Aria POV
Two of the junior reporters were pretending to read something on Maya's screen, but their shoulders were angled toward us. They were listening.
Of course they were. Vanessa's desk confrontations were basically office theater at this point.
Vanessa noticed them too. I could tell because her posture shifted slightly, straighter, more performative.
She lowered her voice, but not enough that someone nearby couldn't hear. "I'm just saying, Bennett. Don't get comfortable. Stories like this have a way of swallowing people who aren't ready for them."
"Good thing I'm ready, then."
"You think you are."
"I know I am."
She laughed, through it didn't match the tightness around her eyes. "You're so confident for someone whose last three pieces were basically rewritten press releases."
