Chapter 1

“I HAVE made a decision,” Casey announced as she plopped down on a swivel chair in front of her colleagues. Based on their expression, it seemed that they were all waiting for her to decide the topic they were about to release. “What’s with that expression?”

“We’re bothered by the decision you have made,” Sara, the junior editor, answered. “We’ve been talking about it since early this morning.”

“And, why?” Casey asked with a laugh. “Don’t tell me that you’re all worried about my job? Because if you do, I’m not buying it.”

Sara laughed. “You’re really fearless, huh?” She looked at their chief. “What do you think, chief?”

The forty-seven-year-old chief editor drew his brows together. “Why are you so eager to write an article about the winery in Ilocos?” Chief Miguel asked Casey on a knotted forehead. “That company have maintained their excellent reputation since they started in winery industry up to now.”

Casey crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned to face their floor-to-ceiling glass window in the office. “I know, chief. The Montefort Winery is also admired by the public with their consistent charity works for the preservation of the forest.”

“That’s right,” Chief Miguel agreed. “So what makes them the target of your Scandalous Category in Speedy online news?”

“I’m just interested in their history and, of course, the people behind the winery’s success,” she replied casually. “The perfection of their performance got me curious.” She turned around and faced her chief. “Every successful company has a dark and nasty past before they reached success. We all know that, right?”

Casey Almario is one of the elite content writers of Speedy Online News. She started working at the News Company when she got fired from her previous work four years ago. Because of that misfortune, Casey decided to change her career and entered online news writing that focused on scandalous stories of well-known artists, businessmen, politicians, and other famous personalities.

Casey maintained her low profile on Scandal News. Her network, the Speedy News that only streams online, supported her privacy choice and hid her identity from the first day she was hired. Her chief editor understood that her news categories were always sensitive that it might cause her life if her identity is exposed to those targets.

“Are you sure about your plan, Casey?” Art asked. He’s her editor, and by the look that he’s giving her, Casey was sure that he doubts her choice of prospect again. “I heard the CEO’s wife of Montefort Corp is a—”

“Monster,” she said and smirked. “That’s kinda intriguing, right? I believed that behind a successful man is a supportive wife, so how could a business tycoon like the CEO reached success with the kind of wife he has?”

“Wait for a second, Casey.” Miguel stood and propped his hand on his waist. His forehead is knotted, and Casey felt like she’s not gonna like what he was about to say. “Are you saying that you’re going to target the wife of the CEO? I thought it’s the CEO that you wanted to expose?”

“I wanted to expose their life behind the multiple charities that they’re using as a front,” Casey said. “I know there’s something in them that the public doesn’t know. Especially about the wife.” She took the printouts from her desk. “Well, I can also peek on the CEO secrets.”

“If he has some,” Art commented skeptically. “Their public image is shining like a diamond. And, here you are, planning to put a scratch on it. Tell me, do you have a grudge in that family?”

Casey laughed. “Art, I’m on scandal news. What do you expect me to look for? Inspiring stories?” she scoffed. “My job description is to expose scandals and flaws of bigger personalities. This is what I’m paid for—”

“But, why Montefort?” Miguel asked, still not convinced.

Sara, one of the junior editors, cleared her throat and raised her hand. “Ahm, chief, my friend’s father is a former sommelier in one of their bars here in Manila, and she told me that her father was fired from his job for no reason. Her father worked for them for fifteen years.”

“Do you consider that a scoop?” Chief Miguel asked sarcastically. “If I knew that you have the low critical thinking, I wouldn’t hire you.”

Art snorted. “You hired her because you thought that she could be the face of our network,” he said, then winked at Sara, who just blushed. “Sara, does your friend know that you work in Speedy? And, that we’re paying dollars for civilian scoopers?”

Sara hesitated to answer. “Ah, I told her—”

“That’s it!” Chief Miguel blurted. “Your friend is just making stories for money.” He shook his head. “And, how many times do I have to tell you that disclosing information about our network is strictly prohibited? Did you even read the contract before you sign it? I bet you didn’t see the confidentiality clause 4.5?”

“Chief, calm down…” Casey tapped the chief’s shoulders. “Sara’s just trying to help, and besides, what she said is true. The Montefort Winery has started the forced retirement for their old employees—which is unusual for a company that promotes equality, right?”

“And, Chief, I didn’t tell my friend that I work here. I just told her that I read in one of our posts that we’re looking for civilian scoopers—”

“We didn’t post such a job hunt!” Chief Miguel shouted. “Looking for civilian scooper is like looking for resident gossiper. And, their information is as good as trash. They’re the ones that you often see grouping in the streets and talking about other people’s lives instead of cleaning their houses!”

Casey tried to control her laughter, but she failed. Art also burst out laughing. “Chief, it looks like that you’ve been a victim of those gossipers once in your life.”

Chief Miguel shrugged off her hand on his shoulder. “I’m still their favorite subject,” he said with gritted teeth. “They’re good at making implausible stories. They should replace your position.”

“Hey, my contents are all plausible,” Casey defended. “That’s why I wanted to write a series for that winery.”

Art’s thick brows furrowed. “How are you going to do that? They’re untouchable.”

Casey smiled wickedly. She went behind her desk and took a piece of paper inside her drawer. “I’ll follow the family’s luxurious getaway,” she said and dropped a plane ticket going to the Maldives. “I’m sure they’re up to something. They don’t have branches in the Maldives—”

“Maybe it’s just a business meeting, and they’re planning to launch their first-ever branch in the Maldives?” Chief Miguel countered.

Casey shook her head. “I doubt it. They’re with their daughter—”

“Then, maybe it’s just a family vacation,” Art said with a raised eyebrow. “Did we hire you for that low critical thinking?”

Casey glared at him. “Their trip to a country surrounded by oceans is fishy,” she said and looked closely at the ticket. “The CEO is Thalassaphobic.”

***