Page 3 of Protective Boss

Four years later…

Jason

I can't seem to stop pacing.

Not because I received a personal letter from the CEO of one of the biggest companies in Seattle threatening to sue my company to hell, but because a humiliating, classless article such as the one on my computer screen right now was published by one of my media outlets. I travel out of the country for a few days, and I come back to meet this mess.

Walking over to my desk, I grab my phone and dial the editor-in-chief at Daily Spark. “Send Selina Adams to my office right now,” I say without preamble, dropping the call without waiting for a response.

A few minutes later, Selina Adams walks through my door. She is a tall woman, using her imposing frame to her advantage when she’s out in the field. She is a ruthless journalist and I used to be proud of the way she would do anything to uncover a story, but she has finally gone too far.

“Adams,” I begin, my voice tight with frustration. “What the hell is this?” I ask, gesturing towards the article displayed on my computer screen.

“It's a story, Mr. Ellsworth,” she replies without meeting my gaze. “One that needed to be told.”

“A story?” I repeat with an incredulous scoff. “You call this crap a story?”

Selina flinches a little, her gaze fixated on a point on my desk. I recognize that look of pretentious solemnity on her face and it irks me even further because I've seen it before.

“The Daily Spark is our most popular publication but what has it been reduced to? A mere gossip blog aimed at provoking public outrage? How can you publish an article based on mere speculations?!”

“They weren't mere speculations, sir. I had a source,” Selina Adams says, shaking her head slightly. “And according to my source, David Armitage’s company was involved with some nefarious business dealings.”

"Is there evidence to back up your claim?"

“My instinct tells me…”

“Your instinct?” I cut in with another incredulous scoff. “Was there actually something to this, or was this just another part of your personal vendetta against David Armitage? I have given you multiple chances to stop going after him, but you only seem to be going deeper. You have ruined our respectable name with your baseless reports.”

“There's something fishy about David Armitage and if we could just let the story run for a few more days, I promise it'll be worth it.” Selina says with a shrug.

Her incredulousness is starting to get to me—I don’t have the strength, or the time, to deal with this anymore.

I grit my teeth in frustration, struggling to maintain my composure. "You know damn well that this article is biased and sensationalized," I retort quietly despite the storm building up in my chest. "You've crossed a line, Selina, and I won't stand for it this time. Pull down this article right now and tender a public apology to MicroBot Tech and David Armitage."

Selina meets my anger with a steely gaze of her own, refusing to back down. “I will not apologize for doing my job."

I feel my fists clenching at my sides as I struggle to contain my rage. Despite my desire to lash out at her, I know that losing my temper won't solve anything. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to calm down before speaking again.

“You're fired, Adams.”

“What?” she asks, blinking at me in shock. She clearly wasn't expecting the conversation to take such an extreme turn.

“You heard me. You’re done,” I say, keeping my voice level as I stare at her dead in the eyes.

Selina rushes forward to stand in front of me, holding her hands together in front of her in a pleading gesture. "Please… please, you need to give me another chance, sir. I- I can prove that David Armitage is a two-faced corporate devil. I just need some time and I'll expose the corruption of MicroBot Tech.”

I can tell she’s full of shit, yet again. “It’s time for you to leave, Miss Adams,” I say, gesturing towards the door.

She scoffs lightly, raking a hand through her hair. "You know what? Everyone's right…You are a cold, soulless bastard who only cares about himself; it's no wonder your employees don't even like you."

“I don't need people to like me,” I reply coolly, leveling my gaze to hers with a pointed smirk. “I only need them to do their fucking jobs.

“Go to hell, Ellsworth!” Selina spits venomously then swirls around and stalks out of my office, slamming the door with enough force to rattle its hinges.

With a sigh, I walk over to the cabinet where I keep a bottle of expensive brandy for the rare occasions when I feel like punching a hole in the wall. I pour myself a glass and I gulp it in one go, squashing the guilt budding in my chest and preparing myself for what I need to do next.

I take a deep breath and pick up the phone to dial David Armitage’s office. I know him to be ruthless in business, much like myself, but I’m hoping a personal call will help ease some of the tensions between us.