CHAPTER 32

Olivia

"I will not stand here and let biased and corrupt news networks like OVT poison the minds of our children!"

"I'm telling you, folks, OVT is none other than a steaming pile of garbage!"

"OVT and the thousands of its kind will be the first thing I will abolish when I become President!"

"OVT Broadcasting Network is fake news, and they will be hearing from my lawyers soon!"

"Help me to take down harmful companies like OVT!"

These were just some of the words that Jebediah Olson had stated publicly about OVT. Stress and tension were already at an all-time high in the newsroom due to the ongoing campaign season. But this wasn't helping. Everyone was scrambling, knowing fully well that Jebediah Olson had accepted our invitation to interview him, something most of us knew was a long shot in the first place. Of course, the real reason why he immediately accepted the invite was still kept under wraps. Ben and I agreed that the best way to deal with all these lingering issues was one at a time.

I was in the newsroom all morning, compiling a file about Jebediah Olson that would hopefully help Ben corner him into a wall and force him to admit the lies he had been willfully spreading about OVT. I was aware that I was the best shot they had in nailing this interview, so I was giving it my all. I raked up every single thing I knew about my old boss as quickly as I possibly could—his weaknesses, his other scandals, his commentaries, his taking advantage of a systemic issue that worked in his favor. All details were neatly summarized and compiled for Ben to peruse.

But every step I took felt like a ticking time bomb. The fact that Jebediah Olson's team did have a copy of the picture that would easily expose my relationship with Ben meant that they could drop that bomb on us at any time. If I knew my old boss well enough, I knew he was going to make that information his trump card when things started to get a little too heated for him. It was his brand by now, after all: Talk about another scandal to distract from his own.

All finished with the file, I power-walked out of the office. Normally, I would have practically sprinted to the meeting room by now, where Ben was, but the studio located in the other direction caught my eye. The crew were experimenting with camera angles and lights while the set designers finished up the set design. It looked professional and modern, with cushioned sheets and a background of the Manhattan skyline. But it also looked kind of dead without the studio lights on.

"It's too bright," Mark complained, still sounding laid-back and monotonous, but his body language showed that he was as serious as everyone else. "We know Olson likes to wear cakey make-up, but this light would probably melt it off his face. Wait, maybe we want that to happen?" He got a few chuckles in response to that one.

I wanted to talk to Mark, but he was obviously busy. I should be more productive as well. So, with a newfound spring in my step, I rushed back to the conference room. Before I could get inside, however, Eric was standing in the doorway, making it impossible for me to get in.

"Excuse me," I announced in a sing-song manner as I squeezed by him.

"Bro, are you eating takeout?" Eric asked, extremely discombobulated at the sight of his best friend and boss happily munching on a box of oily, but scrumptious fried rice. As I fully entered the room, the smell of Chinese food lingered in the meeting room while Ben was enjoying his very late lunch. "In the meeting room? Where did you scold me for bringing in coffee? Fragrant,beautiful coffee?"

Ben was about to retort, but realized he had a mouthful of rice. He swallowed first before continuing.

"You spilled the coffee, Eric. This room smelled of your fragrant, beautiful coffee for about a month," he reminded him, using air quotes when he spoke of the coffee. He happily went back to enjoying his food. "And what kind of friend are you for withholding such glorious food from me for all these years?" He countered, eliciting a small chuckle from me.

It was frankly refreshing to see Ben so relaxed, calm, and carefree about the current situation, but I was thinking it was actually caused by my hunger pangs.

"Alright, hungry boy, while you're eating, allow me to read out this file for you, okay? Eric, maybe you should have a listen as well," I informed the two of them as I sat down in the chair on the other side of Ben. Admittedly, we were trying not to get too close to each other, knowing that this wasn't the best time to act all lovey-dovey. Yep, that day, I was just a professional news reporter doing her research for her boss' upcoming interview, and I had to stay like that for the sake of the company.

I wasn't completely oblivious to Ben's quick glances from time to time, and I also let my guard down sometimes as well, but we never allowed ourselves to go farther than that. We had a lot of time after this to do whatever we wanted, so we agreed to focus one hundred percent of ourselves on OVT for the time being. With that being said, I explained in meticulous detail the tendencies and question patterns that Jebediah Olson liked to do. As more and more info got absorbed by Ben, his expression of deep concentration slowly transformed into one of brimming confidence. As soon as I had finished going through every single thing in the dossier, the two men staggered in silence.

"You know, I'm just gonna say it," Eric was the first to break stillness. "I'm glad you're on our side, Olivia," he declared, patting me twice on the shoulder before walking out the door.

Ben only looked at me in amazement as we were left alone in the room. Papers were spread minimally across the table, along with a couple of takeout containers. Ben's green eyes didn't leave me for quite a few seconds, and I instinctively rolled my eyes as I saw him lick his lips.

"What?" he asked, voice low and husky, sending tingles in the right places of my body.

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm just going to pretend like I don't," I said, standing up so that we wouldn't get carried away. "You're going to do well tomorrow, Ben," I told him, shooting him a small but genuine smile.

"You know, a part of me always felt that this was something you were destined to do," he suddenly said, before I could walk to the door, and I gave him a confused look. "I just thought… that maybe you would love nothing more than to tell your old horrible boss that he could go to hell," he explained, standing up and buttoning his suit before walking over to me. Though I could clearly smell his cologne from where he approached me, he was still standing a respectable distance.

But somehow, I just… didn't care about all the rules that we imposed on each other.

I shook my head at his statement, however.

"It's your Company, Ben. You should be the one to save it," I rebutted, fearlessly caressing his cheek. His five o'clock shadow tickled my fingers a little, but I honestly loved seeing Ben with a bit of facial hair. It made him look more mature andsexy. "And besides, I still have my ways on how I can get back at Jebediah Olson. All you need to do now is get a lot of rest, alright?"

Ben then cupped my hand that was on his cheek, staring at me with the most loving gaze from his viridescent eyes.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, you know that?" he said, kissing my hand over and over, his facial hair sending shivers throughout my entire arm.

Overcome with emotions, a tear almost fell from my cheek. Before I knew it, I placed a slow and passionate kiss on Ben's luscious lips. There weren't any words that I needed to say as I placed all of my feelings in that one moment where our lips met; in that moment where the world froze around us and nothing else mattered but each other; in that moment where it was just me and it was just him.

I wouldn't let anyone take this away from me. Ever.