Blank Statement
T he following day, the sun came out, casting a golden glow that seemed to make everything just a little bit brighter. The world outside looked like it was moving on, as if the weight of the night before had never happened. But for me, it was still hard to find any real joy. My mind still lingered on Sophie all the time, as if my entire future happiness depended on her coming back from whatever hell she was going through. While I wanted to continue searching for her, Oliver urged me to stop, insisting that doing so would only jeopardize his progress. So, I had to summon the strength to step back and trust the process—a difficult reality for a control freak like me.
I woke up beside my handsome fiancée on the couch, tangled in each other’s limbs, our breaths soft and steady. We must have fallen asleep there the night before, likely from sheer exhaustion. He was still resting, his face calm and serene, so I quietly slipped away to our espresso machine. Before long, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. I took a moment to calculate my daily caffeine limit, consoling myself that decaf was still an option once I’d finished my first mug.
Was Amanda expecting me at work today? I felt relieved I hadn’t gotten a frantic call from her asking if I needed maternity benefits anytime soon. But, true to form, my workaholic nature kicked in—the drive to succeed pulled me back to the office. I quietly made my way downstairs to the bedroom, and then into my closet. Today, more than ever, I was determined to choose an outfit that made a powerful statement. I selected a stunning Armani suit, its sleek lines and tailored fit exuding both confidence and sophistication. Valentina had gifted it to me straight from the runway, one of the few items left from our friendship. In no time, without waiting for Julian to awaken, I slipped out the door.
Will tried hard not to send any judgmental looks my way, and it almost made me chuckle because I knew exactly what he was thinking. Despite his best efforts to mask it, his eyes betrayed him, scanning me up and down with a mixture of disbelief and admiration that I was still standing after all the stuff on the internet.
The drive to the office was uneventful, aside from a few photographers stationed at the exit gate of our complex. Their presence was just part of the routine now, an oddity I hardly noticed anymore, as if they were simply another fixture of my daily life.
“Well, well,” Amanda greeted me the moment I appeared at the door.
“Hey Amanda, I know you said I could take more time, but I just couldn’t stay away from work,” I walked over and settled into my chair.
Kali gave me one of those looks, the kind that silently acknowledged and celebrated my decision. The others, however, weren’t quite as empathetic.
“We’re dying to find out if it’s the popstar or the billionaire,” Misha chimed in, his tone teasing. The sight of him shifted my empowered mood, even if only slightly.
“Boys are a waste of time,” our new colleague Krystal muttered under her breath. “That’s why I date girls only even though I am bisexual.”
I was surprised by how confidently the staff gossiped in front of Amanda. She must have been in a lenient mood for this to be the case.
“Lucie, congrats on the empty article,” Dan, our new staff writer, casually drifted in. “That was amazing! It reminded me of The Blank Canvas by Salvator Garau.”
I knew what he was referring to, because thanks to my mom, I read about art often. The work was essentially a nothingness —a literal blank canvas that was sold for nearly $18,000. It was a conceptual piece, and Garau insisted that the “absence” on the canvas was meant to provoke deep reflection about space, perception, and the value of art in the modern world. “What?” I shot him a puzzled look. “Not sure what you mean, Dan...” I furrowed my brows as I caught sight of Amanda’s wide grin.
Even with my creative mind, I couldn’t come up with a single plausible explanation for what he had just said. I gave Kali a glance because I knew she was the one most likely to tell me what was going on.
“Great job,” Amanda remarked with a light laugh, her steps fading as she walked away.
Kali finally saved me from the torture of not knowing. “The app we use has an automatic submission deadline. I think you missed it, and somehow, it published your opinion column as blank.”
The blood drained from my face. “Dear God. I forgot there’s no proofreader for it after me.”
“The good news is,” Kali said with a warm smile, “the moment it got out, your readers went absolutely crazy. They’re thinking it’s a statement in response to tabloids.”
“It most certainly isn’t…” I gulped.
Kali grinned, “Within just a few hours, your article had sparked over two million Instagram posts, each one featuring the hashtag #BlankStatement. On Facebook, there were over 450,000 posts tagged with your name, generating an avalanche of comments and shares. So basically, your empty article had become an unintentional viral phenomenon. We now have almost 1 million more subscribers to the app.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Nope,” she pursed her lips. “I am not even going to add that the internet is upside down because now everyone knows that you’re the secret girl from Stone’s songs. I mean, I am expecting a lot more subscribers.” She gave me a remorseful glance. “There’s something good in everything bad.”
“Not what I want to hear, Kali,” I said somberly.
She glanced around to make sure Misha was gone, then leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Lucie, I had a thought—maybe your nausea is more than just the flu.”
I shook my head. “A lot of it isn’t true, Kali.”
“When it comes to your audience, they love you regardless,” she reassured me.
I paused, trying to figure out how to navigate this strange situation. “What does one even write after a statement that’s this successful?”
We both burst into laughter—something I hadn’t expected, but it felt good. Almost as quickly as it had started, though, a wave of darkness swept over me again. “Actually, I need to talk to Misha. Kali, please excuse me,” I rose from my seat and drifting toward his desk. My mind was set, and I had just one goal now as I hurried to speak to him.
“Yeah, Lucie? Finally realizing that the two of us might have a chance?” Misha quipped, raising his eyebrows in mock suggestion. I ignored his salacious remark.
“You know something about Jessica,” I said, my tone sharp. “With Sophie missing, tell me everything. And don’t even think for a second that Julian is going to take a picture with you. This is not a trade. It’s human decency at this point.”
He suddenly looked frightened. “Lucie, I already spoke with the security guard, Oliver. By the way, he seems like a badass. All I know is that Jess plotted revenge.”
“How do you know this?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing threateningly.
“I overheard a phone conversation,” he replied with fear in his eyes. “I’m not sure who she was talking to, but it sounded like a dude. She told him that she’d planned to get back at Sophie for what happened to her career.”
“When was this? Place and time?”
“The day she got fired. I was leaving Apogee for lunchbreak, and heard her have this conversation in the lobby.”
“Is there anything else you heard?”
“No, Lucie. Look, I know you hate me. But in reality, I loved Sophie too.” He frowned. “I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”
“Don’t use past tense to talk about her. Why didn’t you say anything earlier? When we could have done something about it?”
He pressed his lips together, his voice tinged with guilt. “I wasn’t thinking much of it back then. Girls can be mean, but I just figured it would be some harmless gossip online. I really wanted that picture with Julian, and when you refused, I sort of pushed it out of my mind.”
“You’re a snake, Misha. I don’t know what to believe anymore.” I vented my anger at him.
“I know it’s deserved, but I’d love to help to look for her.” He assured me. “I am sorry.”
“What happened between the two of you, anyway?” Sophie had always been too staccato for him, and that was likely because of his general demeanor.
He exhaled sharply as if one way he could remedy the situation was to open up. “When I started working here, the two of us became really close friends,” he explained. “And at one point, I found myself falling for her.”
I wasn’t surprised at all—Sophie was stunning. She was an angel in real life.
“So, I ended up deleting a lot of messages from her online dating profile,” he confessed. “She thinks she missed out on a lot of opportunities. For a while, she thought maybe the guys didn’t like her pictures.”
“Did you know what Jess did with Mark’s profile all along?”
“No, Lucie, pinky promise. It may surprise you, but I’m not that much of a crook. We all saw how happy she was around him.”
“Okay, Misha,” I gave him one last glance. “If you hear anything, please let me and Oliver know. We’ve got to find her soon. Alive.” I couldn’t believe I was emphasizing that.
He nodded. “I tried to get in touch with Jess, to see if she’s still around, but it seems like she’s not responding to anyone from Apogee .” This was just another admission of guilt on Jess’s part. Oliver was on the right track, but what could have possibly happened between the two women?
“Yeah, but we’ve got a lot of people working the case, and I’m sure we’ll find her,” I said, trying to sound confident, hoping my words would somehow make it true. Misha looked utterly devastated, and I couldn’t shake the thought that maybe—just maybe—he still loved Sophie and that he was honest. For a brief moment, I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He’d never recognize his own flaws, never take responsibility for them, yet here he was, suffering because of them.
The rest of the day flew by. We’d finally set the marketing plan for Hart & Quill’s new release into motion, and this time, I had more to contribute than just a blank page. I decided to write a heartfelt message to my readers about Sophie’s disappearance, and as I did, I couldn’t help but shed more tears. What we needed now was for it to go viral, igniting a wave of people joining the search for her. Fortunately, I had the power to give the case the attention it desperately needed.
Baby, how are you feeling? Julian texted midday.
Good, but still no news about Sophie, though . I attached a sad emoji. Are you at work?
Yes, there’s a lot that I need to catch up on , he confirmed, adding a hug emoji.
The two of us had spent the night talking late, also tending to some of his injuries from the fight with James. We’d never gotten around to discussing Jazmin, mostly because I didn’t think I could bring myself to ask about her—not yet, anyway. But with Julian’s past reputation, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had sex with her, especially when I wasn’t around. I’d always assumed it was Evy who had captured his attention, but the idea of another woman being involved had never crossed my mind.
Whenever Julian returned from a trip, we typically ended up in bed within minutes of being together, but this time we’d held back. We were reconnecting slowly, carefully, while I couldn’t quite bring myself to trust him yet. Even though I had more or less decided against the abortion, the idea of becoming a mother both thrilled and terrified me. Would I have to give up my job? Especially because I did not have family around?
Is it okay if I ask when your next appointment is, Lucie? If you’re comfortable with it, I’d really like to be there , he requested.
Tomorrow, I have to do a blood test. Then the next one is at 10 weeks , I let him know.
Is there anything you need right now?
Only that Oliver finds Sophie. It’s excruciating to miss her this much, Julian . Tears prickled my eyes again. I am a mess.
I have around a hundred people working the case right now , he noted, offering immediate comfort. Mr. Dickens is devastated because he’s worried about her heart condition, on top of any situation she’s in. I’m going to try to spend some time with him today.
These words only poured more salt into the wound, but it was a valid concern. I’m certain Jess is involved. There has to be something in her phone history , I told him. But I’ve already mentioned this to Oliver .
I’ll keep you posted if we get any new clues . In the meantime, please be extra careful, Lucie . He reminded me.
I wondered if I should let the conversation die down, then I decided against it.
Julian?
Yes, Lucie? He reacted almost immediately.
How is your sobriety going? Are you managing now that there are more temptations around ? I asked, now genuinely wondering. We’d only touched on the subject of rehab briefly the night before, because so much else was going wrong, but it was a conversation that deserved more attention.
31 days clean now , he responded immediately. I love you, Lucie, and I will not let you down. And our baby .
Should you go back to rehab, to finish the program? Concern crept into our conversation. It didn’t seem like long enough to me. He’d had a deeply rooted problem before he went, and with everything happening now, he hadn’t been able to devote the time he needed to truly heal.
My absence worried the investors, so I plan to stay , he explained. And besides, I can’t leave you now. Not with what’s going on with the Dickens family. They need me .
I understood that. I hoped he’d be strong enough to stay away from trouble.
About what James mentioned yesterday … I messaged next. There was no reason to walk around the subject anymore. Knowing the truth, no matter how hard it was, would allow me to make the best choices for my future.
Lucie, I don’t know if this is a text message conversation. Let’s talk about it in person . He suggested.
Did you sleep with her? I know we weren’t together, but it still feels important to know .
Julian was calling me now, and I quickly concluded that, because of my bitterness, this wasn’t the right time to talk to him. And certainly not in front of an audience at my office. Even stepping into a room wasn’t a doable plan, because I simply couldn’t afford another PR mistake.
I need to talk to you about this in person , he followed up via text, possibly understanding that I didn’t want to have a call.
This could only mean one thing — yes, he’d slept with her. And while I knew that men could separate love and sex much easier, it still made me think that our bond wasn’t as tight as I’d initially thought. He’d been able to enter another woman’s body, while I’d almost gone insane without him. I knew better than to Google her name, knowing it would only send me down a spiral.
I was already in a dump because of his hidden addiction. There was the Julian I had known before his confession, and the Julian I knew now. While it didn’t change the fact that I still loved him, I couldn’t help but wonder if James had been right about one thing—our relationship was becoming dangerously toxic. I skimmed through the pictures of us on my desk, memories of past happiness, of the moments I had believed Julian was my purest salvation. Now, there was no such thing.