Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 103

Willa took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Editor-in-Chief Zimmerman, I completely understand the impossible position you're in."

Zeke blinked at her, a flash of surprise crossing his features.

Willa stood up, giving him a respectful nod. "Thank you so much for offering me this opportunity. I'll need some time to think it over."

She knew fixing this wouldn't be a walk in the park. Her only option was to wait.

She would have to wait for the storm to pass, wait for the demolition crews to obliterate those historic streets, and then release a bittersweet memorial piece.

But by then, who would actually give a damn about the ghosts and memories buried beneath the rubble?

It wasn't what she wanted, but her hands were completely tied.

Stepping out of the glass building, Randal stalked ahead of her, his strides aggressive and clipped.

Willa knew he was pissed.

She jogged to catch up, lightly grabbing the cuff of his sleeve. "Randal."

Randal stopped dead and turned to her, the dark hostility on his face not yet smoothed over.

Willa stared at him and suddenly smiled. "Stop being mad."

Randal's brows snapped together. "I'm not mad."

"You totally are," Willa countered. "Whenever you're pissed, the corners of your mouth dip a fraction of an inch."

Randal quickly averted his gaze.

She released his sleeve, holding his attention with a dead-serious look. "Randal, I need to tell you something."

Randal turned back, locking eyes with her. "Spit it out."

"I don't want that job."

His frown returned with a vengeance. "Because I handed it to you?"

Willa shook her head. "No, it's not that."

She paused, carefully threading her thoughts together.

Randal let the silence stretch for a agonizing few seconds before speaking. "Independent media founder?"

Willa nodded. "Pretty much... yeah, that's the dream."

Randal studied her, a slow, devastating smirk tugging at his lips. "A one-woman show? Starting from absolute zero?"

Willa nodded again, a flicker of doubt creeping in.

She knew exactly how deranged this sounded.

A woman who had barely unpacked her bags since moving back, with zero career stability, boldly declaring she was launching a media startup.

Anyone else would have laughed in her face and told her to wake up.

Randal just kept looking at her, a distant look in his eyes.

Willa's stomach plummeted. "You think it's a terrible idea?"

He suddenly reached out, roughing up her hair with affectionate ease. "No. I was just calculating exactly how I'm going to fund this."