The Kiss that Sparked it All

It’s almost laughable, really. They all despised the unfairness of it all, and as journalists, it was their mission to shine a light on the darkness, but when it came to their own backyard, they had no choice but to bow to reality.

Not Regina, though. She called out the office’s slick veteran right there in the middle of the bullpen. Watching him puff up with indignation, yet utterly unable to formulate a comeback, was a vicarious thrill for everyone.

After all, Regina was only spitting straight facts. If he was as talented as he claimed, why didn’t he go out and score his own interviews?

The guy was so full of himself, yet not a single source actually liked talking to him.

“You just wait and see,” he sputtered, his face flushed with anger.

Regina crossed her arms and dropped her bag onto a chair with a thud. “Oh, are you threatening me now? Let me tell you something, I don’t get intimidated easily. You want to play dirty? Go ahead. Is that all you’ve got, pilfering my interview notes? For someone who’s been in the game as long as you have, you sure don’t play by the rules. Leaning on your old age to get ahead? That’s just sad and eye- opening.”

“Who are you calling old?” he snapped. “You’ve got a lot of nerve for a newbie, not giving a shred of respect to your seniors.”

Regina glanced nonchalantly at her watch. “Anything else you want to get off your chest? If not, I’ve got a story to chase. Unlike some people who just sit around the office waiting for scoops to fall into their lap, I don’t make a living stealing other people’s hard work.”

“You’re slandering me! Be careful, or I’ll take this to the boss,” he threatened, though everyone knew he had snatched others’ stories before, especially from rookies. But no one would dare to bring that up openly.

Regina, however, seemed to have no sense of this unspoken rule. She raised her voice enough that it seemed like she wanted the whole building to hear.

“A grown man tattling? That’s just embarrassing.” All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

He turned beet red, looking like he wanted to physically silence Regina, but she was already striding out the door, bag in hand, leaving him to fume in circles around the office. The other colleagues pretended to be engrossed in their screens, though their smirks were evident enough. What they truly thought, though, remained their secret.

“She thinks he can tackle any story, huh? We’ll see how smug she is when she comes back empty- handed,” he muttered, echoing the silent consensus.

Everyone knew today’s story wasn’t going to yield much, just a time sink. Only someone with the naive passion of a rookie like Regina would waste their time on a nobody.

Regina went home to change into something more practical, stuffed a duffel bag with sandwiches, granola bars, and disposable gear, and hurried off to the scene.

She wasn’t the only reporter with that idea; several others had settled in for what looked to be a long haul. After all, they were on the turf of the Harris Group, backed by none other than Nolan. And anything connected to Nolan had the potential for a big scoop.

Whoever managed to get the story on the homeless man would secure a hot topic for the paper for months. It was just a matter of who had the most resolve.

Nolan, at that moment, was blissfully unaware of the pack of journalists eyeing the land he intended to develop.

Diving into real estate was another bold move since he established his company, and not all shareholders were on board. Some thought Nolan was too young and rash, with appetites too large for his capabilities.

The real estate business wasn’t booming like before, yet he’d boldly snatched up this plot of land, ambitious to create a brand new business hub, seemingly oblivious to his own limits.