Page 17 of Chasing Hope

‘It’s Punjab. Not Jaipur.’ Hope tapped on the glass in an attempt to distract him. Her expression deadpanned and she squeaked into the mic. Ethan fumbled and stared wide-eyed at the teleprompter. He was about to reiterate when Hope laughed and said, ‘I’m just messing with you, it is Jaipur.’ Ethan cleared his throat and visibly unclenched his jaw. His shoulders remained rigid all throughout the reading. Hope found satisfaction in the fact that she had succeeded in rattling his nerves. The man was too uptight for his own good. The next fifteen minutes went on without a glitch.

Hope’s cell buzzed. She made a hasty conversation and disconnected the call. Hope charged ahead. ‘Ethan, we have breaking news,’ she exclaimed, waving her hands frantically to grab his attention. Ethan's sharp gaze met hers and he gave a subtle nod acknowledging the information. Hope’s heart galloped like a Derby-winning horse.

‘We are cutting through our programme with breaking news.’ Ethan’s eyes darted between his computer screen and the teleprompter. He waited a beat for the information to be transmitted to him.

‘Hope?’ Ethan ground his teeth and mumbled under his breath.

‘Sorry, wrong intel.’ Unable to hold on, Hope slapped a palm over her mouth to muffle her laughter. Ethan’s nostrils flared and a vein in his forehead engorged. His body vibrated with restrained fury.

That was low even for you.Ignoring the stab, Hope shut off her inner conscience.

When Hope entered the control room an hour ago she was very well prepared to produce the show. She knew the lineup by heart and wanted to make a good first impression. First impressions be damned. The instant Ethan mocked her with his ever-superficial tone, Hope had formulated a quick plan to tarnish his unblemished track record of being the number-one news anchor in India.

‘What are you doing?’ Jack, the output editor, jumped out of his chair. ‘We have no such information.’ A rush of panic charged the air in the room.

Hope held her breath. ‘How will you wiggle out of this, Mr I’m-Always-Right?’ Without realising, Hope said those words out loud.

Did Ethan’s voice sound dangerously low or was it just her fried nerves?

‘We have news that the masked vigilante fondly called ‘Modern Day Batman aka Masked Man’, who has been combing the streets of Mumbai hunting down criminals, is going to make a major breakthrough that will rock the political sphere. The extent of these discoveries is yet to be revealed. Here at First Up News we deliver to you honest and unbiased news. This is Ethan Jacob signing off, wishing you all a very good night.’ Flabbergasted, Hope admired the confidence with which he’d made an impromptu speech. No wonder the arrogant prick deserved the tag of the best news anchor nationwide.

Ethan’s all-consuming eyes pinned Hope to her spot. Ripping off his earpiece, he threw back his chair and paced out of the recording room. Hope staggered backwards. Her palms clutched the edge of the cabinet. The enraged look on Ethan’s face caused her heart to deep dive to her stomach.

‘Everyone out,’ Ethan barked. The crew dropped everything and made a mad dash towards the door. Prowling towards her, his midnight eyes never left her. Hope sucked in a hurried breath. Every step he took in her direction engendered a feeling of dread hurtling up her spine. With sheer might and pride Hope stood her ground.

Ethan lifted his hand and Hope instantly flinched. ‘I will chop off my hand before I strike a woman.’ The pain in his voice stabbed at her heart. Hope’s eyes shot open and she studied him with piercing scrutiny. His hands flattened on the cabinet in front while he leaned into her. Acute heat radiated from his body. ‘Is that how little you think of me?’ A trace of hurt flickered in his eyes. Feeling terrible about her actions, Hope’s throat closed up.

‘I —’ Her thoughts jumbled up and she was unable to make any sense of them.

‘Why do you hate me so much, Hope?’ Ethan whispered, his breath stroking the shell of her ear. A throbbing roused in the pit of her stomach. Goosebumps shuffled along her skin.

‘I don’t know… I just do.’ Hope’s eyes slammed shut as his jaw grazed her brow. Involuntarily, she inhaled his musky scent and her pulse scrambled making her head spin.

‘That’s not the answer I came looking for.’ Ethan loomed closer, his tie touching the front of her t-shirt.

‘On a scale of one to ten, how angry are you with me?’

Ethan stayed silent for a long time, as if he were yet to come to terms with what she’d done. The beeping of the monitors around them faded to a dull hum. He took a deep breath as he tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. At the light touch a surge of longing gravitated straight to her core. His smouldering gaze charted every inch of her face as if saving it to memory. His voice dropped to a smoky whisper.

‘Oh, I’m so furious right now.’

‘You have a funny way of showing it.’

‘That’s ‘cause I ain’t thinking straight.’

Hope didn’t know what to make of his sudden change in behaviour. The hard strength of his body reminded her of that sturdy branch of the tree she had held onto for dear life. Hope’s brows knitted in a frown. What was wrong with her? Why was she comparing Ethan to a tree? Ethan lifted his head and his eyes bored into her. The black in his eyes unfurled, coating every bit of them. Hope equated the blackness in them to her favourite MAC eye kohl. The air around them sizzled like potatoes being dropped into hot oil.

Hope squeezed her eyes shut. For the love of God. What was with all the ridiculous references? His close proximity was messing with her brain.

‘You made a fool of me on live television. Does your hostility run so deep that you are willing to sabotage my reputation? A reputation I worked my ass off to build?’ A strong sense of guilt grasped her by the throat and squeezed hard. ‘Hope, you might not know this, but I have risen from the ashes. There was a time at the start of my career when I was ridiculed and resented solely because of the illicit deeds of my father. Besides, Brian was the only one who took me in without so much as a flicker of doubt.’ Hope studied the hard lines on his face. Was it anger or regret he felt?

‘What happened with your dad?’ Hope asked. Her curiosity was sparking warning bells.

His mouth twisted in a cocky smile. ‘You’re a reporter. Do what you do best. Dig up my past and see what you can find.’ Hope’s eyes lit up. Ethan tossed his head back and barked a laugh. Strange things transpired in her stomach at his deep laughter. Or was it her heart? Hope shuddered at the notion of feeling anything remotely close to liking Ethan. ‘Don’t get excited just yet. My past is buried so deep that you will need to put in everything you have to unearth it. All things considered, let me warn you, it was not a pretty past.’ Despite this, his smile stayed put. The hardness in his eyes spoke volumes. Eyes that were focused on the cross resting on her racing heart.

‘There is more to me than meets the eye, Hope. If only you’d look deeper.’ Hope’s heart clenched at the grief in his voice. She plastered her arms to her sides before she could do something stupid like cradling his face to her hammering heart.

Where were these crazy urges coming from?

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