Filthy Storm

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

FRANKIE

APOLLO STORM went to the New York Hunters in the fourth round of the draft eight years ago.

He had just won the National Championship with the University of Tennessee football team and had swiftly risen to college football stardom.

A year into his rookie season, he was already named a starter and became one of the unstoppable forces in the league ever since. Apollo led the Hunters to four consecutive NFC Championships and a Super Bowl win—in which he was awarded the MVP—before he was married to Eva Delaney after three months of dating.

She was an A-lister celebrity in Hollywood who graced the covers of many popular magazines and had walked on every prestigious fashion show in Europe. They were the couple to watch out for. Everything they did was on the front page of the tabloids. Every word they said was quoted until it was tiresome. And everywhere they go, cameras would flash with their every move.

Eva Delaney was a woman who could no wrong, the it girl everyone loved, the goddess that looked good in anything she wore.

And Apollo Storm was the budding legend in the league, with a face and body that should've only existed in fiction.

The general public was obsessed...

Until she filed for divorce and went on a smear campaign against him another three months later.

Suddenly, recordings of their arguments were leaked along with insider stories that suggested he only married her for fame. The case should've been simple. It was predicted that it would blow over in a week. But it didn't.

It went on for almost a year—longer than their marriage and dating length combined.

Pictures of bruises. Raw footage of violent discussions. Missed games. Injuries. Dirty messages to another lover. They were all there for the public to see and judge. The pieces of evidence were in Apollo's favor, and they were on his side.

But the jury wasn't.

And so she won—the case, more than half of his net worth, a portion of his estate entirety.

But when the man she'd been cheating with came forward and disappeared, an appeal was filed and she was given nothing.

It should've ended there.

But three years later, the issue was still alive more than ever.

• • •

"ALL RIGHT, REST UP!"

The sound of a loud whistle made Frankie look up from her phone. The guys were all lying on the field except for the one she had been stalking on the internet since training started.

Sweat glistened on his skin as he tried to catch his breath. Even with dirt on his face, he was still as breathtaking as he was in the red carpet pictures. Frankie was lost out of her wits as he watched him sway his head to shake off the sweat in his long blond hair. It was like a reel played in slow motion when he looked up, his striking blue eyes making her melt under its dark intensity.

Their gazes clashed from across the field until Apollo looked away to address the team, who were all groaning in exhaustion.

"Make sure to have a good rest everyone. Alcohol and parties are forbidden until after the game. Let's have a refresher of the strategy early morning tomorrow." His voice was deep and no-nonsense as his eyes scanned the guys, all listening with determined yet tired looks on their faces. "Great work today, let's show them all what we got tomorrow."