edia building, a plastic cup of iced Americano clutched tightly in her hand. She wor
t second. A splash of dark coffee sloshed over the rim of the c
sympathetic grimace. "Wipe that fast," Jessica whispered. "Arthur i
breath. She checked her reflection in the elevator doors, trying to
ce department, the door of the main conference room swung open. Arthur Wallace, th
to the conference room and took the seat in the fa
berg's exclusive coverage last night sent Ellison Holdings' stock through the roof," he bar
jerked. The tip of her pen gouged a harsh, bl
veral people jump. "I want an exclusive, in-depth in
rvous, skeptical glances. Everyone in the industry knew Gus
treet Journal sent a team to ambush him last month and his security detail literall
ned the room, searching for a victim, befo
," Arthur
ipped a beat. She
ruthlessly, exposing her in front of the entire team. " you need a massive win to prove
red, her voice tight with panic. "He is notoriously unreachab
anila folder across the table. It landed
the table. "You're on thin ice, Thornton. Your leadership is being questioned by the board. Go down there, play the desperate card, do
nd scrubbed clean of any association with the Ellison empire. Their two-year marriage had been shielded by iron-c
m for negotiation. "You get me an hour with Gustav Ellison, or
r blurted out, genuine ter
pity, silently thanking God they hadn
istance. Then, his expression shifted into
"I will double your year-end bonus. I'll promote you to Executive Ed
percent raise, Har
igh rent for her Brooklyn apartment. The urge to stand up, throw her badge at Arthur's face, and quit was
ed from tight fists. She bit down hard on he
r office like a zombie, clutching the manila fo
sk. "Don't stress too much," Jessica whispered kindly. "Just call his PR dep
he mint and popped it into her mouth. The sharp, col
-resolution, official portrait of Gustav. He was wear
at and insulted just hours ago, Harp
antly. If she contacted him directly, she would be handing him her
er desk. She dug past old notebooks and pens until s
o title. No company logo. Just a string
ct line Gustav had given
rd. It felt heavy, like a one
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