Page 109 of Breaking News

A second later, Jill met my eyes through the glass, her body straightening as she gave me an almost imperceptible reassuring smile, like she could sense my discomfort from where she stood.

And all at once, the tension in my chest loosened and my head cleared, like someone had opened a window and I was finally getting some fresh air. I caught myself smiling back, forgetting where I was for a second. Suddenly, the men watching me with their arched eyebrows and their arms crossed against their chests didn’t seem to matter as much.

I snapped out of it, turning back to the computer screen. “Okay, here’s thescope: this isn’t just a sexual relationship. It’s a romantic one, and I don’t wish to end it anytime soon. So let’s get all of that out in the open before any decisions are made today.”

“Graham,” Jack said, clearing his throat. “This relationship won’t be allowed to continue if—”

“I’m not asking for permission,” I interrupted. “I’m telling you this relationship isn’t going anywhere. I…”

The next words caught in my throat.

Because I hadn’t admitted them to myself yet.

But here I was, about to say them out loud for the first time in front of these men, who probably saw any sign of emotion as a weakness.

I glanced toward the studio where Jill nervously tugged at the hem of her dress as she nodded along to whatever Meghan was saying, clearly trying to hold it together. And seeing her made it easier to get the next sentence out.

“I love her.”

I hadn’t planned to say those words when I walked into this room, but it was the most honest thing I’d said all morning. And when I met Jill’s eyes through the glass again, I knew I meant it. So I said it again. Quieter this time, but just as certain.

“I… love her.”

Blinking the sting away from my eyes, I watched Arthur nod like he understood, but Jack sighed. He’d just thrown me a lifeline, and I’d let it sink. Some men might have downplayed the scandal or called it a one-time mistake for the sake of saving their careers, but I didn’t want that. Jillian Taylor wasn’t the type of woman you kept in the shadows or met behind closed doors. She was someone who made you want to gesture across the room and say, “That’s her. She’s the one.”

And, essentially, that’s what I was doing now.

“Look, I had one of those too,” Jack said, chuckling at himself. “It was back when I was working in Springfield. Young blonde thing, half my age. And let me tell you, that wasn’t love.”

I did my best to hold in the remark on the tip of my tongue.

“Yeah, Graham,” David said, setting his margarita glass down. “You said this has been going on for just a few weeks? You might want to ask yourself why she wasn’t interested in you until you stepped in as CEO.”

And there it was. The insult wrapped in concern. Jack laughed in response, and hot, rising anger tugged at my collar. These men didn’t know Jill. They didn’t know the conversations we’d had, the ways she made me laugh, or how quickly she fell asleep when she laid her head on my chest. They couldn’t fathom that a woman like her would fall for a man like me, not unless there was something in it for her.

I glanced down, steadying myself for a second, before looking up at Arthur. “If I were to step down… would Jillian be protected?”

He pursed his lips, tilting his head to one side like he was thinking this over, but Jack spoke up first. “That’s really an HR decision.”

“I’d say she’d probably just get a warning, right?” David asked, rubbing his sunburned forehead. “And he could quietly slide back into his role as editor.”

“No,” Jack said without hesitation. “This is already blowing up. I’ve got multiple people forwarding that post to me as we speak, and people are calling for him to be terminated. Including Sherman, I might add.”

Noah Sherman. Of course he was fucking calling for my head. He’d been waiting for a reason to discredit me since the Silas Brown story broke last year. He wouldn’t rest until he could paint me as a man who was just as corrupt as the one we took down.

A hot prickle ran down my spine, and everything in me went still. I knew what I needed to do.

“Then it’s settled,” I said, my eyes glazing over as the weight of this situation finally come to a head. “I’m going to submit my resignation. Effective immediately.”

“Graham,” Arthur said, folding his hands on the table. “Think about this, about how easily you could dispel the rumors and chalk it up to a disgruntled employee—”

“No, Arthur, I won’t be doing that.”

He looked at the other men on the screen, both of them rubbing their chins and staring back at him. Jack finally cleared his throat and leaned forward, admitting, “Your resignation is, unfortunately, the best course of action.”

I nodded, settling back in my chair like the fight had finally left my body. This was really over.

I walked into the oldWoodvale Timesoffices at twenty six years old with a dream of making a name for myself. And I was walking away with exactly that—just not in the way I’d imagined.

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