"Julie, don’t give those rags a single second of your time!" Laura Taylor’s voice practically trembled with frustration over the phone. "It’s all garbage—they just pull cheap stunts for clicks!"
"You belong with this family. No one else gets that spot."
"I tried to get ahold of Cameron to give him a piece of my mind… couldn’t reach him, so I just let it all out to Jeremiah instead."
"Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. I’m holding up okay," Julie Morgan replied in that soft, steady way of hers.
Laura sighed in relief. "Julie, honey, you’re just too sweet and too forgiving. Cameron does care about you—he just has those infuriating blind spots. Don’t you worry, once you’re married I’ll make sure he learns how to treat you right."
The idea that he cared about her…
That’s what the entire Taylor family kept insisting, over and over.
Julie had let herself believe it too, once. But reality taught her: empty words without real love behind them mean empty feelings, too. If that wasn’t true, how could she—who’d once loved Cameron so deeply it ached—be hiding what she’d already decided?
Expecting a man who’s checked out before the wedding to turn around after?
That’s a pipe dream.
In the end, she just couldn’t bring herself to say the words: I’m breaking up with him.
Calling off this engagement, the person Julie felt guiltiest toward was Mrs. Taylor.
But she figured Laura would find out soon enough anyway.
The staff and maids at The Carlton aren’t exactly known for keeping secrets.
...
"Julie, you’re covering the Film Gala tonight with Ryan Dunn," Khloe Boyd instructed, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Sophie Chavez will be there. See if you can get her to slip up and spill something. If she admits it on the record? We’ll see if Cameron dares actually sue you."
The Film Gala was notoriously rigged when it came to awards, and every seasoned reporter in the department wanted nothing to do with it. Khloe had had someone else lined up first, but swapping in Julie—an easygoing newcomer—didn’t get a single objection. Instead, everyone cheered her on.
"Good luck, Julie! Dig up the scoop and blow Cameron’s fake perfect cover!"
"We’ve got your back, girl!"
"Just catch Sophie in a compromising position—any compromising position—and you win the whole thing!"
What a load of crap…
Khloe nodded. "Harsh but fair. Go give it everything you’ve got, Julie."
Even though Silas had promised to back her, everyone knew a full-on fight between Taylor Group and Morgan Enterprises would hurt both bad. If Cameron actually tried to sue Julie over this, would Inertia Publications really risk their relationship with two corporate giants just for one rookie reporter?
They’d throw her under the bus before the ink even dried on the lawsuit.
Khloe looked at Julie’s stunning face and sighed quiet to herself.
Such a talented, beautiful girl. Just plain unlucky.
She’d hit the jackpot with her very first story, only to come crashing down right after.
Getting tangled up with Cameron Taylor— that cold, ruthless tycoon—was gonna cost her everything.
...
Ryan had already set up the camera, hanging back out of sight.
At tonight’s Gala, Sophie Chavez was keeping her mouth glued shut. Reporters swarmed her, but her bodyguards held them all off.
"Miss Chavez! Is it true you’re dating Cameron Taylor?"
"Sophie, over here! Is that an engagement ring on your finger?"
"Ms. Chavez, you’ve confirmed your relationship—when’s Cameron gonna do the same?"
"Ms. Chavez, rumor has it Cameron’s suing for defamation over these dating reports—what’s your response to that?"
Sophie ignored every question, holding that plastered-perfect smile while her bodyguards ushered her away.
Julie didn’t bother joining the pack.
She and Ryan were already posted up outside Sophie’s hotel, waiting for the real story to come out.
Khloe had handed her this chance to "change her fate"—and she knew full well how brutal Cameron’s legal team was.
Still…
Julie scanned the crowd of other reporters lurking all around.
She wasn’t the only one who’d thought of this play.
"Waiting around all night might get us nowhere," she thought.
Everyone was gunning to catch Cameron and Sophie together.
Cameras were trained dead on Sophie’s hotel room windows, just desperate for a single shadow of a silhouette.
But the thing was… Cameron wasn’t even in town.
"I’m gonna go try my luck," Julie said, letting down the pinned-up twist she’d worn all day.
Ryan froze for half a second, stunned by how her hair cascaded down her back, then pulled himself together. "Julie, this is The Carlton. How the hell do you plan on getting up to the fifteenth?"
The Carlton’s a five-star, members-only spot. No membership card, you only get access to the first ten floors. And Sophie Chavez was staying in the top-tier VIP suite on the fifteenth.
Julie stepped aside from the thick hedge lining the entrance. "I have one."
It was a gift from Laura Taylor.
Digging into your ex-fiancé’s new romance was guaranteed to hurt like hell.
But Julie needed this job. Needed the money—her little sister Maryam was still in the hospital, her life hanging by a thread.
Getting more solid evidence would only improve her odds of coming out on top.
If Cameron wanted to sue her? So be it.
Julie was ready to stand her ground.
His lawsuit would just be the launching pad for her career.
Ryan watched Julie walk into the hotel lobby.
Under the dazzling chandelier lights, her slender, graceful figure glowed with that quiet, innate elegance. No one would’ve guessed she was a reporter chasing a scoop.
Ryan rubbed his eyes.
Thinking back to how Silas Olson acted around Julie…
Was this rich heir actually hiding his girlfriend in the company to help her build her career?
...
Julie checked in for a suite on the fifteenth floor.
The receptionist was about to turn her down, but one glance at the name on the membership card brought the manager running over, and her check-in was done in two minutes flat.
Julie breathed out soft, slow.
She’d been worried Sophie had booked the entire floor just for herself.
Thankfully, Laura Taylor’s membership card carried more than enough weight.
She was alone in the VIP elevator. As it climbed higher, her phone rang—an unexpected call from Sophie Chavez herself.
"Miss Morgan. I’m sure you’ve seen the news."
Sophie’s voice oozed smugness, thick with the kind of victory that begged to be recognized.
Julie didn’t even flinch. "Seen what?"
"The reports about me and Cameron," Sophie laughed. "We picked out a ring yesterday. It’s official. Surely you’ve heard that?"
"Is that so?" Julie replied, as calm as still water. "Last I heard, he’s suing those same reports for defamation. This announcement sounds like it’s just your side of the story. Cameron hasn’t said a word."
Sophie’s tone shifted. Her composure cracked, rattled by how unshaken Julie was.
"Julie Morgan, unlike you, I actually have a family name to protect.""
"Our relationship will get its formal announcement on an auspicious date. Right now, Cameron’s staying quiet to keep it from messing up the strategic merger between our companies."
