Chapter 26: Newbie reporter

The two sat outside, waiting for their turn to be fired from their job. Although it was clear that it was not Gav's fault and she did not start the fight, it still did not excuse the unruly conduct she showed during office hours and in the middle of the lobby.

"What do you think? Are we getting fired?" Max asked his boss, afraid to lose his job.

Since he accepted this work, he had learned to love it. It was the only job he excelled at. He had been to other works, but he could not stand it. Now, there was every chance that he might lose it.

"Don't worry. If someone is going to lose a job, it would be me. You will be ok." Gav gave her assurance to her partner.

Although she was not looking forward to being canned at this early stage of her career, she would gladly accept it because she deserved it.

Still, she thought that this would be the culmination of her dreams. She still felt saddened by the situation. She knew she almost had it.

"You two, stop whining." The secretary said, overhearing their conversations. "Liam is a reasonable man. I believe he will not fire the two of you. But maybe give you two a warning instead."

The middle-aged woman smiled at them, giving them her motherly advice. She was just sorry that she did not witness what this young girl did to Mr. Alvarez. She also did not like the man. She was glad that he was finally gone.

Inside the office, Liam was checking the background of the two. First, the boy named Max. He could see that he was still relatively new to the job. But his first job in this field was with her. He would study if he had what it took to stay in his position.

Then, he opened the folder named Gavrielle Sinclair. It was a nice name, he thought, skimming through her credentials. She was highly recommended by his personal friend, Robert.

"Bea, will you send the two back inside?" He asked his secretary after a few minutes of finishing reviewing the files. He knew he had made them wait long enough.

He gestured for them to occupy the two seats before his desk. Suddenly, his phone rang. He signaled for them to wait a little longer as he talked to whoever was on the other line.

The two felt like they were in for sentencing, waiting for the final verdict as their suffering was prolonged by that phone call. Finally, the call ended, and the boss faced them once again.

"Sir," Gav was ready to make an appeal for her partner. If somebody had to go, it should be her.

"Can you just let me talk first?" Their boss interrupted her, raising his finger to stop her from saying anything else. "I am not going to fire you, not today."

He stared at the reaction of the two, which was identical. Complete relief, but short-lived when they heard the last part. They both had those wide eyes that expressed shock and fear simultaneously.

"But you are still going to fire us, Sir." Max bravely asked, confused by what his boss said.

"Only if you start behaving the way you did earlier," Liam added to his statement. "Then, I will fire you on the spot."

He was starting to like Max. He might be scared of him, but he was still trying to fight his way through it. He might be young, but he believed he was a fast learner.

"Ok, I understand," Max answered, releasing the air he had been kept in his chest, finding sudden relief.

"Would you mind if you wait outside, Max? I want to speak with Ms. Sinclair for a few minutes." Liam asked the young man.

There were some things he wished to discuss with her without the presence of his cameraman.

"Sure." Max saw no reason not to follow the request. He signaled to his partner that he would be waiting outside for her. She only nodded in return.

"In your case, Ms. Gavrielle Sinclair." He read it in her file, hoping he had pronounced it right. "I can see that you were only defending your friend. But as you can see, we have rules here."

He looked at her as she sat quietly on her chair, but the fight in her had not gone unnoticed. She might be listening to him, but he could bet that she was dying to retaliate.

"If an incident like that happens again, you can report it to HR since that is what they are here for." Liam continued when she had kept her silence.

"I will take note of that, Mr. Hawking," Gav responded calmly, trying to avoid raising her voice to his boss.

She finally looked at his boss. This time, she stared at his face, studying his features. She had only seen him before in the newspaper. But now, she was curious if he looked the same.

"Just call me, Liam. All my employees do." He smiled at her, liking the new girl sitting before him. He could see that she had spunk. A good quality that every reporter should have.

She might actually fit in his company quite well. Now, he could see what Robert might have seen with her. But he still had to see her reports.

"Then, call me, Gav. Robert calls me that. I am not used to people calling me by my full name. If you don't mind. I also want to use that in all my paperwork." She requested her boss. That was what she and Robert did before.

"That is fine with me, Gav." His boss answered, understanding that most reporters used some kind of pseudonyms at the start. "Welcome to my company, Gav," Liam expressed with a genuine smile as he stood from his chair to extend his hand to her. She automatically took it and smiled back.

"Thank you, Sir." Then, she remembered that even his secretary called him by his first name. "I meant Liam. I am happy to be working for this company and for you, Sir. Liam." She kept correcting herself.

"If there is nothing else, Liam," Gav quickly pulled her hands from his, "I think I better get back to work."

She was not about to wait for him to dismiss her. She believed she had already consumed most of his morning. And their boss was a busy man.

"One more thing, Gav." Liam suddenly spoke again before she could step any further. She turned around to look at her boss, wondering what else he might have forgotten.

"I wish for you to join me tomorrow. I will be going to a dinner party. I want to introduce you to the rest of the people you will be working with." Liam stated as if it was not a choice.

He was also surprised by his sudden offer to take her to the party. He did not know where that came from. He did not usually take newbie reporters to that kind of party.

Anyway, he had no option left but to take her to the party. He could not take it back. Still, he was curious why he was suddenly fascinated with this newbie reporter.