AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My phone buzzed one more time with an incoming email. Mindlessly, still shocked by what I just saw, I tapped on the mail and fought the urge to hide under the blankets when I saw the message.
From: Ben Oviatt, President of OVT Broadcasting Network
Today was about to get interesting.
Chapter 8
Ben
Asthepresidentofa broadcasting network, I always understood that there would be times when I had to weigh all my options. There were always a lot of variables to consider. Being a "harbinger of truth" was always the first priority, but even news reporting was a business venture. I always had to make sure that for every single person I hired, they should be adequately compensated for their services. That meant that I had to find a way to balance factual and accurate news reporting while also ensuring that my employees had their salaries paid on time.
But the most vital part in running a news outlet was to guarantee that our reputation and our credibility remained intact. We had to be viewed as a serious, meticulous, and unbiased news source. Otherwise, it would be near-impossible to gain the trust of the public and earn their patronage. Failing to make all these checks and balances meant the downfall of the company—another news outlet that strived to be of service to the people shut down without any legacy left behind.
“You don’t seem very happy about Olivia’s viral story, boss,” Eric pointed out as we walked back to my office. We had rushed down to the newsroom in search of Olivia, but she strangely had not reported in yet by the time we got there. “Isn’t it great that we’re getting such big numbers? I think we just hit eight million views in the past hour,” he added as I sat down at my desk. He took the chair across from the desk.
It was apparent that Eric really had a money-first mindset when it came to business. I couldn’t blame him for having that perspective. After all, anyone who worked jobs aimed to earn money, after all. With that being said, I just wished I had someone who understood the situation how I did, but I accepted that it would be somewhat hard to explain it in a way that it would be immediately grasped.
“I have my reservations, I will admit,” I replied carefully, though I could clearly see in his face that he was totally confused by my reaction to this whole viral video. “I messaged Olivia to come to my office as soon as she arrived. Would it be alright if we talk about this later?”
Eric simply nodded at my request, exiting my office wordlessly. I could try to explain to him my opinion on the matter, but for now, I had a bigger issue to deal with.
Olivia
I had never been applauded in my life. I was a press release writer once, for god’s sake. I was always behind the camera. And even when I transitioned to being in front of the camera as a news reporter, I was not expecting for it to happen to me whatsoever. I wasn’t an actress, or a musician. So why was I getting clapped for while I was walking down the OVT lobby!?
“Woo! Congrats, Olivia!” The receptionist cheered me on, and I tried my best to shoot her a smile, but this was all very overwhelming for me.
“You put OVT on the radar again!” One of the junior reporters whooped, and that put way more pressure on me than I thought it would. I didn’t want to become this attention-grabbing news reporter. I just wanted to be a journalist.
Near the elevators, beyond the group of people that gathered around the pathway, I saw Eric calling me over. I rushed over to meet him by the elevator.
“Hey, Eric.” I had a feeling I knew why he was here.
“Hey, viral girl,” Eric greeted me with a smile, obviously teasing, but it aggravated me. The elevator opened, and I stepped inside. He pressed the button for the top floor.
“Ben is waiting for you upstairs in his office. I’ll stay back and try to control your crowd of adoring fans.” Eric then clicked his tongue, winked, and gave me a purposefully corny thumbs up. I gave one last look at the crowd that gathered in the lobby for me, and another uncomfortable shiver ran up my spine.
As the elevator doors closed, an even thicker tension filled the air as it sunk into me that I was coming up to meet with Ben Oviatt—especially considering that our last encounter wasn’texactlypleasant in any way. Also, my job still hung on by a thread, after all. I didn’t do that story to impress those people down in the lobby. I did it to try to impress my boss so that he wouldn’t fire me.
I took a few deep breaths as the elevator finished its rise. I knew that the answers to all the questions racing through my head were right in front of me—I just had to push through. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on Ben Oviatt’s office door. It was slightly ajar, so I pushed it open. And there he was. He had the same indifferent face as usual, but he looked perfect sitting there, sun streaming in the windows and catching his hair. I almost couldn’t breathe as something a little too close to desire surged through my body, settling into the deepest parts of my core.
“Good morning.” I forced my voice to be clear and cheerful, but still professional.
“It’s already afternoon, Miss Taylor,” he responded in a deadpan tone, making me internally facepalm myself. “Please, sit.”
I learned the hard way that understanding him meant needing to read between the lines. He definitely knew how to use his presence to his advantage, and I had fallen victim to being intimidated by him multiple times. But this time, I just had a sudden sense of understanding of him.
I mean, it wasn’t quite as clear as day. I just knew for a fact that there was a strain in the air, but I had no idea what was makingtheBen Oviatt so tense. Was it just my story?
Ben cleared his throat and loosened his tie. It was a rare sight seeing him show signs of stress, but I was honestly more distracted upon seeing just a little more of his throat peeking through. It was surprisingly intimate, watching the muscles of his throat move when he swallowed hard.
“I’ll get down to business. I hope you don’t mind,” he started, releasing a breath as he relaxed into his chair.
“Of course.” My voice was a little shakier, a little breathier this time.
Ben then stared at me eye-to-eye. This time, weirdly, his green eyes weren’t as piercing as usual. It was more of curiosity rather than of criticism.
“I would congratulate you on your fifteen minutes of fame, but as the President, I am worried about its repercussions to the company,” he declared, almost nonchalantly.
