Chapter 165
Nora's POV
I was about to head for the shower when Julian caught my wrist, pulling me back. "Wait. There's something I need to tell you."
His expression had shifted—still warm, but with an edge of seriousness that made my stomach tighten.
"What is it?"
He guided me to sit on the weight bench, then crouched in front of me, hands resting on my knees. "Many departments in Silverton are facing restructuring. NPR, where you work, is also merging with the Silverton television station."
I blinked. "What?"
"The merger's been in the works for a month. It'll be official next quarter." His thumbs traced small circles on my legs. "After the consolidation, there'll be resource reallocation. A lot of positions at NPR might be cut or downgraded."
My mind raced. This was insider information that only a few people like Julian would know.
Mergers meant restructuring. Restructuring meant layoffs, demotions, pay cuts. I'd just gotten this job. I'd just started to feel like I had solid ground under my feet.
"How bad?" I asked quietly.
His gaze was steady. "Your position should be safe—you've got name recognition now, and your coverage won awards. But the work won't be easy."
I nodded slowly, processing. Then another thought struck me.
"Will DSW face restructuring too? You know their finances have always been problematic."
"You don't work there anymore. Why worry about that?"
"Benjamin."
Julian's brow furrowed slightly. "Your former partner at DSW?"
"He's still there. Still interning." I gripped Julian's hands. "Julian, if DSW is restructuring too—and you know it will be—he'll be first on the chopping block. He doesn't have tenure, doesn't have seniority."
Something flickered in Julian's expression. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"You want me to help him."
It wasn't a question. I hesitated, suddenly aware of how this might sound. "He helped me when I had nothing. He lent me money when I was being blackmailed by Kyle's mother. He's a good friend, Julian—"
"Blackmailed?"
I closed my mouth. I'd never told him about this.
"My mother's medical expenses—Kyle had been secretly paying them." I paused. "When I broke up with Kyle, his mother tried to use money to trap me, to make me Kyle's mistress."
Julian's change was immediate, his eyes flashing with angry gold. "Damn Vaughn family. Looks like the pressure I put on them before was too light."
"Benjamin lent me the money to pay off that debt." I continued.
"Baby," I framed his face with my hands. "Benjamin is like family to me, like Lucas. I only see him as a little brother. That's it. That's all it's ever been."
He exhaled slowly, some of the tension draining from his frame. "I know. But I don't like hearing you worry about another man."
I kissed him, soft and brief. "I'm asking you to help him because he helped me when I had no one else. Not because I have feelings for him. Can you do this for me?"
Julian studied my face for a long moment. Then he sighed, pulling me into his lap. "You know I can't say no when you ask like that."
I grinned against his shoulder. "Like what?"
"Like you're trying very hard not to act cute but you're doing it anyway."
"I'm not acting cute."
"You absolutely are." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "And it works every damn time."
I pulled back to look at him. "So you'll help?"
"I'll do better than that." He shifted me slightly so he could meet my eyes. "DSW doesn't have much of a future—you know that as well as I do. Even if I keep Benjamin on, he'll be stuck in a dying department with no room for advancement. But NPR, even with the merger, still needs people. Good people."
I felt my eyebrows rise. "You want to transfer him to NPR?"
"You trust him." Julian's hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I can make some calls. Get him into the media relations department."
I stared at him. "You'd do that?"
"For you? Yes." His expression softened. "And because you're right—he helped you when you needed it. I don't forget things like that."
Relief washed over me, so intense it made my chest ache. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. He still has to interview, and he'll have to prove himself." Julian's thumb brushed across my cheek. "But I'll make sure he gets a fair shot."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him properly this time—deep and grateful and full of everything I couldn't quite put into words.
When I finally pulled back, his eyes had gone dark again, but this time with heat instead of jealousy.
"Keep kissing me like that," he murmured against my lips, "and we're never leaving this gym."
I laughed and slid off his lap. "Coffee first. Then shower. Then maybe more kissing."
"Maybe?"
"Definitely," I amended, grinning as I headed for the door. "Definitely more kissing."
Behind me, I heard his low, satisfied laugh follow me out into the hallway.
---
Two days after that morning conversation, I walked into the office and immediately sensed the unease hanging in the air like a storm cloud about to break. My colleagues huddled in small groups, voices low, faces tight with worry.
Vincent approached me with a document clutched in his hand. "Have you seen this?"
I scanned the memo. The merger was official—NPR and Silverton TV would consolidate operations within the quarter. My stomach clenched despite Julian's advance warning. Seeing it in black and white made it brutally real.
Around me, people were on phones, voices edged with anxiety. Some stared blankly at screens. A few had already stormed into HR, demanding answers that probably didn't exist yet.
I set down my bag and took a steadying breath. My position was secure—Julian had made that clear. But I couldn't shake the guilt twisting in my gut as I watched my colleagues scramble to prove their worth.
Vincent's usual smile had vanished. "Think they'll actually cut a lot of people?"
"Hard to say." I kept my tone neutral. "Media hasn't been profitable for years. Mergers mean cost-cutting. Layoffs are probably inevitable."
He sighed and retreated to his cubicle. The office settled into a tense, hyperproductive rhythm—everyone working like their lives depended on it. Because maybe they did.
Near noon, I headed to the break room for coffee and found Benjamin standing by the window.