Chapter Twenty
Dallas Lifestyle HQ
Quinn
T he Dallas Lifestyle magazine office buzzes with activity as I stride through the glass doors, Lyla at my side. I’ve pushed my emotions deep down, locked them away where they can’t interfere with what needs to be done. My eyes may still be slightly puffy from crying, but the distraction of work is keeping me together.
“Quinn!” Sarah Reynolds, the lifestyle editor, greets me with a warm hug. Her long, braided hair sweeps across her back as she pulls back to study my face. “It’s been too long. Wish we were meeting for drinks rather than work.”
“Me, too.” I manage a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes. “Thank you for making time on such short notice.”
Sarah waves away my thanks, leading us to her office. “For you? Always. Besides, you just gave me the biggest scoop. Not everyone can say they I have Knight Industries’ CEO giving them an exclusive. The entire media landscape will be blowing up my phone after this.”
Her casual enthusiasm makes me wince internally, but I keep my professional facade. This may be gossip fodder to her, but it isn’t to me; it’s my client’s lives, their reputations, their future family.
“My clients should be here any minute,” I say, checking my watch. “We appreciate your willingness to let them tell their story directly.”
Her office is about what anyone would expect from a lifestyle editor—stylish without being ostentatious and comfortable without being bleak or too casual. The walls display several frames of magazine covers, articles, and photographs with celebrities. They’re subtle reminders she’s well-connected in the city’s social circles.
“Coffee?” she offers, gesturing to a sleek machine in the corner.
“With cream please,” Lyla answers for both of us, sensing my distraction as I scan the talking points on my phone one last time.
My phone buzzes with a text from Jonathan.
Five minutes out.
I scan through my notes one last time, mentally rehearsing how to guide the interview. Jonathan and Keira’s genuine love story has to shine through today—their excitement about their wedding plans, the natural progression of their relationship, and as much as I’d rather not get on the topic, the baby will have to be included, all the while not mentioning that hit piece directly. I’ll make that look like cheap tabloid gossip.
People respond to authenticity, and these two have it in spades.
“Everything okay?” Lyla asks quietly, handing me a cup of coffee.
“Fine.” I say that word, but we both know it’s a bold-faced lie. Nothing is fine—everything is on fire. Though the situation with my clients is slowly being handled, it’s the accusations thrown at me combined with what happened with Nathan this morning. The memory of his touch, followed so quickly by his cold dismissal, threatens to crack the professional face I’ve so carefully constructed for today. I push down the sadness again, harder this time.
When this day is over, and I’ve listened to whatever new mean thing Nathan has to say about me, I’ll fill up a glass of wine to the brim, draw myself a bath, and have a good cry.
Sarah returns from greeting someone at the door. “They’re here,” she announces with the subtle excitement of a journalist about to land a major story.
Jonathan and Kiera enter, and my heart twists at the sight of them. Despite their polished appearances—Jonathan in a crisp black suit, Kiera in a simple, elegant, pink maternity dress—I see the strain around their eyes, the tension in their postures. Yet they’re here, putting on brave faces, facing the public scrutiny together.
Now that is love. Nathan wouldn’t know what that is.
I rise to greet them, professional smile in place. “Jonathan, Kiera. Thank you for coming.”
“We can’t thank you enough for arranging this,” Jonathan replies with a firm CEO voice mixed with what sounds like gratitude.
Kiera’s embrace catches me off guard—warm and genuine. “We appreciate everything you’re doing,” she whispers before pulling away, one hand protectively over her baby bump.
Her kindness goes further than anything else to undo me. After the day I’ve had already, after the doubt that must be swirling in their minds about my involvement, they’re still treating me with respect? The trust they’re placing in me feels precious yet precarious.
“Shall we get started?” Sarah gestures toward comfortable seating arranged for the interview. A photographer hovers nearby, camera ready. “We’ll do the photos first if that works for everyone.”
I nod, guiding Kiera and Jonathan through the process with quiet efficiency. The photographer positions them near a window where natural light bathes them in a warm glow—his arm around her waist, her hand resting over her belly. Their expressions are almost relaxed and intimate. If the words don’t, the images will tell their own story: a couple in love, so much ahead of them to look forward to, untouched by scandal.
As the interview begins, I sit slightly behind them, close enough to intervene if needed but giving them space to speak. Sarah starts with softball questions about their first meeting, how Jonathan proposed, their excitement about finding out they’re pregnant.
“We met when I was interviewing Kiera for an executive assistant position,” Jonathan explains. “I knew immediately she was exceptional.”
“He hired me on the spot,” Kiera adds with a small smile. “And I was determined to do my job well.”
“She went above and beyond,” Jonathan continues. “Organized, efficient. But there was nothing romantic happening between us then—I was very careful about that boundary.”
Sarah leans forward, clearly intrigued. “So when did things change between you two?”
They exchange a look filled with private meaning, and Kiera’s cheeks color slightly. “There was an email situation,” she says carefully. “I accidentally sent Jonathan a personal message that was meant for my friend. It contained some…rather direct thoughts about him that I never intended for him to see.”
Jonathan chuckles. “Let’s just say it made her feelings quite clear. I was surprised but also flattered.”
“I was absolutely mortified,” Kiera admits, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I thought for sure he was going to fire me.”
Kiera answers every question with a sweet and genuine nature, avoiding the trap of over-explaining. Smart girl. The real story—an accidental, explicit draft message meant for her friend Kami that landed in her boss’s inbox instead—would only make things worse. The public doesn’t need to have every intimate detail to know these two are genuinely in love with each other.
“Instead, it broke down the walls between us,” Jonathan adds. “After the initial embarrassment passed, we were able to have an honest conversation about the connection we both felt but had been too professional to acknowledge.”
“One that might never have happened otherwise,” Kiera continues. “We’d both been so careful about maintaining professional boundaries that we never acknowledged the connection we felt.”
“After that, we took things slowly,” Jonathan says. “I was very conscious of our professional relationship and wanted to make sure Kiera never felt pressured because of my position.”
The interview flows naturally from there, with Jonathan and Kiera recounting key moments in their relationship—their first official date, how they navigated workplace dynamics, the moment they decided to go public with their relationship. I watch Sarah’s expressions, noting when she’s particularly captivated, mentally marking the quotes that will likely make it into the final piece.
When the conversation turns to the baby, Kiera’s entire face softens. “It wasn’t planned, but it’s the most wonderful surprise. We were already engaged, but finding out about the baby just accelerated our timeline a bit.”
“We couldn’t be happier,” Jonathan adds, and the genuine joy in his voice is undeniable.
Near the end, Sarah asks the inevitable question. “An outlet published some rather unflattering speculation about your relationship today. Would you like to address that?”
I tense, ready to redirect, but Jonathan handles it perfectly.
“What matters is the truth. Kiera and I have built something real, something that means everything to us. We’re starting our family, planning our future. Those who know us understand who we are and what we stand for. The rest is just noise.”
Kiera squeezes his hand. “I’m proud of our story—all of it. That’s why we wanted to share it with you today.”
Sarah smiles, clearly satisfied with their response. “Well, I think our readers will be touched by your openness. Is there anything else you’d like them to know?”
“Just that we’re grateful,” Kiera says, “for our family, friends, and colleagues who have supported us. And for professionals like Quinn who help us navigate these moments with grace.”
Her unexpected mention of me causes a lump to form in my throat. Her acknowledgment feels like a lifeline thrown to me as I’m drowning.
As the interview concludes and final photos are taken, I’m reminded of the brief phone call I had with Nathan before. We should talk. After the interview. There’s something I need to show you.
After this morning’s accusations, after walking out on me when we shared such an intense moment together, now he wants to talk? At the time, I wanted to refuse. And in hindsight, I probably should have. But I relented because if this was going to be the last time I talked to him, I should at least try to find closure.
But what does he have to show me?
Now that the interview has wrapped up, what is waiting at my office for me now? More proof that I’m a lying, stealing bitch? But beneath the anger and hurt, the tiniest bit of hope inside me still refuses to die. It wants me to wonder if he’s found something different. Maybe he’s realized I’ve been telling the truth all along. Could this be his way of extending an olive branch or just professional courtesy?
Only one way to find out.
“Okay, Quinn.” Sarah’s voice pulls me back to the present. “The piece will run tomorrow morning. Front page of the lifestyle section.”
I nod, slipping my phone away. “Perfect. As we agreed, you’ll give us approval on the final draft.”
“Absolutely,” she agrees.
As we say our goodbyes to Sarah and walk toward the elevator, Jonathan hangs back slightly, letting Kiera and Lyla move ahead.
“I want you to know Nathan has been…investigating.” Jonathan clearly chooses his words carefully. “He’s starting to consider other possibilities.”
The implication hangs in the air between us. Other possibilities. Like the one where I’m not a villain. Where I’ve been telling the truth all along.
“It doesn’t matter. Managing this situation for you and Kiera is more important.”
“It matters,” Jonathan counters gently. “It matters to him, even if he’s too stubborn to admit it fully. And I think it matters to you too.”
Before I can respond, the elevator arrives. The conversation is over, but Jonathan’s words echo in my mind as we descend to the lobby.
Whatever Nathan wants to show me, whatever he has to say, I need to prepare myself. Whether I’m walking into accusations or apologies, evidence or explanations, I have to be ready for whatever comes next.
And the not knowing what I’m walking into is what’s killing me.