Lilly.
If Jake Rylland thought his threats would faze me, he was completely wrong. The world finally wanted to listen to me, and I was going to give it what it wanted. Moments like that did not last forever so I had to make the most of it before people moved on and focused on something else.
I spent the weekend studying all the reactions to my article. I watched video clips, read articles and commentaries, and went through the hilarious memes on social media.
By the end of the weekend, I knew that people wanted more gossip about Jake. I was sure that even if I made up something, people would eat it up.
But I was not that kind of journalist. I had integrity and would never cook up lies about anyone for money and fame. That was a low I swore not to reach in my life. I wanted to do my work right, only publishing nothing but the truth. Occasionally, I would spice things up a bit but nothing significant.
On Sunday evening, I took a big risk and wrote an article that I knew would blow up and drive Jake crazy.
Jerk Rylland? Jake Rylland Threatens Reporter for Writing About Him.
“Nice, I love it especially the title.” Leah sent in reply to my email.
I slept with a big smile on my face. Jake was going to be really angry. All I had to do was use the taxi so I didn't have to go the basement alone. The basement parking of our rundown apartment didn't have any cameras so I was on my own.
I couldn't prove my claims that someone kidnapped me there. In any case, I knew that the person had probably paid off our dodgy security guard in order to get away with the crime.
Back then when I walked into the company building, no one seemed to notice. Even the security personnel barely glanced at me. I was a no body.
But things were different on that Monday morning. It was like a movie. I walked in and every eye turned to me, making me feel shy and confident at the same time. I wearing a blue suit and black heels, my black hair in a tight ponytail.
Despite the intense gaze, I managed to make it to my desk without falling over, a miracle considering that I rarely wore heels. Being the current star reporter did feel quite good. I'd admired others for way too long but finally my time to shine had reached. It would soon end if I wasn't careful.
I was called to Leah's office immediately.
“Today's article was even better,” she said. “You're blowing up. Even Athena wants to meet you. There are so many people still calling to interview you to get more info on Jake. We'll be having a meeting in an hour to decide who'll go with.”
I barely heard the rest after Athena's intentions. Athena Morgan was the head of our newspaper generically named The Daily Paper. Getting a private meeting with her was one of the most desired things. It was a dream come true.
An hour later, I entered Athena's office. It was..
Athena was wearing a crisp blue suit and black heels. A smile lit up her face when she saw me.
“My favorite reporter,” Athena said, making me blush. I had spent my entire career trying to get noticed by her and thanks to Jake Rylland, I finally got what I wanted.
“Good morning, miss Morgan.” I greeted, staring in awe at one of the most influential women in the publishing business. Athena has got to the top through hard-work and grit. I had read every interview of hers and tried each day to be more like her which was very hard because Athena breathed publishing.
“Good morning, Lilly.” She said. “Please take a seat. I love your follow up article on Jake Rylland. While I know he's capable of making threats, all money hungry men are, I just want to know from the horse's mouth if it's true.”
“It's true.”
“If it's true, why did you not provide more details like where the incident occurred, how and many others. Although the tabloids are swallowing it up, details could have given your story more credibility.”
“If I divulged details, Jake and I would face off in court because he committed a crime. I didn't talk about it because when it comes to an actual crime, the system is rigged. Jake has contacts on the legal system and instead him ending up in jail, it would be me instead. Besides, I have no proof other than my word. Some people will think I'm just trying to ruin his name and I don't want that to happen.”
“As long as whatever happened didn't hurt or traumatize you, we can move past it. Things happen, terrible things too. Moving on, Leah gave me a list of platforms that wish to interview you and I want us to use this opportunities to promote our paper so I'm going to help you choose the best one.”
“Sounds good,” I said. I knew Athena cared more about her company than me but that didn't matter. It was her company that had seen potential in me when I was a lowly graduate with zero experience. It was that company that gave me the family I never had. I would fight for it.
Athena and I went through several options before settling for five of them. She asked Lena to contact them while I was released to focus on my other stories.
At the end of the day, Leah and I went to our favorite bar to relax.
“Cool car,” Athena said. We both stared at the rolls Royce that was looking out of place among old cheap cars that the regulars drove.
“I wonder what rich dude decided to pop in today,” I said.
“Probably some celeb looking for nomalcy.”
I froze when I spotted Jake Rylland in the club. He standing by the bar scrolling through his phone. A few regulars were scattered allover the bar minding their business. They were middle aged local folk who didn't care about celebrity gossip.
“We need to leave,” I told Leah.
Jake was casually leaning against the counter, staring at us. His stare was hot, sexy and intoxicating. If he wasn't such a Playboy, I might have thought he was one of the most eligible bachelors in New York. He was top notch attractive.
“We can't leave because of him,” my best friend, the voice of reason said.
Jake started walking towards us and I quickly turned to leave before bumping into a rock hard chest that smelled so good.
Looking up, I saw a handsome man with a perfect stern face.“Hello,” he said.
For a moment, I forgot that Jake existed.
Jake."There's a new article about you by Lilith Hellman," my sister said.Furious, I crushed the water bottle in my hands and reached out for that day's papers. I went through the pile until I found The Daily Paper whose headlining story was about me threatening Lilith Hellman. "Will call you later," I told Carrie before hanging up. Quickly, I skimmed the summary and then turned the page to the second one which had the full story. I sighed in relief when I finished and there was no mention of kidnapping. The girl had some sense, it seemed. However, she was still taking too many liberties as if she had no idea I could ruin her life with a snap of my finger. The door opened and Jenny entered. "The staff meeting is about to start, Mr. Rylland. "The meeting was short and precise, just the way I liked them. As soon as it was over, I walked out of the room, immediately turning my thoughts from work stuff and returning into social mode. Lilith was something I needed to get rid of, bef
Lilly's POV“Hello,” I said as I took a step back from the mysterious handsome stranger. His blue eyes held mine, never leaving for a moment. A familiar warmth spread all over my body.“Were you running away from something?” he asked. His voice was deep and smooth.I glanced back at Jake who was clutching a wine glass tightly. His jaw was taut, eyes fixed on us. Smiling, I turned back to the handsome stranger.“Not particularly,” I said. “Sorry for bumping into you.”He shook his head. “It’s alright. I’m glad you did, because I was doomed to spend the evening alone. Would you like to join me? Your friend can join too.”“Sure,” I said. “Why not?”“Good,” he said. “Let’s find a table.”We made our way back into the bar. I could feel Jake’s eyes on me the whole time. He had probably wanted to threaten me, but now I was out of reach. When I turned to glance at him, I saw him walking towards us with a furious and determined look on his face. He was out for war, it seemed. Just as I was abo
“You think that was great?” I asked Johnny before hitting the ball with my golf club. It went right into the hole and I laughed. “Now, that’s what we call great.”Johnny sighed. “It’s been a while since I last played. You know what, I’m tired. Let’s go sit over there.”He pointed to a group of umbrella trees that had created a great and secluded shaded spot. “You boys are lazy.” Mr. Ark, an older friend of ours said while rubbing his bald head. He owned a small bank in George but lived in New York with his children. Golf was one of his favourite hobbies. It was a miracle to come to the golf course and not find it. “What will happen when you’re my age?”“Look, James is here,” Johnny said. James Hacker was heading our way wearing a blue polo shirt, white cap and white pants. Johnny stepped down from the cart and I followed suit “You can play with him.”“I don’t want to talk to him,” I said, and practically dragged Johnny out of there. James was quite a gossip and I knew he was going to
Lilith’s PovI couldn’t stop thinking about Ian. No man had ever done for me what he had done for Leah and I. Although we were technically strangers, he stood up for us. The fight had almost got bloody but security came just in time and separated the two men, all exuding alpha male energy. Later, Ian had dropped us safely, first Leah and then me. Moreover he had not demanded anything in return except my number which I happily gave him.Being a junior reporter meant my life was full of work that the higher ups didn’t want to do. It was always piled on us. While we worked as slaves, doing everything handed to us, the bosses chose only what was convenient for them.Ian lived in my mind rent free the whole of the next day and night. On the day after that, I had an assignment to travel to New Jersey where I had an interview with a producer of a small budget reality show. He was an eccentric man so Leah and I were both going to see him. Sexual harassment and assault was a big problem for u
Ian and I met at The Alternative Ritz, a bar on the outskirts of the city with a daily live band. I was wearing a hot red figure hugging dress and red heels. My hair was styled, and fell in waves on the sides of my shoulders. That was all thanks to Leah who lectured me on putting effort to my appearance for dates. If it was up tom, I would just wear a clean shirt and jeans plus sneakers. Maybe that was I was still single. I literally didn’t try to look sensual or romantic. Only one guy in the office had expressed interest in dating me but then again, there was only a handful of men there. The place was overflowing with estrogenic and progesterone energy which was not a bad thing but it killed all my office romance dreams.“You’re lucky to have survived that mess,” he said. “I have never been in a shooting before but it sounds quite scary to be involve in one. I’m so sorry you had to experience something like that.”“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for being here. I’m glad you called b
When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar room. Sitting up, I looked around. There was a bed with blue sheets, and a table next to it. My bag was on that table. Grabbing it, I opened and saw all the contents inside. Everything was intact. I sat back and tried to rack my memory.Ian. Where the hell was he? Most importantly, where was I? I pulled out my phone and unlocked it. 10missed calls from Leah. What the hell. I dialled her number immediately. She didn’t answer which made me panic even more. My clothes! They were nowhere to be seen and I was wearing a blue nightdress I had never seen before. My heart was pounding as I tried to remember how I got there. All I could remember was leaving that white building. Shit. How did I become so stupid to trust a man whose surname I didn’t know. I had finally done it, gone crazy and made a mess of my life.It was already ten am and I had no idea where to get clothes. I dialled the phone on the table but no one was answering. What the hell was this
I stabilized a few minutes later. There were pictures of me on a full page, all kinds. Me entering the so called whore house, me kissing two men, dancing with men and women. There was one of me in bed with a man but thankfully I was still wearing my clothes. That was the only saving grace.“What is all this?” I asked. An ache had developed in my head. I could process what I was seeing. This was no doubt the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I thought of my relatives, who were probably glad they kept their distance from me.I ripped the paper into pieces.“That will not solve anything.”Why, why me?I think it’s Jake Rylland,” Leah said. “I don’t know why some random guy would do this to you and hire a reporter to document it.”“That sly bastard. I only reported what was true about him. I should have reported the kidnapping. If I do now, they will say I’m trying to ruin his name because mine is ruined.”“That’s not the worst.”“What could be worse than that?”“I think you might
It was like I was floating out of the building. It felt as if I was not really there and my mind seemed to be lost in some unknown dimension. There was a bit of dizziness disturbing me, but I felt stable enough to reach home without collapsing on the way. A taxi passed by and I did not bother to stop it because I wanted to walk. Home was over two kilometres away. I decided to walk until my legs gave out.My mind was shut out from almost everything around me. Everything that had happened to me was a mess in my blurred mind. Vehicles cruised past, people passed by, I bumped into some of them because of my disorientation. Life was going on normally for most people, except me and probably a few others with disturbed minds. At some point, I was just staggering along the pavement, pushing myself. I got weird looks from people who probably thought I was homeless and hungry or crazy but didn’t care. The good thing about my job as a newspaper and magazine reporter was that most people did no