LIES THAT BOUND US

FIRST ENCOUNTER

CHAPTER TWO -

Scarlett’s POV

The next morning, I sat at my desk in the Midtown Times office, staring at the blinking cursor on my laptop’s screen.My editor's voice rang in my ear, “Wright, you’re still young. Stick to fluff and leave the serious stories for the people with experience.

”I clenched my jaw. I tried to take a sip of my coffee but it had run cold. I was sick of it all. Experience meant old. Experience meant male. He really thinks I’m incapable.I moved closer to my laptop and pulled up Gordon Campbell’s profile. I mean, if I was gonna go after the man, I have to know something about him right?I scanned through everything I could find.

He was thirty-two, CEO of Campbell International, a company worth billions.He’s perfect but a little too perfect. Men like him didn’t get to the top without a little blood or dirt on their hands. Nobody did, at least none that I have heard of. I couldn't get the information I desired from this profile. I needed a closer look. If I wanted to get close, the obvious place to start is an interview. I would blend well.I crafted an email to Gordon’s office. I sent a profile pitch piece. A spotlight on his latest charity gala. It wasn’t glamorous but it was safe enough to slide under his PR team’s radar.

Within an hour, I got a reply: Mr. Campbell could spare thirty minutes for an interview the next afternoon.My pulse spiked. That was easy, a little bit too easy. I showed up at Campbell International the next day dressed in my best professional clothes. Navy blue slacks, silk blouse, and pencil heels.The skyscraper towered over me. Each glass and steel reaching so high, it brushed the clouds. The lobby was humming with employees who actually looked….happy.

I was expecting to see faces glued to their screens and aggressive keyboard clicking.Interesting.I stood at the counter while the receptionist was checking my ID. She gave me a warm smile and directed me to the top floor. My palms sweated as the elevator climbed. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that this wasn’t just an ordinary interview. It was my assignment. My first move.The doors opened to an office. The interior was bright and minimalistic. It wasn’t intimidating, it was welcoming.

Then I saw him.Gordon Campbell.He rose from behind his desk as I entered. He was tall and comported. His perfectly tailored gray suit looked effortless on him. His slicked black hair shone. His hazel eyes were warm and steady, almost charming.“Miss Wright, right?” His voice was deep but soft and gentle. “Scarlett?” He continued, stretching out his hands for a handshake.I took his hand and nodded. “Yes. Thank you for taking your precious time to see me.”He smiled. “Of course. Have a seat.” My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He was too welcoming.I sat across from him, trying to push away the anxiety that twisted my stomach.We went through questions about his company, his vision, and his charity work. He answered everything freely, his hands fixed into each other on the desk, his posture calm. He wasn’t being defensive about his company’s information, nor did he dodge the questions.

He didn’t look like a man guarding secrets. He looked like a man who actually believed in what he was doing.And that unsettled me more than if he had been hostile. There’s more work to do.“People call you the ethical billionaire, do you think that’s true? Or realistic?” I said carefully, leaning in for a response. “Can anyone at your level truly stay clean? Or ethical?”His mouth curled into something that wasn’t a smirk. More like an amusing smile. “It depends on your definition of clean. I’ve made difficult decisions, chosen wrong paths and I’ve made mistakes. I don’t see anything wrong with that because I’m human. It’s bound to happen. But one thing I’ve never compromised on was what my father taught me. He said: "You don’t build by tearing others down.” He said carefully.I dropped my pen on the paper. His words felt like a direct jab at Ryker Grey, even if Gordon hadn’t meant them that way.It made me wonder more why Ryker wanted him destroyed.I leaned back, shocked by his response.

Was he being sincere? Or was it the best performance I’d ever seen? If so, this man deserves an Oscar.“You're skeptical, Miss Wright.” He observed, his gaze lingering on me.Heat flushed my cheeks. “It’s my job to be.”“Well,” he said with a slight smile, “then I hope I give you enough answers to stay skeptical, but not enough to write me off as a complete fraud. Or see me as a stereotype.”His tone was warm. And it baffled me. He was right, I saw him in a stereotypical manner. Billionaires weren’t supposed to be… charming.Our thirty minutes stretched into an hour. He asked about my work, my ambitions, and my background.

He was curious but not in a probing way. I found myself being interested in the conversation than I had planned.Dangerous.When the interview ended, he walked me to the elevator. That simple gesture was enough to throw me off balance.

“Well, thank you, Ms. Wright. Today’s interview was..fun,” he said, his gaze meeting mine with a smile, “maybe we should continue this conversation over dinner sometime?” He fondled his fingers.My eyes widened, “I’ll hold you to that.”His smile grew bigger.I caught his eyes one last time. It was warm, curious, and far too tempting.I got down from the elevator downstairs trying to figure out what just happened.Before I could come to a realization, I had bumped into a man.He was tall and composed.

He looked at me with disgust in his eyes, “Watch where you’re going.”“Sorry.” I apologized and he entered the elevator.Well, he’s rude. Thoughts of my encounter with Gordon Campbell clouded again.