I met his gaze head-on. “Three very successful journalists came forward to talk about their experiences with you. They did this knowing what it could cost them. It took a lot of courage for them to speak up.”
I could feel the anger radiating off him as he spread his hands out. “So, let me get this straight. A few women came forward claiming I made them uncomfortable, and suddenly it’s a big story. If that were true, why didn’t they come forward sooner? Why wait until now?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sarah hovering nearby. She looked like she was debating whether to step in or throw her water bottle at Brian’s head.
“Because they didn’t want to make any waves,” I spat, wishing this wasn’t happening in front of my coworkers. “They didn’t want to be labeled as difficult to work with, because speaking up doesn’t always come without consequences. You are in a position of power. You have connections and influence. They weren’t looking to put targets on their backs. And the fact that you are attacking them proves their point.”
“Pretty convenient timing, if you ask me.” He crossed his arms. “You know what I think? I think you were trying to takethe attention off Nate. Right before things were about to get messy for him, now there’s suddenly a story about me instead.”
He was smug. Even now, he was trying to twist things around and act like he was the one being wronged, and accusing these women of making up stories and trying to shift the blame onto Nate for his actions.
“There were already stories about you, Brian. Way before you decided to go after Nate. These accusations didn’t appear out of nowhere. People have been talking about your behavior long before this.”
He leaned against the wall of my cubicle. “Nate isn’t innocent in all this. He lied to his team, his fans, to everyone.”
“And he took ownership of that mistake.”
God, he was so irritating. How Nate put up with this entitled ass for so long is beyond me.
“Do you have any idea what this article is going to cost me? My family, my reputation. Hell, you somehow convinced my own sister to turn against me.”
“Maybe you should have considered all this before you put yourself in this position,” I said. It was obvious that he didn’t like being challenged by a woman. Too bad.
Daphene rounded the corner and came up beside me. “Sir, you can’t just barge in here like this.”
His head swung toward hers. “The hell I can’t?” He looked her up and down in a way that irritated me. “And who the hell are you?”
Daphene stood tall. “I’m the one who approved the article. Becca works for me.”
He scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re actually standing here defending her after that garbage that she published about me.”
Her eyebrows lifted in that no-nonsense way that I’ve seen many times right before she laid into somebody. “I’ll defend any reporter in this building. I will not tolerate anyone coming intothis office and trying to intimidate my employees. So, if you have any concerns, you can contact our legal department.”
He laughed. “Oh, you can plan on it. You will be hearing from my attorneys.”
He was throwing his weight around and expecting to get his way. Good luck with that, buddy.
Daphene clasped her hands loosely in front of her. There was a smile on her face, but it held no warmth. “You know, I’ve been in this business for over twenty years.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Congratulations.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I’ve learned a lot over those years, and I can tell when someone is trying to bully their way back into control. When they can’t accept that they are out of cards to play, and they refuse to accept the outcome.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m simply defending myself from a story you allowed one of your journalists to publish based on hearsay, so I would be very careful with your next words.”
“We report facts here. If that intimidates you, that’s not my problem.” She stepped forward. “You need to leave. You can do it willingly, or we can make this bad situation even more uncomfortable. Your choice.” Daphene reached around me and picked up the phone. “Yes, security, I need someone to come upstairs.”
He pointed at me. “You have no idea who you are dealing with.”
“Threaten her one more time and see what happens.”
I turned toward the familiar voice. Nate stood a few feet away. His voice was controlled, but it was deep enough to make it known he wasn’t messing around. His broad shoulders and long legs pushed their way around the open cubicles.
My shoulders sagged with relief.
Nate looked at me first. The hard set of his jaw and the thin line of his lips told me all I needed to know. He was pissed. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
