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As far as I could tell from my occasional (fine, constant) tuning in to his show, no one ever went back at him. Or if they did, they were too upset to make any kind of rational argument.

In the spaces between speaking, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was thinking, considering, letting a few arguments in.

“Hi! I actually just wanted to call in and say I agree with Madison,” a woman’s voice filled my office.

“Then you are both wrong. Next caller!”

My lips curved up at the hint of frustration that had slipped into his voice.

“Hey, Brandy here. I also think Madison was right.”

“Mass delusion. Next caller!”

Oh, he was starting to sound genuinely irritated now.

And I was delighted about that.

I turned off the radio app and got back to work, running on the high of possibly getting the better of Silas.

Petty? Probably. But modern women were constantly getting told how silly and unrealistic it was for us to believe that women could be cherished and loved unconditionally. In real life and in fiction. And when we weren’t being harassed about our hopes for a love match, we were being told we had no morals if we dated casually. There was no winning. It felt good to clap back at someone about it after a lifetime of biting my tongue. Even if it was risky to do so at someone I worked with.

It was over anyway.

And Silas didn’t seem to recognize my voice. It wasn’t like he’d heard it much. It just had to be a one-time thing. No matter how many times he got on the radio and incited me with something he had to say.

I was the station manager. I had to be the one to toe the line.

“Knock knock.” I managed to bite back the groan and plastered on a smile as I turned to face Steve. For the eighth time that day.

“Hey, Steve. What can I do for you?”

“You have that meeting with the higher-ups tomorrow afternoon, right?”

“Right.”

“And you’ll bring up the chair situation.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, I have your request form right here.”

“Good. And you’ll advocate for it?”

“Of course.” Otherwise, I had a feeling my name would be on the upcoming lawsuit as well when they turned it down. Which they likely would until he brought up the topic of legal action.

“You’re the best. Oh, the vending machine is acting up again. Just so you know.”

Ugh.

Not the vending machine. I was going to use it to make a perfectly awful dinner, since I’d worked past the time any decent delivery places were open.

“I’ll look at it,” I assured him. “Right now,” I added, grabbing my wallet and moving out into the hall before he came up with another issue I needed to fix.

I didn’t listen to Steve’s show, but I had a feeling his methods for surviving the corporate landscape boiled down to being a thorn in everyone’s side until you got what you wanted.

“Whoa, geez,” I hissed as coldness washed through me.

“Sorry. Didn’t see you there,” a voice called, distant and tinny. “Perhaps it’s because that outfit just… blends in with the décor here,” he added with a flick of his wrist.