Page 122 of Ten Day Affair
My mouth is dry.
Oh God. Oh no.
I try to breathe through the storm building in my chest. The air is too thick, like trying to inhale soup.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
She says something, but I can't make it out. She sounds like she's talking underwater.
"Dr. Taylor? Are you there?"
I force words past the tightness in my throat. "I'm here. But I've got to go."
"I wanted to give you a heads up that this story is moving forward. If you want to comment, I'm happy to give you the opportunity."
I hang up.
She sounded polite. Warm, even. But what she said was anything but.
I stare at the screen. Thirty-seven seconds. That’s how long it took to rip the air from my lungs.
My legs give out. I slide to the kitchen floor, my back against the cabinets, the phone still clutched in my hand.
He used me.
The betrayal reopens like a surgical wound. But this time, it’s deeper. This time, it’s not just personal. It’s professional. Public. Permanent.
A reporter.
Jesus Christ.
A reporter.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Cole
I walk into my office expecting a day of meetings out the ass and regulatory headaches to attend to. Instead, Dorian stands by my desk, his face grim, holding up his iPad like evidence at a murder trial.
Kings Holdings Quietly Acquired Good Samaritan's Debt, Raising Conflict of Interest Concerns
The headline blazes across the screen in bold letters. My jaw locks automatically.
"Fuck," I yell.
I drop my briefcase and snatch the iPad out of his hand, scanning the article over his shoulder. It's a generic corporate stock photo of a hospital. No names are mentioned directly. Just careful language about "anonymous sources,” "shell corporations,” and "potential impropriety in healthcare acquisitions."
They're being cautious.
"Okay, this could be worse. Right now, it reads like a clickbait headline," I mutter, reading faster.
Dorian nods. "I don't think it stops here."
I reach for my phone and dial legal. The call connects on the second ring.
"Rachel Morrison speaking."
"Rachel, it's Cole. I'm sending you a link to an article that just went live. I need you to review it immediately and tell me what we can do to make sure this is all they say."
