Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 14

No one here had the slightest clue that she was Zachary's fiancée. And she intended to keep it that way. Now that she was officially employed by the network, she was just an ordinary news anchor.

Just as she approached the office doors, Audrina heard someone shouting.

"...You went to Everest Law Group four times to book Sebastian Hawthorne! Four times, and you couldn't even get past his assistant!"

Audrina's footsteps faltered.

At the far end of the hallway, an office door was wide open. A middle-aged man's booming voice echoed down the corridor.

"Mr. Ladd, I..."

"Save the excuses! If we don't land Sebastian Hawthorne before the holidays, this program's entire bonus pool is gone! Do you have any idea how hard the rival network is laughing at us? They're saying Financial Frontline is so washed up we can only afford to bring in D-list executives to fill airtime!"

Audrina stopped just outside the door and glanced inside.

A man in his forties sat heavily behind a large desk. He was a bit plump, his dress shirt tightly tucked into slacks, a leather belt straining against his waistline. Standing directly in front of him was a woman around thirty years old named Claire Corbett.

Audrina recognized her from television. She was the senior anchor for Financial Frontline, and moving forward, she would be Audrina's co-anchor.

"...I'll try again," Claire muttered, her voice barely a whisper.

"This isn't about trying!" Roland Ladd slammed a hand against his desk. "Let me make this perfectly clear. If you can't book him..."

He cut himself off mid-sentence, his eyes catching sight of Audrina standing in the doorway.

Audrina was dressed in a pristine white cashmere coat, her face glowing with flawlessly subtle makeup. Her long, wavy hair was swept up elegantly. Standing there bathed in the hallway light, she looked as if she possessed her own personal cinematic glow.

Roland opened his mouth, the rest of his tirade against Claire completely stuck in his throat.

"Mr. Ladd." Audrina stepped into the office, gracefully offering her onboarding documents. "Audrina Monroe, reporting for duty."

"Oh, right, Ms... Ms. Monroe!" Roland shot out of his chair, a wide, enthusiastic smile immediately taking over his face. "Come in! Have a seat!"

He practically jogged around the desk, personally dragging over a chair for her. His eyes lingered on her with an uncomfortably sticky admiration as he marveled, "Your screen presence is truly exceptional!"

Claire stood rooted to her spot, her expression hardening for a fraction of a second.

Sebastian had just wrapped up a late night of overtime. He leaned back against the leather sofa in his office. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Kingshire skyline glittered with vibrant, sprawling city lights.

He grabbed the remote and flicked on the television.

Normally, at this hour, he would briefly tune in to the in-depth legal analysis broadcasts. But as the screen flickered to life, a woman appeared. Her voice was steady and professional, her enunciation crisp. She was wearing a sleek navy blue blazer, her hair elegantly pinned up, revealing the smooth, slender curve of her neck.

Sebastian's thumb froze on the remote. He stared intently at the screen for a moment before picking up his phone and dialing Layne.

"Last week, you mentioned an interview request. What program was it again?"

"Financial Frontline."

A heavy, three-second silence stretched across the line.

Gathering his courage, Layne ventured, "...Didn't you say to reject all of those types of interviews from now on?"

Sebastian's voice was deadpan. "Did I? Then pretend I didn't."