Page 61 of Catalyst

“I did not tell them that. I merely emphasized that the article is based on a falsehood, and anyone who believes the lies needs to reevaluate their reading material.”

“Same difference,” Ellie says.

I ignore her and move on to my next point. “We need to figure out who their source is in order to prove they have some vendetta against me. It’s the only way we’ll be able to return to normal.”

“What about the employee who talked to them? Do you think they’re connected?” Ellie asks.

“I don’t believe in coincidences, so whoever leaked the story about Linda is likely connected to the source.”

“The only people who would know about Linda’s issues are her team. I can go through those people and figure out our likely suspects.”

I raise my eyebrow at Ellie.

“What? I’m good at social media sleuthing. I once found my best friend Katie’s ex that way and made him think he got an STD.” Ellie’s grin is maniacal, and it makes me laugh.

“You’re a little scary sometimes,” Matthew teases.

Ellie pulls out her laptop and starts clicking around. I have no idea what she’s doing, but if she’s able to find my leak, then I don’t particularly care.

“Matthew, what do we say to turn the narrative back in our favor?”

“We can go a couple of routes. The first is to acknowledge that you did date Sasha before she was an escort, and then turn the narrative toward how big the sex trade industry has become and how quickly these situations can turn bad. From there, you could find a few charities who help trafficked women and encourage people to donate money.”

I tilt my head, acknowledging that his idea has merit. “I think I can make that work. What’s the second option?”

“Tell them you’re dating Ellie. That the picture they supplied was actually you two in New Orleans, and she is not an escort. It would turn everyone’s attention onto your newest relationship instead of the one you had years ago. It would also help to disprove the article, since part of their evidence isn’t accurate information.”

I look over at Ellie to gauge how she feels about Matthew’s idea. She seems more thoughtful than upset at the idea.

“What if we did both?” Ellie asks me. “We could draft an article of our own that’s from you directly. I’m thinking of a letter-to-the-editor type of thing. You could address the escort accusation while simultaneously bringing attention to human trafficking. Then you can follow that by discussing our relationship. Say that we’ve started dating, and the photo they took was of us. We can even supply them with photos from our trip. I have a couple of pictures of us that night to prove it’s us.”

“That’s brilliant, Ellie.” Matthew beams.

She shrugs. “You came up with the ideas. I just added to it.”

“I think this could work. I’ll get started on the letter and send it to Jessica when it’s done.” I look at Matthew. “Can you let her know the plan?”

“Sure.”

“I’m halfway through the marketing team right now, and they’ve all checked out so far,” Ellie says.

“Already?” I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“People have zero filters when it comes to social media. I will say that Caleb is a really great guy. He and his wife just had a baby girl. She’s freaking adorable.”

“I was impressed with his initiative to tell us what’s been going on.”

“Same. It’s no easy task to rat out your boss,” Matthew agrees.

“I’ll look into promoting him once this media nightmare is over with.”

Matthew nods at the same time the pilot speaks over the intercom.

“We’re beginning our final descent into Teterboro. Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing.”

Ellie puts away her laptop with a tiny squeal. She wiggles in her seat with excitement, and I reach over and grab her hand to make her stop. I can’t wait to see her face when we get to the box.

And that’s not the only surprise I have in store for her.

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