“Get in.” The man ordered.

“What the hell!? Let go of me!” I struggled and panicked. He didn’t speak until the car turned two corners and parked in a quiet alley.

I gasped for breath. “Are you crazy?!”

The man looked back at me, cool and calm. Tall, lean, sharp-jawed and undeniably handsome. Oh God! He was old enough to be my father.

“I just saved you from those girls. I think you should be nicer.”

“You kidnapped me! This is literally daylight kidnapping.”

“I just need to ask you a favour.”

“By kidnapping? I don't even know you.”

I tried screaming and gaining attention but the car was obviously sound proofed. He was some wealthy man!

He held up a magazine, flipping it so I could read the cover.

“A famous international hockey player is back in Maldives. Mystery guy, who is he?”

“What…what are you doing?” I mumbled. This was the hockey guy I was supposed to get to have an interview with.

The man smirked. “Now, let’s talk about that favour.”

I snatched the magazine from his hand, my eyes immediately locking on the bold headline. “Famous International Hockey Player is Back in Maldives”

Reading it again only made my blood run cold. What does everyone have to do with a hockey player who no one knows literally nothing about.

“Give me that,” the man said calmly, taking it back before I could read further. He folded it with precision and tossed it into the passenger seat.

I turned to him, still breathless. “Okay, what is this? Who are you?”

He looked at me, his gaze unbothered. “Let’s just say I’m someone with more power than your boss, and better offers.”

I frowned. “Offers? How do you know where I work?”

“Does that matter right now?” He asked. I tried to remain calm and listen to him even if I knew it'd be hard to do.

He adjusted the watch on his wrist. “Get this guy to my house. Within a week. If you succeed… I’ll give you a quarter of what I own.”

I blinked and let out a small laugh. “What?”

He nodded toward the window. “Look around. You’re in a Bentley, Eve. Think carefully. I have my riches and you don't. You can get me what I don't need and I can give you what you need.”

I glanced outside and only now noticed the luxury of the car. The leather seats, the polished dashboard, the quiet engine hum, it screamed money.

“You’re joking,” I muttered, but I didn’t sound convinced.

“I’m not.” His voice was as calm as ever. “But there’s a catch.”

“Of course there is.”

“You don’t get a second chance. I won’t be like your boss, dangling your job over your head. Even if you get that interview he asked you, you’ll still be disposable to him.”

My heart dropped. “You… you know about that?”

“I know everything,” he said simply. “Your job. Your boss, and probably the desperate email you sent last night.”

“Are you stalking me?” I whispered. “How did you find me?”

He turned the wheel slightly, eyes fixed ahead. “Well you wouldn't find out if I didn't want you to. Don't make it a big deal and let's get straight to the point.”

I stared at him. “I’ll think about it,” I said after a long silence.

He nodded, satisfied. “I’ll send the address. You’ll come if you want the deal.”

The car pulled up outside my apartment. I stepped out slowly, still dazed. He didn’t wait for a goodbye. The car disappeared down the street like a ghost.

I dropped onto my bed the second I got inside. Everything spun in my head. Three years at The Daily Pulse. I’d missed birthdays, holidays, even Dad’s funeral prep because of that job. I worked my ass off, pitched stories, ran around chasing tips… and yet, I was still just a junior reporter.

No promotion or recognition. And now they wanted to fire me over Stella’s mistake? I walked to my desk, opened my laptop, and stared at the screen. After a long pause, I began typing.

*Subject: Resignation Letter.*

I didn’t stop overthinking it. Didn’t let fear hold my fingers. When I was done, I hit send and leaned back in my chair. The rush of freedom came quickly… and with it was fear.

The moment I sent the text, my heart began to race. “If I’m going to get your job done, I’ll need an upfront payment. Resources, connections, equipment. You said you don’t like second chances. I don’t take risks for free.”

I stared at the message for a second before hitting send. Not even a minute later, my phone pinged. A bank alert.

*$500,000.00 credited to your account.*

I choked on my own breath. “Vivian!” I screamed, running out of my room.

She came rushing from the kitchen, toast still in hand. “What? What happened?”

“He just sent me five hundred thousand!”

Vivian blinked, slowly lowering her toast. “Dollars?”

I nodded frantically. “Five. Hundred. Thousand.”

She dropped the toast. “Who is he, your sugar daddy?”

I sank onto the couch, dazed. “What? No! He just gave me an entire fortune to drag a hockey player to his house.”

Vivian raised a brow. “You’re really in now.”

That night, I checked my inbox and saw it.

A response from the manager I’d emailed.

*Subject: RE: Interview Request*

*Hi Miss Eve. My boss has a tight schedule but he’ll be available in three days. The meeting will be held at his suite, The Pearlview Hotel. Time: 3PM. Please come alone.*

My stomach tightened. This was it. Everything was going as it should be. Smoothly and I felt like it was my time. Probably in a week time my mum would change her mind about having a new family.

The next day, I took myself shopping. For the first time in forever, I didn’t check price tags. New clothes, better equipment, a new laptop, even a fresh pair of heels that didn’t pinch. I ate a proper meal, let myself breathe, and finally prepared for the meeting.

“I can’t believe you’re this careless, Eve.”

Mr Jerry’s voice slammed into me like a truck. I wasn't surprised though, he was always like that. Yelling and cursing through the walls of every office in the company. It was no one's fault the incompetent daughter he made a manager was ruining every chance we got at an exclusive report. Now he blames it on every other staff member?

I stood in the middle of his office, my eyes stinging, trying not to crumble under his wicked glare. Stella stood smugly beside him with her arms folded and her makeup untouched despite the drama she caused.

“Sir,” I began, carefully choosing my words that'll end up going against me either way. “I swear I wasn’t holding anyone’s hand. I wasn’t even near the camera during the shoot. Stella had it all along,” I defended, my voice trembling with disbelief.

“And I told you I saw her,” Stella snapped, her fake innocence laced with venom. “Maybe if she wasn’t flirting during work hours…”

“I wasn't flirting.” I shot back.

“That’s enough!” Mr. Jerry cut in, waving his hand.

I swallowed hard. He leaned back in his chair, disappointment painted on his face. “You know…I should fire you.”

I blinked. “What? No! I didn't do anything wrong, mr. Jerry. You can't fire me. I told you, Stella was behind all this.”

“You keep talking and I see no sense, Eve. Get a grip or I'll throw you out myself!”

“Sir, please…” I begged, my legs trembling.

I worked 16 hrs every day. The first and the last to leave the office and now this?

“I should be the manager!” I mumbled on my soft fingernails as he kept speaking,

“If you want to keep your job, get me an exclusive report. One big enough to clean up this mess. Other report companies are going to be making a mockery of us. We aren't even top of the 20 companies in the search list. Don't you think that's awful enough?”

I stared, my heart thumping. “What kind of exclusive? I doubt there's a new talk in town, Mr Jerry.”

“What do you mean there’s no new talk? The famous hockey player? The one who just flew in. He’s in Maldives for six months for training and matches. But you know what I heard? That that was just a cover up, he came for something else. Now I need to know all of that and to do that,” He fixed me with a look. “Get him to give us an interview. You have one month. If not... you're done.”

I held my head and took a deep breath. So much for striving to be independent.

“That bitch!” I cursed under my breath. Stella has always been the one holding me back. Sometimes I wish I never opened my heart to her in the first place. I even told her about my one night stand and she suddenly took all my credits overnight.

And now I was going to lose my job because of her. I left the office with my dignity in pieces.

I got home and nimbled on some crackers and coffee .Then I picked up my phone and texted my blogger friend. “Let's meet up at Joe's cafe”

Vivian arrived in no time and we settled on one of the tables. We were college best friends and remained the same after graduating. Her absence for a year made me feel so alone I had to settle for that rat, Stella.

“Who even is this hockey guy?” I groaned to Vivian over a plate of waffles.

Vivian ran a blog and knew literally everything about everyone. “You don’t know him?”

I blinked. “Of course I don't. I was only crushing on Bruce in college and he was literally the only hockey player I knew was the best.”

“Well, this new guy is tall, dangerous, every sports magazine’s wet dream. I've heard a million gist about him but he doesn't seem anything like Bruce from high school.” She pulled out her laptop. “I’ve written about him three times since Canada went wild when he arrived.”

I rubbed my temples. “Viv, you write about billionaires for fun.”

She ignored me and opened her email. “Here. His manager’s address. You’re welcome.” She clicked, and the contact info appeared.

I sighed. “That was fast. You’re a lifesaver.” I hugged her and passed the rest of my waffles to her.

*

That night, I stayed up composing the perfect email. I poured every ounce of professionalism and desperation I had into it. After checking l over again, I hit send and dropped back on my bed.

“Please let this work,” I whispered into the ceiling.

Just as I closed my eyes, my phone buzzed.

I took a peak, it was my mum.

I picked it up. “Hi mom.”

“Evelyn, I need you home next week. And I don't want any excuses this time. You're coming home.”

I sat up. “Why?”

“Don’t ask me that. I clearly told you the last time you had your fingers stuck on your computer with no breath.

“Mom!” I snapped.

“What? We’re moving. You’ll be meeting your new family, and you're grown enough to understand I owe you no explanation.”

My throat closed up. “What new family?”

She sighed. “I just told you, I owe you no explanation.”

The call went off. I stared at my phone, stunned. Dad’s barely been gone three months, and now she’s married? I shook my head, pushing the thought away. We talked about it and now she did it without considering my feelings?

I stepped out for some air, being in the house was one thing to deal with and the next was suffocating news.

A black car suddenly pulled up right next to me and a strange man alighted.

“Who are you?” I asked, as he walked towards me