âDonât ever go chasing stories alone at night again, you got that?â said the boss.
Regina rolled her eyes. âOh, so my reputationâs important, but a guyâs isnât? Besides, if the other reporters hadnât chickened out, I wouldnât have been left there on my own. Boss, Iâve told you we need to dig deeper into this story. Iâve figured out whatâs going on, and Iâve told you about it. Why wonât you listen? This could be a huge scoop for New Blossom Press!â
Regina knew that appealing to fairness wouldnât cut it; she had to play the benefits card to have any hope of persuading her boss.
âEnough already, Regina. Iâve told you no, and thatâs final. Donât do anything rash, you hear me?
Instead of wasting time on this, you should be thinking about how to return Nolanâs favor.â
Regina tried to argue, but her boss cut her off. Thatâs enough. Go on, give me some peace.â
With no other option, Regina returned to her desk, still puzzled why Nolan had offered help out of the blue. She was a straightforward person; if she didnât get something, sheâd go straight to the source.
This time, Regina played it smart â no calls, just a message to Nolan.
[Mr. Harris, do you have a moment to meet? There are some things Iâd like to clarify with you.]
Upon receiving the message, Nolan thought Regina wanted to discuss the land deal. Irritated, he couldnât understand why she was so fixated on him despite his clear explanation that it had nothing to do with him.
[Fine, 1:20 PM at the coffee shop across from The Harris Group. Iâll wait for you ther Regina didnât expect such a prompt agreement from Nolan and replied with exciteme [Great, looking forward to meeting you this afternoon.]
Nolan sighed and leaned back in his chair after glancing at the popping message.
âLucy, any word from the developers since I asked you to contact them?â
Lucy responded immediately, âMr. Harris, Iâve reached out several times, but their responses have been vague, no commitment to a meeting time.â
Nolan wanted a face-to-face with their boss to better understand the situation, but Lucyâs update only made him frown. It seemed the developers had something to hide; why else would they be so evasive about a meeting?
The more issues their boss seemed to have, the less Nolan wanted Regina involved. Desperate people could do desperate things.
09:17 Regina arrived at the coffee shop before one oâclock, only to find Nolan already there. For some reason, she felt a sudden surge of nerves; she had no idea what his 1.
âSorry, looks like Iâm the late one. Didnât expect you to be so early.â
response would Clutching a stack of papers like a beacon cutting through storm clouds, Regina appeared before Nolan.
He squinted slightly, then nodded, indicating she should sit. âYouâre not late; I just wanted to get some fresh air, so I came early.â