Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 277

The interview went incredibly well, and the hiring manager finalized the offer on the spot.

On her tenth day on the job, Willa received her first independent assignment—an exclusive interview with the founder of Vanguard Properties, Julian York.

This cunning veteran, who had navigated the brutal real estate industry for thirty years, notoriously avoided the media and never accepted exclusive interviews.

Yet this time, her editor-in-chief excitedly explained that Vanguard had reached out to Vantage Media directly, explicitly requesting Willa by name.

"Willa, you earned this opportunity through your past reporting," her boss said, handing her the interview dossier, unable to hide his excitement. "Mr. York read your series on historical downtown businesses and specifically asked to chat with you."

Willa's heart plummeted.

If Julian York still remembered the intricate details of that old report, he should have harbored a grudge against her. For him to request her now meant there was obviously an ulterior motive.

"Boss, this interview..." she hesitated, trying to find a way to decline.

Her editor frowned immediately, leaving no room for argument. "This is him appreciating your talent. Do you know how many people would kill for this? Just go, and stop overthinking it."

Willa knew she had no grounds to refuse, so she braced herself and accepted the task.

The interview was set at the VIP lounge on the top floor of the Vanguard Properties headquarters. Willa arrived thirty minutes early, gave her name to the receptionist, and was escorted by a young man in a black suit into a sprawling reception room.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay Norvale's skyline, vast and shrouded in gray.

She took a seat on the sofa, set up her audio recorder on the coffee table, and reviewed her interview outline repeatedly. It took nearly forty minutes before the doors finally swung open.

Julian York strolled in, flanked by a secretary and an assistant.

He wore a bespoke dark gray suit, his hair meticulously styled, and a practiced smile plastered across his remarkably well-maintained face.

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