you, Director," Knox said respectfully.

We walked out of the administrative building together into the bright Sunday morning sunlight.

Down on the stone steps of the quad, Bear, Jake, and Milo were waiting anxiously. When Priya raised two thumbs in the air, the three boys erupted in a wild, echoing cheer that startled half the students walking past.

"Hell yeah!" Bear shouted, pumping both fists into the air. "The Captain stays!"

Knox chuckled, but as Jake and Milo swarmed Priya to high-five her, Knox took my hand and pulled me a few steps away from the crowd.

The cold November wind tossed his dark curls, but his slate-gray eyes were soft, luminous, and filled with an emotion so fierce it made my chest ache.

He wrapped his uninjured right arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his chest in the middle of the sunlit quad, not caring who was watching.

"You and Priya saved my life today, Nora," Knox murmured, his voice thick with raw emotion as he buried his face in my hair. "You saved everything I care about."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my cheek against his jaw, feeling the solid, unbreakable strength of the boy who held my entire heart.

"We take care of what’s ours, Captain," I whispered against his skin.

Knox pulled back just enough to look down into my eyes, a slow, breathtaking smile spreading across his lips. "Damn right we do, Bookworm."

He turned to Bear, Jake and Priya. "Now, who’s hungry?"