CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 191: FRONT PAGE

The door of the lounge was not very soundproof, and the deliberately lowered voices outside still reached Jean Ellison’s ears.

She forced herself to concentrate, ignoring the noise, and pulled her focus back to the interview.

Taking a deep breath, she continued to pose questions to Justin Holden, speaking into the voice recorder.

The questions involved legal practice, typical cases, and social issues, professionally structured and clear.

Justin Holden sat opposite her, appearing relaxed but not careless.

When he answered, his pace was steady, his words precise, his logic tight.

His gaze mostly fell on Jean’s face, or the outlines in her hand, with focused eyes.

The interview lasted about forty minutes.

Jean turned off the voice recorder, organized her notes, and stood up: "Lawyer Holden, that’s all for today. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule."

She would say courteous words like this to any interviewee.

Justin Holden stood up as well, nodded slightly, considered as a response.

Jean picked up her bag and walked towards the door.

She took a deep breath, turned the door handle, and walked out.

Outside the lounge was the public office area of the law firm.

A few female lawyers in professional suits were gathered around a workstation, whispering and laughing, glancing towards the lounge door now and then.

Seeing Jean come out, they exchanged glances, speaking without lowering their voices deliberately, as if they wanted to be heard.

"Oh, you’re out? Finished the interview?"

A curly-haired female lawyer looked at Jean from the side, her tone mocking.

Another short-haired female lawyer chimed in, her voice sharp.

"It’s true, Reporter Ellison and our Lawyer Holden have an unusual relationship, of course, she can interview our Senior Counselor Holden. We legitimate colleagues have to queue up for appointments if we want to ask a question."

The curly-haired lawyer laughed disdainfully, deliberately raising her voice to speak to her companion: "Hey, did you notice, Leah Sutton hasn’t come to our law firm recently. She used to come and deliver soup and water to Lawyer Holden every few days. I think, someone shamelessly interfered in other people’s relationships and ran off the rightful person."

"Exactly, the third party is so brazen, really an eye-opener."

The short-haired lawyer echoed, her gaze like a knife scraping over Jean’s face.

Jean’s steps halted, her face suddenly turning pale.

She clenched the strap of her bag tightly, her nails almost digging into her palm.

The blatant slander and malicious attack felt like cold sewage being poured over her.

She wanted to retort but her throat seemed blocked, unable to make a sound.

In this place, arguing with them would only make the situation more embarrassing.

At this moment, the door of the lounge opened again.

Justin Holden walked out.

He was still wearing the crisp white shirt, standing tall, with no expression on his face, but the pressure around him dropped instantly.

His gaze coldly swept over those female lawyers gossiping together, sharp-eyed.

When those female lawyers saw him come out, their arrogant demeanor instantly extinguished, turning a bit panicked and nervous.

Justin didn’t look at Jean; his gaze locked directly onto those female colleagues.

"Attorney Wright, Attorney Lewis, Attorney Shaw," he precisely called their names, "the legal risk report for the cross-border merger case I gave you last month, is it finished? The client has urged three times, if I remember correctly, the deadline is this afternoon at three."

His tone was calm, without even a hint of anger.

He didn’t mention the gossip from earlier, nor did he look at Jean, simply using the most direct method to interrupt their words.

The faces of the female lawyers turned pale instantly, glancing at each other with fear in their eyes.

"Lawyer... Lawyer Holden, we’ll get on it right away!"

The curly-haired lawyer stuttered out the words, quickly pulling the other two, almost fleeing back to their workstations, with heads low, not daring to look over here again.

The other colleagues in the office area also sensed the tense atmosphere over here, lowering their heads, pretending to be busy, not daring to speak.

Only then did Justin Holden turn his gaze to Jean standing in place.

Her face was still unwell, her lips pressed tightly.

"Thank you," Jean said softly, her voice somewhat dry.

Justin Holden looked at her, silent for a few seconds.

His voice was somewhat softer than when speaking to the female colleagues earlier, but it still lacked warmth.

"I should be the one apologizing. The firm’s management was lax, allowing you to hear these unrefined words."

Jean froze, raising her head in disbelief to look at him.

Justin Holden was apologizing to her?

It was more surprising than the sun rising from the west.

In her impression, Justin Holden was always proud and indifferent, never bowing down.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately just shook her head.

"Noth... it’s okay, I’m leaving."

She no longer stayed, holding her things, swiftly crossing the office area, heading to the elevator.

She could feel those gossiping gazes behind her, but this time, she did not look back, nor did she pay attention to them.

Justin Holden stood still, watching her somewhat hurried back disappear behind the elevator doors, his gaze deep and unreadable.

He stood for a while before turning, walking expressionlessly towards his office.

Jean returned to the company, feeling as if she had fought a hard battle, both physically and mentally exhausted.

She placed the voice recorder and interview notes on her workstation, exhaling a long breath.

Vic sitting across from her saw her, surprised, and leaned over.

"Miss Ellison, you’re back. How was it? Did you actually interview at Keystone Law?"

Jean nodded, rubbing her still aching temples.

"Yes, finished the interview."

"Wow, that’s awesome, Miss Ellison."

Vic immediately gave a thumbs up, his loud voice drawing the attention of several colleagues nearby.

He glanced at the interview manuscript on the table with the interviewee’s name, jaw dropping.

"That’s Justin Holden, the well-known untouchable in the industry, who never accepts media interviews, and you actually nailed it. Miss Ellison really can do anything."

Other colleagues gathered over upon hearing, praising her enthusiastically.

"Really? Jean, you’re amazing!"

"Exactly! Our magazine issue will have heavyweight content this time."

"If there’s a bonus, you must treat us, Reporter Ellison."

```

"Yes, yes, yes! You must treat us."

Jean Ellison was surrounded by her colleagues, and looking at their sincere smiles and praise, the frustration she felt earlier at the law firm finally dissipated a bit.

She smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Sure, no problem. When the bonus comes in, I’ll treat everyone to a meal."

"You promised."

"You can’t go back on your word."

The colleagues laughed and dispersed, returning to their respective workstations.

At that moment, the door to the editor-in-chief’s office opened.

A man walked out.

He looked to be in his early thirties, tall and well-proportioned, wearing a tailored light pink suit with a silk printed shirt underneath, two buttons undone, revealing an exquisite collarbone.

His hair was perfectly styled, with just the right amount of makeup on his handsome face, exuding a refined and overly meticulous aura.

He walked with a light, model-like stride.

This was the new editor-in-chief of the magazine, Nathan Shaw.

A colleague leaned in and whispered to Jean Ellison, "See him? The new editor-in-chief, Nathan Shaw. I heard he likes men and was transferred directly from the Orleanna headquarters. He’s so fashionable and has high standards."

Jean Ellison nodded, making a mental note.

She had just sat down at her desk when the internal phone rang.

She picked it up.

"Is this Jean Ellison? This is Nathan Shaw. Could you come to my office?"

The voice on the other end, belonging to the new editor-in-chief, had a slightly languid tone.

"Okay, Editor-in-Chief."

Jean Ellison put down the phone and got up to walk towards the editor-in-chief’s office.

She knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come in."

Upon entering, Nathan Shaw was sitting behind the large desk, holding a steaming cup of coffee.

He gestured for Jean Ellison to sit in the chair opposite him.

"Jean Ellison, right?" Nathan Shaw put down his coffee cup, leaned slightly forward, interlocking his fingers on the table, and assessed Jean Ellison, "I reviewed your resume. You graduated from Kingswell University?"

Jean Ellison nodded, "Yes."

"Kingswell University..." Nathan Shaw repeated thoughtfully, then, as if recalling something, gently tapped the table with his finger.

"Oh, I remember now, didn’t something quite significant happen at your school a few years ago?"

Jean Ellison looked up at him, sensing a bad premonition.

"It was a board member, what’s his name, Timothy Caldwell? Yes, Timothy Caldwell, involved in a massive fraud. Later, he committed suicide out of fear, right on the rooftop of your school’s office building, correct?"

Jean Ellison’s hands clenched slightly on her lap, her face expressionless.

"Yes, I’ve heard about it."

Nathan Shaw took a sip of coffee, his tone casual and indifferent to the events.

"Tsk, tsk, your school was really unlucky. A board member committing suicide in the school, and being involved in a fraud case."

"It caused a huge commotion at the time, definitely affecting the school’s reputation, right?"

"I heard his daughter was also attending your school at the time and got taken away by the police?"

Jean Ellison’s throat felt dry, and she lowered her lashes to avoid Nathan Shaw’s probing gaze, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yes, that’s true."

Nathan Shaw put down his coffee cup, leaned back in his chair, and looked intrigued.

"Do you think that Director Caldwell was truly a fraudster? Or was there more to it? Perhaps he was framed?"

His question was casual, but his gaze was sharp.

Jean Ellison’s heart skipped a beat. She raised her head, meeting Nathan Shaw’s gaze, her tone flat.

"I don’t know, it’s possible. It’s been a long time, and no one can say for sure."

Nathan Shaw stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly smiled, picking up his coffee cup again, his tone slightly suggestive.

"You really don’t know any inside information?"

"If you could dig up something new, it would make for an excellent news piece, definitely a hot topic. If you know anything, go write it up, I’ll give you the front page."

Jean Ellison shook her head, her tone firm.

"Editor-in-Chief, I truly don’t know anything."

"I was just making a casual guess."

Nathan Shaw showed a clear sign of disappointment, shrugging his shoulders.

"That’s a pity."

He gestured dismissively, as if losing interest.

"Alright, that’s all."

"On your way out, please call the photographer, Vic, in."

"I plan to talk to each of you, looking into the news angles and directions for the upcoming magazine."

"Okay, Editor-in-Chief."

Jean Ellison stood up and quickly left the office.

As she closed the door, Jean Ellison leaned against the corridor wall, breathing a small sigh of relief, realizing her back was slightly cold.

She composed herself and walked towards Vic’s workstation.

Vic was organizing his camera gear and looked up when Jean Ellison approached, "Miss Ellison, what did the Editor-in-Chief want with you?"

Jean Ellison tried to keep her expression normal, "Nothing much, just asked about the interview. The Editor-in-Chief wants to see you now."

Vic set down the lens in his hand, noticing Jean Ellison’s face seemed off, and asked with concern, "Miss Ellison, are you alright? You look pale. Did the new Editor-in-Chief give you a hard time?"

Jean Ellison forced a smile and shook her head.

"No, just a bit tired. You should go now, don’t keep the Editor-in-Chief waiting."

Vic gave her a skeptical look but didn’t press further, getting up to walk to the editor-in-chief’s office.

Jean Ellison watched Vic’s departing figure and exhaled softly.

She returned to her workstation, sat down, and stared at the unfinished interview draft on the computer screen, her heart pounding violently.

The colleagues around her didn’t know that she was Claire Caldwell, nor did they know that she had been in prison, with a criminal record.

If they found out, what would they think of her? She might be dismissed by the Editor-in-Chief. No media company would want an employee with a criminal record—too easy to be used against them by rival companies.

When Leah Sutton was around, she didn’t care about everyone’s identity details.

The new Editor-in-Chief seemed very knowledgeable about and interested in their personal information.