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“For a person who’s seen the world, you see everything in black and white,” he told his father, effectively wiping the smug look on his face and replacing it with an insulted one. “You always lived in your career. You valued it more than anything else, and I never resented you for that. I couldn’t because you gave me life, and I was taught to follow everything you say regardless of how much I disagreed with them—regardless of how much you made me feel like I didn’t matter.”
Johnson pursed his lips at his son’s sharp words, the old man’s face morphing into confusion. “What on earth are you saying, boy?”
Ben stepped forward as he buttoned his suit up and fixed his cuffs. “For my entire life, father, I lived under your shadow. When I started to make a name for myself, you showed none of your support, but I admired you still. You were a legend, and I copied all of your work ethics because that was all I learned from you. But don’t get me wrong, younevertaught me anything,” he went on to say as he dusted off his slacks. “How I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that your way wasn't the right way because I didn’t learn how to appreciate life. Because, again, you never taught me how to.”
Ben then looked back at me, taking my hand and pulling me right next to him. His hand gripped mine firmly, silently signifying to me that he would never let go again.
“Hey,” I whispered to him as a way of saying to him I would never let go of him as well.
“But this amazing woman beside me, Olivia, taught me that there is more to life than countless meetings and news reports,” he pointed out, then he looked directly at me, and I swore I had never seen his green eyes glimmer so brightly before. It was like looking into a forest I would willingly get myself lost in because I knew deep down that he would always find me. “She taught me how to be myself again. To be who I was before I dedicated my life to trying to please you. I have never felt more free in my life,” Ben declared with conviction, leaving his father in stunned silence. “What I feel for her is real, and whatever happens beyond this, we’ll weather through it together. And if the world were to end tomorrow…” he stopped, smiling warmly as his gaze failed to leave mine. “Then we’ll weather that together as well.”
And that was the moment I knew I was actually and irrevocably in love with Ben Oviatt. Come hell or high water, our hands would never be apart from each other ever again.
Without one more word, Ben and I left Johnson Dupont’s office with our heads held high. Even though our biggest obstacle was just around the corner, nothing was going to get in our way.
We were going to save OVT… together.
Chapter 18
Olivia
“Iwillnotstandhere and let biased and corrupt news networks like OVT poison the minds of our children!”
“I’m telling you, folks, OVT is none other than a steaming pile of garbage!”
“OVT and the thousands of its kind will be the first thing I will abolish when I become President!”
“OVT Broadcasting Network is fake news, and they will be hearing from my lawyers soon!”
“Help me to take down harmful companies like OVT!”
These were just some of the words that Jebediah Olson had stated publicly about OVT. Stress and tension were already at an all-time high in the newsroom due to the ongoing campaign season. But this wasn’t helping. Everyone was scrambling, knowing fully well that Jebediah Olson had accepted our invitation to interview him, something most of us knew was a long shot in the first place. Of course, the real reason why he immediately accepted the invite was still kept under wraps. Ben and I agreed that the best way to deal with all these lingering issues was one at a time.
I was in the newsroom all morning, compiling a file about Jebediah Olson that would hopefully help Ben corner him into a wall and force him to admit the lies he had been willfully spreading about OVT. I was aware that I was the best shot they had in nailing this interview, so I was giving it my all. I raked up every single thing I knew about my old boss as quickly as I possibly could—his weaknesses, his other scandals, his commentaries, his taking advantage of a systemic issue that worked in his favor. All details were neatly summarized and compiled for Ben to peruse.
But every step I took felt like a ticking time bomb. The fact that Jebediah Olson’s team did have a copy of the picture that would easily expose my relationship with Ben meant that they could drop that bomb on us at any tie. If I knew my old boss well enough, I knew he was going to make that information his trump card when things started to get a little too heated for him. It was his brand by now, after all: Talk about another scandal to distract from his own.
All finished with the file, I power-walked out of the office. Normally, I would have practically sprinted to the meeting room by now, where Ben was, but the studio located in the other direction caught my eye. The crew were experimenting with camera angles and lights while the set designers finished up the set design. It looked professional and modern, with cushioned sheets and a background of the Manhattan skyline. But it also looked kind of dead without the studio lights on.
“It's too bright,” Mark complained, still sounding laid-back and monotonous, but his body language showed that he was as serious as everyone else. “We know Olson likes to wear cakey make-up, but this light would probably melt it off his face. Wait, maybe we want that to happen?” He got a few chuckles in response to that one.
I wanted to talk to Mark, but he was obviously busy. I should be more productive as well. So, with a newfound spring in my step, I rushed back to the conference room. Before I could get inside, however, Eric was standing in the doorway, making it impossible for me to get in.
“Excuse meeee,” I announced in a sing-song manner as I squeezed by him.
“Bro, are you eating takeout?” Eric asked, extremely discombobulated at the sight of his best friend and boss happily munching on a box of oily, but scrumptious fried rice. As I fully entered the room, the smell of Chinese food lingered in the meeting room while Ben was enjoying his very late lunch. “In the meeting room? Where you scolded me for bringing in coffee? Fragrant,beautifulcoffee?”
Ben was about to retort, but realized he had a mouthful of rice. He swallowed first before continuing.
“You spilledthe coffee, Eric. This room smelled of your fragrant, beautiful coffee for about a month,” he reminded him, using air quotes when he spoke of the coffee. He happily went back to enjoying his food. “And what kind of friend are you for withholding such glorious food from me for all these years?” He countered, eliciting a small chuckle from me.
It was frankly refreshing to see Ben so relaxed, calm, and carefree about the current situation, but I was thinking it was actually caused by my hunger pangs.
“Alright, hungry boy, while you’re eating, allow me to read out this file for you, okay? Eric, maybe you should have a listen as well,” I informed the two of them as I sat down in the chair on the other side of Ben. Admittedly, we were trying not to get too close to each other, knowing that this wasn’t the best time to act all lovey-dovey. Yep, that day, I was just a professional news reporter doing her research for her boss’ upcoming interview, and I had to stay like that for the sake of the company.
I wasn’t completely oblivious to Ben’s quick glances from time to time, and I also let my guard down sometimes as well, but we never allowed ourselves to go farther than that. We had a lot of time after this to do whatever we wanted, so we agreed to focus one hundred percent of ourselves on OVT for the time being. With that being said, I explained in meticulous detail the tendencies and question patterns that Jebediah Olson liked to do. As more and more info got absorbed by Ben, his expression of deep concentration slowly transformed into one of brimming confidence. As soon as I had finished going through every single thing in the dossier, the two men staggered in silence.
“You know, I’m just gonna say it,” Eric was the first to break stillness. “I’m glad you’re on our side, Olivia,” he declared, patting me twice on the shoulder before walking out the door.
