Serendipitous Reunion

03

"I give you what I believe will be best suited for you. I am your boss and that's how things work around here."

The young journalist scoffed in offense. After all her achievements and dedication to this company, she is being told that this kind of story is what she is good for.

She crossed her arms this time, clenching her jaws and trying her hardest not to blow fire from her ears. "Surely, you can't believe this is all I can do. I've written some riveting pieces, and a bunch of them have been nominated for local awards. Not many of my colleagues here can say the same."

"Miss Danso, I cannot.." he sighed but she didn't let him finish.

"Okay, what if I told you I have a story to cover? A very captivating, juicy story that would get so much buzz and so many more eyes on us."

She silently cringed right after she said those words. Once again, she was going down a self-serving path. Deep down, she knew that what she was about to suggest was terrible but all she could think about was her career at that moment.

"What story?"

She faltered and bit her lip nervously, before saying, "The Vanessa Acolatse case. It reopened a couple days ago and was—"

"Ruled a possible homicide. Yes, I am aware. That case is very messy and you know what happened the last time we got near that." Max countered, giving her a pointed look to which she avoided his gaze. "There's a reason I didn't assign anyone to it."

Guilt crept into her again at his words, and she fiddled with her fingers. Mimmi knew what he was talking about and she didn't want to think about it. It was a mistake she made out of impulse and greed, but the worst part was that even though she felt terrible about it, she would do it again if it meant gain for her and her career.

"We are journalists, Mr. Max. Our job is to inform people about things like these, especially crime. That's all the craze these days. How can we call ourselves investigative journalists if we don't immerse ourselves in such an ongoing investigation?"

Max narrowed his eyes at his employee. "Wasn't Vanessa your good friend? This case is too close to home for you."

"We... weren't friends when she disappeared. Things got really tense." Mimmi faltered.

"Personal feelings will get in the way." he reminded her.

"Personal feelings will not get in the way, I assure you. This story is perfect for me because I have connections with many sources that are directly involved in the case. That means more information and more details that other people might not have access to." she pleaded, hoping she would be able to convince him she could handle this.

"Why are you so eager to take this story on?" Max asked her cautiously. Mimmi had always been one of his more ambitious employees, both to her benefit and detriment; that's why he trusted her with the more 'boring' stories because he knew she could turn them into something that people would want to read. However, he didn't understand why this particular case was suddenly of so much interest to her.

"I don't want to be bored at my dream job, Mr. Max. I've always wanted to be a journalist, and especially now that I'm here at this wonderful company, I want to make sure all eyes stay on us. This story is the key."