My Guarded Valentine (Hope Peak’s Valentine’s Day)

1. Mitzi

Chapter 1

Mitzi

“ M s. Saveers, you know how it’s been lately with the whole AI thing and honestly, your last few articles haven’t fit very well. You have one last chance to wow me. If not, you’ll need to brush up on your resume,” my boss, Mr. Saxon, said.

My mouth fell open. “What? Are you threatening me?”

“This is just a performance review,” he said as he slid a sheet of paper in front of me. “Here is a list of possible stories you can try to chase. Choose wisely. Your job relies on that choice.”

My shoulders sagged as I grabbed the paper. I smiled weakly and tried not to cry. “I appreciate that you gave me a chance to wow you, sir,” I said as I stood up.

“Have a good day, Ms. Saveers,” Mr. Saxon said as I opened the door.

Once the door closed behind me, I flipped it off as I walked to my desk. I slapped the paper in front of me. Glancing at all the paper, it seemed like the basic stories we featured. A walkthrough O'Brien Industries, an interview with an architect with a ‘mind blowing apartment concept,’ and a few others. I leaned over to my co-worker’s desk, Nadia.

“How far away is O'Brien Industries?”

Nadia looked up and squinted as she thought. “A few hours away. Why?”

“Well, looks like I’m about to be fired. So I want to go on a trip on the company’s dime.”

Nadia sighed as she pouted. “They can’t fire you, though!”

I rolled my eyes. “Blame it on the AI.”

“You’ve gotten really shitty stories lately. I think they did that on purpose. You are close to your five years and then they have to give you retirement. I’ve seen that happen before. They are trying to fire you without having to pay severance or retirement.”

My face fell as I stared at her. “What?” I exclaimed.

Nadia winced. “Sorry. Shady assholes, but it pays the bills.” She waved. “In this economy, what can you do?”

I sighed. “Okay. I’m going to O'Brien Industries and doing a…walkthrough.”

“Well, when?”

“I don’t know. I have nothing to do this weekend. This weekend. Gonna go book the hotel, I guess.”

“It’s Valentine’s!”

“So?”

Nadia wiggled around in a dramatic fashion. “I was going to set you up with my brother’s friend’s cousin, though! He’s hot and rich, I’ve heard.”

“Not interested in a rich guy.”

She waggled her fingers. “You’re about to be jobless, though. You might need to find a sugar daddy.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically. “I want a love connection, not a sugar daddy thing.”

“I wasn’t saying that though!” Nadia replied. Her laughter peeled through the “You’re going to be lonely on Valentine’s day.”

“I don’t care about V day. It’s a card holiday, though.”

“You are no fun!”

I shot her a peace sign and started to look up O’Brien Industries on my computer. It was founded twenty years ago by Connor O’Brien. He was involved with the day-to-day activities until his brother died. After that, he disappeared. He hadn’t been seen since at any function. At the time, he was handsome, clean shaven, and whatnot. Connor was handsome when he founded it. Fluffy dark hair, clean shaven, and he always wore a knowing smirk when they took his picture. Definitely a panty dropper type of guy. He used to party occasionally and they would nickname him a playboy. Who knows what he looked like now? Or was he alive? What if…

My eyes narrowed at the screen. I was so sick of getting weak stories. I wanted to be a real journalist. Billionaires were always up to something or hiding their money. O’Brien can’t be the only nice company in the world. But even the socials came up with nothing serious. As I pulled up more articles about Lance and Connor, my mind started to wonder. They were both in the same car wreck. Could Connor have died instead of his brother, Lance? Maybe this was an entire cover up which would explain the quick disappearance. In a hyper-focus blur, I emailed as many people as I could from the About Us page. I made all the plans for my trip to O’Brien Industries. It was a three-hour drive, and I’d have to drive through some small towns. I tried to mark my trip with each coffee shop I’d want to stop at on the way to O’Brien’s. If I found a proper story, this could launch a real career with a better company that didn’t want to replace me with AI.

At the end of the day, I glanced at Nadia as she stopped at my desk. I tapped the desk in excitement. I might have found the one flaw in O’Brien Industries. “I think I could have an amazing story. I think it might be groundbreaking.”

Nadia made a face. “What do you mean?”

“What if there was a coverup with the O’Brien wreck?? I’m going to try to meet him at his company. Isn’t it suspicious he disappeared after the wreck? Maybe they switched places!” I rambled.

Nadia froze with her tablet in her hands. “What?” Nadia’s brows furrowed as she looked at me. “How? What do you mean?”

Picking up my tablet, I tapped the screen. “Lots of digging. Something sketch has to be going on there. I sent some emails. I’ll badger them till they let me meet him. Simple.”

A confused look crossed her face. “I don’t believe that because I’m sure better reporters have looked for him and never found him,” Nadia said hesitantly. “He’s probably in, like, Aruba drinking mai tais or whatever. I’m not saying you're a terrible journalist. I’m…worried about you. And they will call security on you.”

I smiled weakly and looked away. Overwhelmed, I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. “They’ve never met a girl that needs an amazing article to prevent getting fired. I need this.”

“Well, I’m not putting on the tin foil hat with you. I just want you to be careful. Love you and all. Then again, I haven’t spent the last few hours deep diving into Connor O'Brien. Maybe you did find something. Saw a pattern no one else did. You’re good and that’s why I don’t want them to fire you.” Nadia slammed her tablet into her bag and shrugged. “Well, good luck then. When do you leave?”

“Tonight. Got a hotel and I made sure it was expensive too. If I get fired, I’ll have a nice few days.”

Nadia sighed as she looked at me in pity. “When’s your next article due?”

“Two weeks. But I need to get most of it done in a week, ya know?”

Nadia nodded as she fiddled with the strap of her bag. “Did you get your oil changed yet? You complained about that a few weeks ago. My mom always said to make sure your car has a checkup before long trips.”

I waved my hand. “It’s fine!” I lied.

Nadia’s brows furrowed as she shot me a concerned look. “Well, good luck!” Nadia exclaimed. “Text me or something when you get to your hotel.”

“Thanks!” I said as I grabbed my items. As I stepped away from the desk, I paused. I shook my head and gathered any of my personal effects. Writing this article was my last chance. If I failed, I didn’t want to come back. It would be like the worst walk of shame in the entire world. At least a one-night stand could end with an orgasm. Being fired would be like being fucked in the ass without lube. No, thank you. I hefted my bag over my shoulder and left.