“What the hell are you doing here, Esther?”The bartender looks between us, and then casually walks away. With his back to us, he watches the game on tv. He even turns the sound up.“I’m here on assignment,” I tell him.“What assignment?”In the face of his anger, I wish I had more to show for mysel
The next day, I write up my article on Miles and the tavern he saved and submit it to Lila, who seems very annoyed I took the nothing lead she gave me and actually turned it into something.In what I suspect to be punishment, she loads me up with trivial tasks. Refill the coffee pot, deliver these l
Amber did this. I know that know for sure, thanks to my co-worker Kimberly, but there’s not a hell of a lot I can do about it, short of confronting Amber directly. But that has the potential to only escalate things.Amber would probably deny any wrongdoing, and the office would take her side, since
With everyone looking at me, I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t need to? Amber pretty much said everything for herself, and then Hugo properly responded.Instead of saying anything, I decide to just sit down and get back to work.Slowly, the usual noise and chatter begins again, as people type
“Picture this,” Cynthia says, bright and sunshiny. Is the sun even up yet? “I make my coffee and sit down to read Harbinger News to catch up on things for the day.”That wakes me up a little more. “Did something happen?”“First thing I see is an opinion article on one Miles Hampton, essentially sayi
By the time I make it into the office, the whole place is buzzing about my opinion piece on Miles. It’s even made national news headlines, where newscaster of various companies and networks breakdown my points one by one. Many give credit to my insight.I try not to let it go to my head.Yet before
“Oh, please don’t call me that,” I say.“I’m not wrong, am I? Who else could have written that eloquently? I know it was you, Esther.”“Yeah, well. Maybe keep it under wraps…”The downward lilt of my voice must put him on alert. His smile fades and he sounds more focused.“What happened?”It’s not f
“Don’t you know?” he asks in reply.“If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked,” I say.He chuckles a little. “Well. You are the journalist, Esther. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Someone calls out for him, I hear it through his line. “I have to go. Talk soon.” He hangs up.For a while longer, I sit in my c
“We should watch the rest,” I tell him, though my voice is shaky. “No,” Miles says, more firmly. I breathe a sigh of relief. For my job, I know we have to hear it. But personally, I would like to go the rest of my life without even thinking about Edward Zimmer again. “The numbers are already u
Edward’s response comes in the form of a video message. Crystal set it up on the television on the wall, while Miles and I huddle closer to the screen. Miles holds tightly onto my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever he says. We will stand against him and we will win,” he says. I believe him. Last
How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes. I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so
We hold the press conference in front of the headquarters, setting up a podium outside the double doors. The news media organizations have been notified, so they send reporters and cameramen, who have set up around the podium. The release we sent out already told them that the conference would be
Later, I’m going to have to have a meeting and call in all the employees to discuss this. Their care is appreciated, but I need to be able to do my job. For now, though, it seems as if Crystal gets the hint. With a shallow nod, she continues her report. “Mr. Zimmer has been quiet since the inter
Garnar, knowing I was giving a difficult interview tonight, offered to watch the kids. Since they are at Garnar’s house, I expected the house to be empty when I finally returned. Instead, I see Miles’s car parked in my driveway and the additional security staked out around the premises. It’s a rel
Jean was warned about the story, but she still gasped. My eyes went a little wide. We came here to talk about this, but Daphne’s direct wording leaves me speechless. Daphne didn’t come here just to tell a story. She was ready to reveal her truth, once and for all. “Esther and I were victims,” Da
In the Harbinger HQ, in one of the studio sets arranged to look like a fancy living room, Daphne and I sit side by side on a white couch, facing an interviewer, a woman interviewer named Jean, who sits on an arm chair facing us. The setting is intimate, and Jean is a kind, middle-aged woman, who i
“Miles…” Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat. “Miles…” My tears fall from my chee