Chapter 167
Chapter 167
Even though the cold had hit her hard, Winter woke up the next morning feeling almost completely back
to normal.
She went back to her own room, took a shower, changed clothes, and headed downstairs.
The night before, she had messaged Sam and asked for a few hours off. Before falling asleep, she had been praying she would be better by today, because she had an important interview that afternoon.
She was only running late because she had taken the morning off. But why was Gavin still here at this
hour?
Did that mean Chris hadn’t gone to the office yet?
Now that really would have been a first. Chris was the kind of person who arrived early, never late.
When Gavin saw her downstairs, he paused for a second. “Are you heading to work, ma’am p>
Winter came down the stairs full of energy and smiled. “See? I’m totally fine now p>
She and Chris might have had their issues, but Winter had nothing against Gavin. Especially not after what happened on the bridge, when she called him for help and he showed up right away with backup.
That alone was enough to make her treat him kindly.
She walked past him and went into the dining room. But after breakfast, she saw Gavin standing by the car with the door already open.
“Mr. Xander asked me to drive you to the station p>
Winter stopped short and glanced back toward the empty staircase. “Is Chris still home p>
Gavin shook his head once. “Mr. Xander went to the office early this morning p>
Winter nodded and got into the car.
For a second, she had thought maybe she had passed her cold to him and he was home sick.
So he had left Gavin there for her?
Then something occurred to her.
“Yesterday, I never opened the door for you. So how did you get into my place? And before that, how did you get in to get my suitcase p>
“Mr. Xander gave me the passcode,” Gavin said as he started the car.
Winter frowned. “How would he know it p>
She didn’t remember ever giving it to Chris.
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Gavin said quietly, “Cracking a passcode isn’t exactly difficult for Mr. Xander p>
The car pulled out of Blackwood Manor.
What Winter didn’t see was the tall figure standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window behind her. Thin morning light stretched across the floor as Chris coughed into his fist a few times.
By the time she got to the station, Winter was making her final preparations for the afternoon interview.
At lunch, she went to the cafeteria with a few coworkers from the department.
Halfway through the meal, she started to notice something was off.
More specifically, something was off about the atmosphere around her.
People kept sneaking looks at her. Some looked shocked. Some looked suspicious. Some looked openly contemptuous.
But the second Winter turned to look back, they all dropped their eyes and pretended to focus on their
food.
And as soon as she looked away, the whispering started up again.
Winter kept eating at an unhurried pace. Then suddenly, she looked up and widened her eyes at them.
Several people jumped.
“What was that for, Winter? You scared us p>
“You’re unbelievable p>
Winter decided not to waste her energy on them. She quickly finished lunch and headed back to the newsroom, planning to message the two coworkers she usually teamed up with so they could leave early for the interview site.
Just then, a coworker forwarded her a news link.
A second later, the same coworker sent a voice message.
“Winter, you need to see this p>
Winter tapped the link open. Even before she started reading, she had a feeling it was about her. No wonder everyone in the cafeteria had been acting strange.
It was an entertainment article.
The headline grabbed her attention immediately.
“What Really Helped This Pretty TV Reporter Climb the Ranks p>
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In a headline like that, “pretty” and “climb the ranks” were not meant as compliments.
Put those words together, and most people would immediately assume there was something dirty behind it all.
The article strongly hinted that Winter had gone from an ordinary reporter to a senior reporter in just a few short years, and openly cast doubt on how she got there.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.