It's official kid

rk bar. Her dark brown curls are swept back in a low ponytail and the dress she’d worn is long gone. In her place is a woman in slacks and a blouse, professional, her attention fully focused on me

t offended her. Like we haven’t given each other much worse punches over text. “You’re the CEO,” she says, voice tense. “You work for Acture Capital?” “I’m one of the co-owners, yes,” I say. “We acquired the Globe a few weeks ago, though negotiations have been on-going fo

u prepared?” “None,” she says. “I was told to head up as soon as I got the task, and that there’d likely be pre-prepared talking points.” Technically, there are. I have them in front of me on the desk, a set of bullet points the editor-in-chief, Wesley, had given me. Aspects of my leadership he thought would be good for company morale. I don’t look at the paper. “It’s better if you conduct the interview,” I say. “You’re the journalist, right?” She shoots me a look that’s dark with irritation. So she’s annoyed that she can’t keep texting me, then, or else she wouldn’t have reacted this way. Oddly enough, that makes me glad. Talking to her had become one of the highlights of my day.Odd, and unexpected, sure. At times a distraction from work. But fun in a way I hadn’t had with a woman in years. Fun without expectations or pretence. “Fine,” Audrey says. “I’ll repeat my first question, then. Why did you want to acquire the Globe?” I lean back in the chair. I’ll have to give her an honest, professional answer, even if the only thing I want is to keep riling her up. “Acture Capital has been looking for an opportunity in the media sphere for years. The Globe fit the bill. It’s a paper with a strong history, solid human capital, and prospects. It was also struggling in areas that Acture felt could be amended.” Audrey nods, her head bent over her notepad.