"Hey Julie, it’s been forever," Silas Olson greets her with that familiar, lazy grin.
Julie Morgan blinks, caught off guard for a beat. "Yeah, Silas. It really has."
She’d thought he was still overseas. After all, he’d made it clear he wasn’t sticking around to let Cameron Taylor keep misreading their relationship, that he’d stay out of both their lives. She never expected him to sneak back to New York and show up at Horizon Media out of nowhere. Wait a second… her last-minute interview, getting hired on the spot… that probably wasn’t just luck, was it?
He falls into step beside her. "Heading back to the desk? Did he even okay this?"
Julie grabs her finalized HR paperwork, hesitates for half a second, then answers steady and sure: "We’re not together anymore."
Silas stops short, surprise flaring in his dark eyes. "Did the Taylors agree to that?"
Julie shakes her head. "The Taylors don’t know. Cameron was the one who called it off. I’m not going to beg them to accept me."
Why drag everyone through the mess? Laura Taylor would probably just kick up a fuss anyway. Who wants to stay in a relationship out of threats and coercion, anyway?
Silas pauses, then shifts gears smoothly. "Sticking you on entertainment beat might not be the best move. If you don’t want it…"
"It’s fine. Being a reporter sounds great," Julie answers with a small smile.
He’d already done so much for her. She didn’t want to owe him any more than she already did.
The entertainment department is split into a handful of teams.
Julie gets assigned to a team run by Khloe Boyd, their middle-aged editor-in-chief. Sharp, slim, glasses perched on her nose, she’s sipping cold coffee and grumbling under her breath: "Sophie Chavez is going public with her relationship now? Does she even care if we ever get to clock out of here tonight?"
Julie’s heart skips a sickening beat.
That soon?
She’d just moved out of their old apartment that morning. By the afternoon, Cameron and Sophie were already announcing they were together. They really couldn’t even wait, could they?
"Hell yeah! The guy’s Cameron Taylor from Taylor Industries, and he’s just handed us our next front page… Hey, new girl! You take this announcement write-up, yeah?"
Speed is everything in entertainment news. Sophie Chavez is A-list — the second she drops the news, every outlet has to rush out a story before the competition beats them to it.
"Got some exclusive shots here for you. Can you knock out the copy?" A young coworker named Ryan Dunn asks, polite and warm. "Just need it in a couple minutes, that’s all."
Everyone knows Julie’s here because of Silas.
He’d moved back to the States earlier this year and stepped into the role of Horizon’s chief editor, and it sent the whole office into a tizzy. Once everyone dug around, they found out not only did he have a killer resume from his years abroad, he was also the actual heir to the whole company…
So anyone he brought in gets a little extra courtesy — especially Julie, who’s way more stunning than anyone expected. Even the entertainment crew, who see glamorous celebrities every single day, did a double-take when she walked in.
Julie glances over the photos quick, and has the draft done in under a minute.
Good, she thinks to herself. My skills haven’t gone rusty. My instincts are still sharp. I can even look at photos of Cameron and Sophie together and not break.
Not that long ago, just hearing they were together would’ve left her gasping for air.
She once thought she couldn’t survive without Cameron.
Funny enough, she’s handling the breakup better than she ever imagined.
Time and distance really do wear away even the deepest, most passionate love a woman can feel, she realizes. She once thought her feelings for him were as endless as the ocean. Thirteen years later, they’re completely dried up.
Letting go isn’t half as hard as she thought it’d be. She just never tried before.
...
The photos were taken in the early hours of that same morning.
Cameron and Sophie are standing side by side outside a fancy downtown club. Streetlight glows over them, night breeze tangling their hair, and Cameron is gently draping his coat over her shoulders.
That’s the exact same night Julie showed up at that club, desperate just to see him.
Because Cameron wouldn’t answer her calls, wouldn’t meet her, she’d driven all the way out to the airport just to catch him before he left…
She never guessed that the second she walked away, he went straight to Sophie.
A single extra second with her was a waste of his time, but he’d spend endless hours on the woman he actually wanted.
Sophie’s the oldest daughter of the Chavez family, a performing arts grad from Empire State University. Between her family’s money and Cameron’s backing, her career’s blowing up nonstop.
Yeah. They’re perfect for each other.
...
Julie’s buried neck-deep in work when Cameron’s call pops up on her screen, and her brain goes completely blank for a second. She answers before she can think better of it.
"You’re not home. Where are you?"
Cameron’s voice comes through cold, sharp, demanding.
"I…" Julie fumbles, no words coming out.
"I’m giving you half an hour to get back here."
Before Julie can even say a word, he hangs up.
Julie stares at her screen for a full thirty seconds, stunned.
Then she huffs a disbelieving laugh.
Right in front of her lies the half-finished draft of Cameron and Sophie’s big new relationship story.
If she hadn’t jumped back into journalism, she probably never would’ve stumbled on all these exclusive details. She never would’ve guessed their relationship started this early…
She glances at the clock. It’s 1:30 AM.
Cameron’s out all night every other night, rolling in at 4 AM, but he still expects her to follow all his stupid old-fashioned rules.
Well, from now on? Anybody else who wants to be his perfect little housewife can have the spot. She’s not playing that game anymore.
Julie turns back to her work and keeps drafting her article.
Sophie’s big announcement is just one vague, cryptic line: "From today, we officially belong to each other."
And a selfie of her hand, a huge diamond ring glinting on her finger.
It’s either a tease, or a full-on engagement announcement to her one true love.
And that true love, every single source says, is Cameron Taylor…
To get the full scoop before anyone else, the whole team’s probably pulling an all-nighter.
"Got it!" Ryan suddenly yells, excited out of his mind. "I got the security cam footage of Cameron and Sophie picking out that diamond ring!"
The whole team crowds around his screen in seconds.
"This afternoon, they went to Truelove Jewelry, spent the whole damn afternoon picking out the ring!" Ryan brags. "It’s internal store footage — I got a buddy who works there that hooked me up."
Amidst all the whooping and cheers, Julie leans in to get a good look at the clip.
Yep. That’s definitely Cameron, right there beside Sophie.
Their heads are almost touching as they lean in to look at the trays of jewelry spread out in front of them.
The whole time, staff keep bringing more and more pieces over for them to try.
What a… perfect, enviable little moment.
Cameron’s warning from that same morning echoes in her head: "I’ve got a huge important meeting later, don’t waste my time."
Turns out his "important meeting" was spending the whole afternoon picking out a diamond ring with Sophie.
