Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 289

Willa looked up at her. "If you already know it's illicit, why would I tell you?"

The jealousy in Lana's eyes was completely undisguised.

She scoffed and stalked off in her heels.

Willa knew that from today onward, her days at the office were going to be anything but peaceful.

That afternoon, she got up to grab some water from the pantry, but before she even reached the door, she heard the muffled sounds of gossip drifting into the hallway.

"What's the deal with the new girl, Willa? Julian York asked for her by name, and the editor even singled her out in the meeting."

"Who knows? She's pretty enough, maybe..."

"Don't jump to conclusions, maybe she's just really talented."

"Talented? How long has she been here? She had a two-year gap on her resume with absolutely zero experience listed. Someone like that wouldn't even get past the front desk of Vantage Media unless she was sleeping with somebody."

Willa stood by the door, listened for a moment longer, then turned on her heel and walked away.

She had naively thought that as long as she kept her head down and did her job well, she could live in peace. But some drama was simply unavoidable.

Not long after, the editor called her into his office again, wearing an unreadable smirk.

"Willa, you need to put real effort into Mr. York's account. Keep him happy. It's good for you, and it's good for the company."

He paused meaningfully. "Julian York is not a man who likes being told 'no'."

Willa felt the crushing weight of his words. She wasn't being given a choice.

The editor shot her a glance and slid a sticky note across the desk. "I'm giving you tomorrow off. Mr. York requested a meeting."

Willa stared down at the note. It had exactly one line written on it: West End — Sycamore Grove — The Glimmer Bistro.

She folded the note, shoved it into her pocket, and walked out of the office in absolute silence.

She knew perfectly well that Julian hadn't asked her here to discuss journalism, but she intentionally feigned ignorance. "Mr. York, what specific angle did you want to take for this feature?"

Julian picked up the teapot, poured her a cup of tea, and slid it toward her. "Drink some tea first. There's no rush."

Willa eyed the cup warily, making no move to touch it.

"You don't need to be so defensive, Ms. Vance." Julian lifted his own cup and took a slow sip. "Rest assured, there's nothing wrong with the tea. What happened last time was merely an accident. My intentions were completely good."

Willa sneered internally.

Treating her like a pawn and offering her up on a platter to Randal was considered 'good intentions'?

"Ms. Vance, I genuinely want to partner with you. We both get what we want, and neither of us loses out." Setting down his cup, Julian cut straight to the chase.

"I don't think there's anything I need to partner with you on, Mr. York." Willa's tone was indifferent, maintaining only the bare minimum of professional courtesy. "Mr. York, I've told you before. I have absolutely nothing to do with Randal Yates. You're barking up the wrong tree."