The streets of Dardale were crowded with people, filled with the hustle and bustle of life.
People, businesses, cars, and trucks went about their daily activities. However, life was still pleasant, and the sun was shining on everyone. The city was filled with laughter, smiles, and feelings of a bright new day ahead. The paparazzi team's building appeared to be filled with some of the city's brightest lights as the camera crew and reporters went about their business.
Damian, one of the top reporters, seemed to be instantly likable to many, especially the ladies. He was a young man with attractive and youthful looks and a lively personality.
He was high-spirited, looking for a fun filled evening with his friends, and who wouldn't agree with him? The women of Dardale were intrigued by his charm, his looks, and the idea of spending the next night with him.
Mr. Ramon, the leader of the Paparazzi team, soon took notice of Damian's excellent reporting skills. He did know how to use his appearance to his advantage while working efficiently. His two-month break had been hell for their organization without him, but finally he returned and brought along his liveliness and expertise.
It was a 'hot scoop' that Mr. Ramon wanted and needed to find; he was temporarily formulating some ideas for how he could acquire it. At that moment, he knew that Damian was the ideal candidate to start a relationship with Averna, the billionaire CEO and beauty of Dardale.
The paparazzi crew needed the right bait to hook Averna, who was known to be as cold as ice. Ramon knew that Averna was not that chilly to begin with; no one ever was. With the right person or bait, they were bound to instantly melt with just the right amount of heat, but Damian's good looks and confident demeanor would certainly help in their plan.
"She couldn't be as hard as a stone." Ramon laughed heartily as he mumbled to himself.
Casually walking down the hallway, Damian whistled, stopping abruptly as his friend Jonas, the ever-so-talented cameraman, put up his palm to stop him from going any further down the hall.
"What's popping, Jonas?!" He said it with a high spirit, slapping his shoulder playfully.
"Damian, the boss is calling for you," said Jonas, wincing slightly at the pain and adjusting his composure, while Damian just about had a grin plastered across his face. "You better have what he requested."
"Right now? However, I haven't finished my story yet, and I recently returned; how could I possibly carry it with me?" Damian said, rubbing his chin as he made his way to the building's door. The bright silver rectangular tag, which read 'Ramon Fernandez', made him roll his eyes in disdain.
"Who died and made him boss anyway?" He sneered.
"You better watch your mouth, mate. We wouldn't want to get on the good side of the boss." Jonas said it sarcastically.
"This should be fun." He gave Jonas a quick smile at his side, heaving a sigh, ready to face the boss's lion demeanor.
"It's not my problem; you need to get going." Jonas gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, just as Damian pulled open the door.
"Man, the smell in here," Damian said, sniffing the air, hopeful this excuse would pave the way for him to leave with a reason.
"The smell, you say?" The boss watched him with fingers intertwined under his chin, a cross-popping vein making its way to his forehead as he tried suppressing his temper.
"It's everywhere; it's getting stronger by the minute," Damian told his boss, blowing the air from his nose. "I think now isn't the time to be here." He turned around in an attempt to leave.
"Damian!" He yelled, slamming his hand down on his desk. "You know what I want; don't you play mind tricks with me!"
"I haven't a clue what you're talking about, Boss Ramon." Damian said it with added emphasis as he walked over and sat down on the chair in front of him.
"I want a paparazzi story, a big one; I want an article that can make or break a person and, of course, bring in a lot of content and money for me—meaning us."
Raising a brow, Damian clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disappointment.
'Just how gullible did his boss think of me? I think Ramon thinks I didn't catch on to what he meant in reality.'
"Why?" Damian asked, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, ready to watch his boss put on a show for him.
"Mr. Damian Jay." Ramon combed his wavy black hair back in frustration. "You work for a paparazzi team, damnit! Yet you ask such a preposterous question."
'Mr. Ramon Fernandez," Damian mimicked, clearly dissatisfied that he would revert to spelling out his full name while trying to make a point.
"Yeah, well, you better get on it... today... or else..." Ramon threatened.
"I just got back from my two-month vacation, and yet you bill me for work?" Damian placed his feet on the desk, giving a heated glance at his boss.
"You're staff; do the damn work we pay you for, and that goes for the rest of you." Ramon pointed out, knowing fully well that there was bound to be some staff that would be listening in on their conversation.
After some time, the sound of footsteps dwindled. Ramon shook his head, wondering how he had managed to employ such nosy people, but then again, they were the paparazzi; it was bound to be their trait to pry into other people's business.
"I want a detailed story on Averna, that's all." Ramon concluded.
"You do know we are talking about a billionaire, right?" Damian said it with a wicked grin on his lips.
"So what?" Ramon challenged.
"A billionaire with a history of being a recluse, a cold-hearted CEO, and a billionaire who doesn't give two fucks or a damn what any paparazzi team thinks of her." Damian replied with a grin, feeling a bit of satisfaction at his own cleverness.
"We know this, apparently. Everyone does, and if you take the time to do a little research on her secretive background, the public is bound to want more." Ramon pointed it out.
Damian went silent for a while, looking at his boss as he pulled his feet off of the desk.
"You do know, boss, my price is high. A story that'll bring her down is going to be worth the paper it's written on and my time." Damian remarked, immediately drawing a raised eyebrow from his supervisor.
"If you're going to take the fall for this one, are you going to be able to afford it?" Damian finally asked, his grin growing wider as he knew his next words were going to make his boss's anger boil over.
"My price is a hundred million dollars; that's the going rate," Damian said, getting up from the chair with a smug look on his face. When I finish, the remaining four hundred should be safely deposited in my account. I could also potentially earn more by excelling in my area of expertise.
"Why are you being as stubborn as a mule?" Ramon's eyes showed signs of his rage.
"What can I say? I'm a reporter, not a spy." Damian smiled as he glanced at the door handle before turning back to his boss. "You are the one hell-bent on going up against her; what makes you think I wouldn't take the same risk to get this story?"
"Hmmm..." As he walked toward the door, Ramon narrowed his eyes, not even paying attention to his reporter. "You have a deal."
"Excellent!" Damian said it with a large smile as he went out the door. "I'll see you whenever I want. Fortunately, I didn't turn down the job offer from Verna." He opened the door and had almost forgotten about his boss until it was too late.
"Damian Jay! You better get this job done; you have six months from now. Remember, we are in the month of May!" Ramon yelled as Damian went down the hallway, his smile still plastered across his face.
"Okay, boss, I'm on it; I'm on the way!" Damian yelled in response, the smile still on his face as he gave Jonas a thumbs up, heading towards his board, which had all his investigations linked together with strips of red yarn of varying length.
"Averna, here I come!" He drew a big circle with his blue marker on a discreet picture taken of her while she came out of her company door.
–––––––––––
Ramon stood up and smirked before walking over to the window.
"There's a bright new day for Dardale," he said, nodding his head as he looked down, the grin seemingly never leaving his face anytime soon. "a bright new day indeed."