Chapter Five:The First Broadcast
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Chapter Five: The First Broadcast
Getting ready for my first day at work ,I'm so happy can't believe I already have a job.
wearing a white plain shirt with rolled up sleeves and a straight black skirt for my first day seems like a good option .
Get on the bus to get to Rash entertainment
my nerves are literally skyrocketing.but I get into the studio.
The studio lights were dim but cozy, casting a warm glow over the walls padded with soundproofing foam. Natalie stood in the glass-walled booth, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the edge of her headphones.
It was her first day
Her first official broadcast.
Behind the glass, the station tech Brian gave her a thumbs-up as he leaned back into the soundboard. “You're on in thirty seconds,” he mouthed.
She took a deep breath. Cathy’s voice echoed in her head from the pep talk that morning:
"You’ve got this, Nat. You were born for this. Just be yourself. The world is ready for you."
Easier said than done when your heart was thudding against your ribcage like a drumline.
She glanced at her notes—business highlights, entrepreneurial tips, and a short segment about a young woman who started her bakery in the Bronx with nothing but a dream. But her opening line—that had to be perfect. Inviting. Captivating.
The red ON AIR sign lit up.
Natalie smiled faintly to herself, adjusted the mic, and began.
“Good morning, New York. You’re tuned in to Rise & Think with Natalie Daniels, where your morning coffee meets fresh ideas, and today, I want to talk about dreams. The kind you don’t just sleep through—the ones you chase with everything you’ve got...”
Her voice rang smooth and confident, and as the words flowed, her nerves melted. It was like slipping into a second skin. She was meant to be here. The rhythm, the mic, the stories—it all came alive when she spoke.
Upstairs, in his office, Caleb leaned back in his chair, listening.
He'd canceled his first two meetings just to hear her live.
“Turn it up,” he said to Diana, who sat across from him, frowning at her planner.
She obliged, and Natalie’s voice filled the room.
…and maybe no one believed in you when you started. Maybe they still don’t. But I’m here to tell you—don’t stop. Start messy. Start scared. Start anyway.”
Caleb stared at the ceiling, letting her words wrap around him. There was something magnetic about her delivery—gentle, yet assertive. Soft, yet full of fire.
“She’s good,” Diana said, reluctantly impressed.
“She’s great,” Caleb corrected.
.......................................
After her segment ended, Natalie pulled off her headphones, breathless. Brian clapped from the booth.
“Damn, Daniels. You just woke the whole city up.”
She grinned. “You think it went well?”
“Are you kidding? Phone lines are already blinking. And look—” He turned his monitor so she could see a stream of live messages on the station’s app. “Who is she?” “More of Natalie, please.” “Where has this voice been all my life?”
Natalie’s heart swelled. It was working. She was working.
Brian buzzed his mic. “Hey, the CEO wants to see you upstairs. Office floor.”
Her stomach dipped.
Already?
.................................................
The elevator ride to the top floor felt like a journey to another planet. Sleek black panels, soft jazz, and the faint scent of expensive cologne clinging to the carpet.
By the time the doors opened, her palms were slick with sweat.
Diana met her at the elevator. “Mr. Rashford is expecting you,” she said coolly, not even paying her any attention.
Natalie resisted the urge to tug on her blouse or check her hair again. “Thank you.”
She stepped into t
The CEOs office—and froze.
He was leaning against the window, city skyline behind him like a god in his throne.
“Natalie,” he said, turning.
His smile was slow and deliberate, and it made her stomach flip.
“I just wanted to congratulate you,” he said. “That was… powerful.”
She laughed softly. “I thought I was going to throw up.”
“Didn’t show. You came across calm, confident, like you’d been doing this for years.”
She shrugged modestly. “I guess I just... spoke from the heart.”
Caleb crossed the room, stopping close enough that she caught the scent of his cologne—something woodsy and expensive. He studied her with warm, brown eyes that seemed to flicker when the light hit them.
“You speak with passion. That’s rare. Most people regurgitate lines. You make people feel something.”
Natalie blinked, unsure how to respond.
Then he did something unexpected.
He handed her a single white envelope.
“What’s this?”
“An advance,” he said casually. “Five thousand dollars. I know your current contract doesn’t kick in with bonuses for another few months, but I also know you’ve got bills. Medical ones.”
She froze.
Her fingers trembled as she took the envelope. “How did you...?”
He shrugged. “I do my homework.”
Tears sprang to her eyes uninvited. “This... this will help so much. Thank you, Caleb. Really.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Just keep doing what you did today.”
...........................................
Later that night...
Natalie sat on her tiny balcony, legs curled beneath her as she watched the city lights blink in the distance. Her mom had cried when she gave her the news. “We can schedule the next round of treatment,” she’d said, voice cracking.
Her phone buzzed beside her.
Cathy: So? How’d it go with the boss man?
Natalie smiled.
Natalie: He gave me an advance.
Cathy: Nooo way. That’s major! I told you everything would turn out fine.
Natalie: yeahhhh it did
Cathy: I'm so happy for you babes
Natalie: thank youuu
Cathy: Anyway, enjoy your night, star. You killed it today.
Natalie stared at the city and let the words sink in.
Star.
Was she really becoming one?
...................................
Elsewhere, at a private dinner party at the high end side of Manhattan
“Caleb,” his mother said sternly, “we’ve received the final invite list for the fundraiser next month. I assume you’ll be attending with Linda?”
Caleb sipped his wine, uninterested. “I haven’t confirmed that.”
“You will. She’s good for our family. Her father’s business ties—”
“Don’t care.”
“Caleb,” she warned, her voice low. “You’ve had your fun, but it’s time to think about legacy. You’re a Rashford. you need to thing about the family line , you need children to pass on this legacy too
Caleb set his glass down with a soft clink.
Mum I get that you want the best for me but I don't think marriage is what I want now especially with someone like Linda
His mother’s lips thinned. What's wrong with
Linda, huh...
Nothing mum but she's just not the woman for me
“And please Mum stop giving the Marcu's
high Hope's of anything happening between me and Linda because nothing will.
Caleb leaving his mum's home ,
Mum, your walking out on me caleb
come back
goodnight mum,
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