Page 89 of Fake It For Glory

MERIDA

It took me several hours to get myself together. After Jensen kicked me out of his office, I bawled. I cried my heart out in the privacy of my home. I never really understood what it meant to have a broken heart. I knew now. My heart hurt. I felt physical pain. Every muscle in my body felt like it had been pulled and twisted. Nothing felt right.

I woke up this morning with the intention of taking Jensen lunch at the office. I knew he was working hard to get everything ready for the launch. I was hoping to steal a few kisses and wish him luck. I never would have guessed this was the way my day was going to end up.

Jensen had come into my life when I wasn’t looking for anyone. He swept in and changed my world. He showed me so much happiness and excitement. I never thought a nerd like me would ever get to be taken around the world on a romantic trip on a private jet.

When I had no more tears left to cry, I got up and took a look at myself in the mirror. I looked like hell. It was time to take action. I was furious. Now that I was seriously dehydrated, I was pissed and ready to kick some ass. I slapped on some makeup to hide the bulk of the damage left by my crying jag. I put in some eye drops to hide the bloodshot eyes and left my house.

I stormed into the Full Disclosure office, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. I didn’t bother with pleasantries or greetings as I went straight to Dalton’s desk. My emotions were raw and unbridled. He was focused on his screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard. He didn’t even see me because he was so involved in what he was writing.

I slapped my hand on his desk. He jumped and looked up at me. “Merida!”

“What the hell did you do, Dalton?” I demanded, my voice sharp and accusing.

Dalton, with his cheeky grin and innocent demeanor, reclined back in his chair, clearly reveling in the chaos he had caused. “Hi.”

“Don’t you dare,” I hissed. “What. The. Actual. Fuck!”

“Woah,” he said, holding up his hands. “What’s going on.”

“What did you do?”

“The article,” he said, smiling. “I did what needed doing. I think the words you’re looking for are thank you.”

“How?” I asked. “How in the hell did you get him to run it? Why did you run it? I told you not to! I told you to review it.”

“I pitched the story to your father as my own,” he said with a smile. “He took one look at it and was immediately thrilled with it.”

My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe he betrayed me like that. I thought of him as a mentor. For a moment, I understood a fraction of what Jensen was feeling. To know it was so much worse for him almost sent me into a crying fit again. I took a deep breath. “You’re disgusting. I can’t believe you did that. You passed my work off as your own?”

Dalton’s grin widened, and he nodded. “Guilty as charged. And when he approved it, I had the pleasure of explaining that it wasn’t mine after all. It was yours.”

The audacity of his actions left me speechless for a moment. I had trusted him, and he had betrayed me in the most underhanded way possible. I couldn’t help but feel a burning anger toward him.

I took a step closer, my voice trembling with fury. “You had no right, Dalton. This is my life, my reputation. You had no authority to do anything with that article. It was mine.”

Dalton’s grin faltered for a moment, and he looked at me with a hint of remorse. “Merida, I didn’t think it would blow up like this. I thought it was just a story, a scoop that would boost your career.”

My anger didn’t waver. “Well, congratulations, Dalton. You got your scoop, but you also destroyed everything I had built with Jensen. You’ve left chaos and devastation in your wake.”

I turned and stormed away from his desk, my heart heavy with anger and regret. I couldn’t believe the mess I had been dragged into, all because of someone I had considered a friend and ally. I stomped back to my desk to collect my personal things. I wasn’t sure if my father would have had my shit packed and tossed or not. I supposed I wasn’t all that surprised to find it was exactly how I left it. He didn’t even bother cleaning out my desk. That was how insignificant I was.

Dalton followed me to my desk. “Merida, I don’t know why you’re angry. Your article is on fire! It’s burning up the internet.”

I glared at Dalton, incredulous at his audacity. He had just confessed to manipulating the situation for his own gain, and now he stood there, acting as if he had achieved some kind of grand victory. Like I should be thanking him for destroying my world.

“I didn’t want it published. I told you not to publish. I told you to forget about it. I can’t believe you did it anyway. I’m so pissed at you, Dalton. I can’t even put into words how pissed I am.”

Again, I was given a brief walk in Jensen’s shoes and how he must have felt when he saw that headline.

“You should have seen your father, Merida,” Dalton gushed, his enthusiasm grating on my already frayed nerves. “He was so proud of you. He’s been getting calls all morning about the piece and you. Everyone wants to know who you are. You were right. This was your big breakout article. I told you a piece of spaghetti would stick eventually!”

I was torn between anger and confusion. My heart was hammering in my chest, and it felt like it was breaking all at once. My father was proud of me? The man who had always pushed me into writing advice columns, who had never truly recognized my talent as a journalist, was suddenly proud of a story that had wreaked havoc on my life and Jensen’s?

I struggled to find words, a mixture of emotions swirling inside me. “Proud?” I finally managed to utter, my voice laced with anger and disbelief. “Dalton, you have no idea what you’ve done. My father being proud of me is the last thing I wanted. This isn’t how I wanted to make a name for myself. I destroyed a man. That’s not something I will ever be proud of.”

Dalton’s enthusiasm waned as he realized the gravity of the situation. “Merida, I didn’t think it would go this far,” he stammered, his expression shifting from excitement to regret. “I wanted to help you. I wanted you to feel the pride and satisfaction that comes from having your hard work recognized and praised. It wasn’t supposed to hurt you.”