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And changed my life.
"Although this time when they asked me to cover Magnus, there was a very specific goal in mind," Penny says and leans in. You can see the crowd lean forward with her. They're eating this shit up.
"I was supposed to destroy him. Trash his reputation beyond anything he could do himself and make the city hate him," I hear her say.
Even though I know this, it still makes me wince that at one point this was what she was planning to do.
"If you haven't figured it out, this man is my stepfather. He married my mother when I was 18. The marriage didn't last, but he never noticed me. There was maybe some jealousy. Maybe some longing. And a whole lot of brainwashing done by my mother," Penny says calmly and coolly. This part is crucial. She can't look to be lashing out. The press is eating this up.
"Only this time, it wasn't just my mother who was pushing me to take a more unbalanced, and unbiased approach toward Magnus."
I swear to you, everyone is leaning in.
Hell, even I'm listening. It's like nothing else matters in the world.
"You see there's a lot of money in real estate development," Penny says. "Especially when the city is holding bids on a multi-billion dollar contract for Equinox Towers. And especially so when the Mayor herself has a vested interest in ensuring that the contract goes to someone other than Davion Development," she finishes.
This is when the first murmurs go through the crowd.
What exactly is she saying?
What does she mean? Is she suggesting scandal?
Because, Jesus Fuck, this city can't take much more.
"What do you get when you have a Mayor who's financially vested in ensuring that the Equinox Tower contracts go to someone else that's not Magnus Davion?" Penny asks. "And what do you get when a Mayor and an Editor-In-Chief are lovers?"
Fucking silence.
Even me. It's like someone punched me.
Penny looks at me.
"Several years ago, my stepfather and mother were married. It was a marriage of convenience for both, yes. But Magnus Davion tried to make it work because he believed in the institution of marriage. Rhoda Wright didn't even believe she could fall in love with a man. Because she was focused too much on women. So she thumbed her nose at the entire marriage. Until she drove Magnus to divorce her. But to do it in such a way that she nor her lover ever received a single cent in settlement monies," Penny starts to say but literally the crowd blows up. Photographers start taking pictures. Reporters start shouting questions.
Penny waits for a bit. But then she continues and the crowd settles down a bit to listen.
"The financial windfall that they were expecting not being given, Laurel Trask began to look for money in unusual places. These people, in dark corners of the city, did give her the money. But they demanded favors. And so I was dispatched to stop the building of Equinox Towers by Magnus Davion. Because that was the favor," Penny says and turns to me. "That's what I've been doing the last three days, babe. Just so you know I wasn't ignoring you."
I nod to her and she smiles.
Then she looks back to the crowd and talks into the microphone.
"It's very hard for me to stand here and say these things about my mother," Penny says. I know something is coming. "And it must be very hard for you to sit there and listen to me saying them. Especially when I have no proof."
People begin to nod.
"I used to have proof," Penny says. "But that proof was destroyed because I didn't plan ahead."
I'm wondering what the final game plan is. If Penny is up there and trying to convince the people of New York that the Editor-In-Chief of the largest newspaper in the city—and country—as well as their mayor are secret lovers that tried to take me down, she's going to need something or someone more than just her words.
Otherwise Rhoda and Laurel are going to eat her alive.
"So while I don't have the proof I was hoping I'd have, I just realized I have something better," Penny says and now I'm completely hooked.
Penny pulls out her phone and punches a few buttons.
Then she holds the phone to the microphone.
