Right now, I was writing an editorial piece for a magazine. I didn’t even know the name of the magazine; the editor had contacted me online. He said he admired my writing style after reading my articles and asked me to write a sample editorial for him.
After he reviewed it, we had a few more discussions and decided to meet in person today.
In the afternoon, I was supposed to take the completed manuscript to his office and have a face-to-face discussion. I finished writing the article, double-checked it from the beginning, made some minor adjustments, and closed my laptop before heading to the editor’s office.
The magazine was located in a quiet area amidst the hustle and bustle of the city center. They had rented two villas in the villa area as their office space. The villas faced the sea, surrounded by lush greenery, and had a European-style charm.
However, when I arrived at the door, I was stunned by the large letters on the gate: Gnote Magazine!
This was… the Gnote Magazine?
Excitement surged through my heart, as if I had found my home.
Gnote Magazine.
Back in the day, I was also one of the founders of this magazine!
It’s just that the conditions weren’t as good back then. A few of us worked in a rented house, with Holly and I sharing a computer that often froze.
Even though it was difficult, we managed to persevere.
Now, the scale had expanded beyond my imagination. No wonder when I met Holly last time, she said the magazine was doing better and better, and they were even planning to open branches overseas!
“Are you Miss Sarah?” A clean-cut young man emerged from inside.
I nodded.
Sarah was my pen name. After all the storms and scandals associated with the name Laura, I dared not use it anymore.
He extended his hand politely, greeting me, “I’m Andrea, the chief editor of the editorial department. I saw your articles online and was very impressed, so I invited you for…” His gaze shifted to my belly, “You, you’re already…”
“I’m eight months pregnant,” I smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. “To be honest, all those articles you saw were written during my pregnancy. While waiting at home during pregnancy, I had some free time, so I don’t want to let this period go to waste.”
“I really admire you,” he chuckled, “You’re so diligent and hardworking, it’s also a form of prenatal education. Your child will definitely be bright and clever when born!”
This chief editor seemed quite eloquent. It seemed that all the people brought out by Holly were versatile and capable. He probably didn’t know that the position of chief editor of the editorial department used to be mine.
Andrea led me into the conference room, brought tea and snacks, and said he still had some unfinished business, asking me to wait there for a while.
As I watched him leave, I couldn’t sit still after a few minutes. After all, with the advanced stage of pregnancy, I often felt palpitations and shortness of breath. I stood up and paced around, observing the busy scene in the magazine office. Memories flooded back to me.
Gnote Magazine had changed a lot. It had gone from a single cheap rental house to two villas, from a frequently crashing assembled computer to a uniform set of Apple computers, from rudimentary equipment to state-of-the-art office supplies, and from a simple layout to finely categorized departments. It seemed that Holly’s next goal was to conquer the world!
I couldn’t help but smile. I wondered if she would be surprised to see me like this when she met me later? I walked to a quieter area of the corridor, intending to get some fresh air at the window. However, I noticed a grand office at the other end, with the door half-open and a gold-plated sign that read: Editor-in-Chief’s Office.
My heart raced; Holly was in there! It had been a long time since we last met. How would she react when she saw me like this? I had so much to say to her; all the grievances surfaced, and I really wanted to confide in her.
I was about to push the door open and enter when I heard a sharp voice from inside, “Don’t go too far, okay?”
I recognized it; it was Holly’s voice. She seemed quite angry, her tone containing suppressed anger.
“I can’t publish this kind of article anymore… I work in the news media industry, and I have principles! If I keep publishing this kind of thing, how will my peers view me? Do they think I’m just a lapdog who only knows how to curry favor with the powerful?”
“You think you’re not?”
A cold laugh followed.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, as if something was exploding in my ears.
This voice was even more familiar…
Carter?!
How could Carter be in Holly’s office?
I approached, holding my breath, and saw Holly in a black suit, looking sharp and elegant, but the black color made her face even paler.
Carter was sitting in her office chair, looking at her with disdain, occasionally showing a contemptuous smile.
“Who do you think you are?” He stared at her. “Would you be here today without me? Without my money, this damn magazine would have gone bankrupt long ago! Would you still be able to work in this magnificent villa?”
My knees went weak, and I nearly knelt on the ground.
Holly turned to him, lips tightly pressed together, her body trembling slightly. “Yes, it’s because of you that I’ve achieved what I have today… But how much have I done for you? Besides me, who else could handle those despicable things for you?”
“Mr. Lynch, I took your money, it’s my job to work for you, but you can’t have no boundaries like this!”
“Boundaries?” Carter stood up, pacing slowly in front of Holly. “What boundaries do I need? This magazine depends on my money. As soon as I stop investing, all you employees will be out of a job! What boundaries do you want me to have? You resist me even for a single article. You’re getting bolder and bolder!”
“This report is fabricated out of thin air!” Holly glared at him. “I’ve published many articles suppressing Cameron… I even hired people to attack him online! Carter, just stop it! He’s already in prison, what more do you want?”
My head was buzzing. Large beads of sweat dripped down my cheeks. I gripped my hand tightly, nails digging into my flesh, but I couldn’t feel the pain.
“Not only Cameron…” Holly lowered her voice. “You even targeted Patrick. You beast!”
“That day, when Laura was going to the church, you asked me to inform Patrick, just to make him see her with Cameron, right?”
I couldn’t bear it anymore and collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Sweat had soaked through my clothes, I felt like I was suffocating.
So everything was planned in advance.
It was Carter who caused Patrick’s accident. It was Carter who instructed Cameron’s assistant to drive Cameron’s car and cause the accident!
It was all a show for me, to make me hate Cameron even more!
“Heh, so what?” Carter’s cold laughter echoed in the room. “Even if I ordered someone to injure Patrick, wasn’t I helping you? If Patrick hadn’t been injured, he would still be fully devoted to Laura. What chance would you have then?”
“You like Patrick, and I’m helping you. Taking care of his injuries these past few months, did feelings develop between you two? Has Patrick fallen for you? Is he grateful to you, thinking you’re his savior?”
“Next step, shouldn’t he take you to Canada and propose to you?”
“Holly, remember,” he smirked, “We help each other out. How could I let you suffer?”
“As for this article…” Carter picked up a stack of documents from the table. “Are you going to publish it or not?”
Holly fell silent. The atmosphere in the office was heavy and tense.
That hatred burned like a blazing fire, consuming everything from the past. Family ties, friendships, whatever it was… all torn from my heart, leaving nothing behind.
Being deceived and betrayed by your best friend, what kind of feeling is that? It’s like using a towel every day to wash your face, trusting it completely, but one day, someone hides a razor blade inside it. In the moment the blade cuts your face, blood pours out…
I couldn’t hold on any longer. My stomach was hurting badly. With a loud thud, I collapsed at the office door.
“Laura?”
Someone helped me up, the voice filled with surprise.
I struggled to open my eyes and saw Holly’s panicked face.
I screamed and pushed her away with force, scrambling up from the ground and running out. The magazine’s employees thought I was a troublemaker and called security, but even the tall, sturdy guards couldn’t stop me.
That’s when I realized the infinite potential of human beings.