Page 27 of Bastian

Miss Vain rises from her seat and looks down at Nessa with an air of superiority…as if. How quickly did she forget where she came from and what she had to do to get to where she is or who she had to do.

Rich, powerful, and well-known dick.

I watch through the one-way glass as she leaves with her security guard on her tail, dismissing Nessa completely. With my phone in hand, I type a quick message to my personal assistant, Oliver, asking him to send the last woman in. Trying to get dirt on a President is always difficult, but trying to expose bad behavior from a President who is as beloved as Sebastian has proven to be an impossible task. Dammit.

Most of the women Nessa has interviewed today only have nice things to say about him, and others just wasted my time trying to get their five minutes of fame while giving us absolutely nothing.

Although, I can still work with some of the details they all shared.

One thing all of those women have in common.

One fact even most women blinded by his charm can’t deny.

The man broke things up with them when he got bored. He broke some hearts and egos, too.

They didn’t say it exactly like that, but I noticed the bitter undertone and the painful fake smiles.

Now I just need one to expose something that could help me create a crack in that perfect public persona Sebastian has shoved down the country’s throat.

And after I’m done exploiting his playboy and heartless side, I’ll move to the next.

The shady side of his business.

His criminal friends, partners, and all that he is hiding by being the Commander-In-Chief.

It’s hilarious how after Nessa delivered my message, someone from Sebastian’s camp tried to make contact, wanting to speak with the one in charge of the paper.

That’s when I knew I got him.

What’s amusing to me is that he has no idea who exactly the CEO is, not yet. My face hasn’t been released since the paper wasn’t all that big before, and I used my nonna’s middle and last name to go undetected. There’s no trace of me.

But now that the press conference gained us more popularity and we’re exposed, soon my identity will be revealed but on my terms.

All in due time.

There’s a knock on the door next to the double mirror, then Nessa appears with an unsatisfied look on her face. She’s eager for information, but no one is truly cooperating, so I understand her frustration.

“These women are so…” she tries to find words to describe the parade of airheads, and I help. “Shallow. Idiots? Brainwashed?”

“Yes, yes, and oh my God, YES!” Her dark brows furrowed. “How can they have nothing of substance to say? Half the interview they spent looking at themselves in the mirror, and the other half just kissed his ass as if that will help them get back in the president’s bed.” Nessa says with a shocked expression.

I ignore the way the thought of those women fucking Sebastian makes me want to barge inside the White House and stick my favorite black-ink pen on his neck. Instead, I shrug and hand her a notepad where I jotted down the questions I want her to ask the last of Sebastian’s fling.

Nessa takes the notepad from my hand and asks, “Do you want me to ask these? You will be mentioned in the article and consequently involved.”

Playing with the button on the sleeve of my suit, I reply. “We save the best for last, Nessa. Now make sure that she answers every question. Taunt her if you must, but ensure she breaks and gives us what we want.” Nessa knows what went down with Sebastian and me three years ago, not only because she, like me, is obsessed with politics and journalism but because I openly share my story, needing to be transparent with her if I want all of this to work. I need to trust her a little for her to trust me. She hasn’t failed me yet. “I won’t let you down.” She nods enthusiastically before stepping back inside the interview room we have here at the newspaper.

I know she won’t.

She’s eager to climb the ranks, and this is certainly helping her.

Unlocking my phone, I sit back, scroll through social media and open the bird app where Sebastian posts daily updates. I know most of it is bullshit. His press secretary is very efficient in doing the devil’s work. One thing that strikes me as odd is that every person on his team is male. The ones working directly with him, I mean. Not one single female is part of it.

There has to be a reason for that decision because he’s risking being called sexist in a time where that type of behavior is not only unacceptable but will get you canceled quickly.

I also haven’t seen Celene around him, not once. At first, it burned that she was still part of his life after I was gone. They even seemed so closed, but out of nowhere, the spiteful bitch was gone too.

Maybe he used her like he did me and got rid of her or maybe he realized she was a filthy snake.

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