Chapter 316
“Have you met Shane Ross before this?” Victor asked on our way to the restaurant.
“No, but I’ve read all his articles,” I replied. “My Ethics professor arranged for me to meet him tonight. Have you met him?”
I was puzzled by Victor’s odd behavior ever since I told him who I was meeting.
At first, I thought he was excited to meet Shane, but I sensed he was feeling apprehensive with a tinge of jealousy.
But why?
“I was introduced to him at Moonglow,” Victor replied. “It was right after his first article on slumlords came out.”
“I remember that article,” I said. “Amy brought a copy of it to school.”
“That article forced Alex to create new laws for landlords,” Victor told me.
“Good. New laws were long overdue,” I argued. “All tenants should have basic necessities like heat and plumbing in rental properties.”
“But then the landlords raised the rents,” Victor reminded me.
“And Shane wrote another article that inspired Alex to start a rent supplementation program,” I said. “Shane is doing what I want to do: draw attention to injustices and to make life more fair for everyone.”
Victor took my hand and kissed it. “You are beautiful inside and out.”
I smiled and blushed at his praise. It was well-timed. I was nervous about meeting Shane and needed a confidence boost.
Victor parked near the restaurant, and we went inside. I was pleased to see Elliot Gray’s restaurant was packed with hungry diners.
The hostess recognized us. “Miss Wilson, Mr. Klein, It's nice to see you. Mr. Ross is waiting for you at your table.”
Her words made me squeeze Victor’s hand tightly. The chance to work with Shane was making me nervous. I was just a college freshman and an amateur.
But if he agreed to work with me, it would guarantee the report would get the necessary attention to bring about change in college admissions. Plus, working with him would jump-start my career as an investigative reporter.
The hostess led us to the best table in the house. It was in a new section, next to an elaborate fish tank.
A tall, young man with thick, sandy blonde hair stood as we approached. “Hi, I’m Shane. You must be Daisy Wilson.”
My jaw dropped for a moment, and my hand squeezed Victor’s tighter when I realized it was Shane Ross.
He was incredibly handsome. His tawny good looks and athletic body were unexpected. I didn’t think he would be this attractive.
“Yeah …I mean, yes. I’m Daisy, and this is my fiancé, Victor Klein,” I stammered while trying to get my pulse and blushing under control. It was natural to notice someone besides your mate was attractive, but the feeling made me uncomfortable.
Shane reached for Victor’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Victor.”
Victor shook hands with the handsome reporter. “It’s great to see you, Shane.”
“What story are you working on now?” Victor asked as we sat at the table.
“I just finished my latest project,” he replied. “It’s an article on stock buybacks and how they cause wage stagnation and a sluggish economy. The story should hit the papers tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to read it,” I said a little too loudly and blushed again.
Shane’s good looks were a surprise. But I was deeply in love with Victor, who I still thought was the most handsome man in the world. Still, I couldn’t wait to tell Amy about meeting him.
“I want to hear about your project, Daisy,” Shane said. His amber eyes locked with mine for a moment. “Dr. Clark told me a little, and I'm intrigued.”
I nodded. “It’s a piece exposing the discrimination against non-Alphas in the college admissions system. I have interviews and documentation, and I’ve started an outline.”
“It sounds like you’re doing a good job on your own,” Shane said. “Why does Dr. Clark think you need me?”
“This story is important to me and too important to the Beta and Omega community for it to never be published,” I said.
I had to tell Shane what happened to Mrs. Park, but I knew it would upset Victor.
But Shane already knew about it. “I heard a Frampton U secretary was involved in a hit-and-run accident this afternoon,” Shane said. “Was she one of your sources?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “She came to the diner to give me evidence of discrimination at Frampton. When she was leaving, she was struck by a car in the parking lot. A witness said it appeared to have been on purpose.”
“And you think someone at the college did it?” Shane asked.
“Daisy, why didn’t you tell me about this?” Victor objected.
“Because I knew you would want me to quit the story,” I replied. “And I can’t do that.”
“I understand your concerns, Victor,” Shane said as a waitress came for our orders.
We paused our conversation until the waitress returned to the kitchen.
“Daisy ….” Victor began as soon as we were alone again.
“Victor, if I’m working on the story with Daisy, she’ll be much safer,” Shane said. “The targets of our investigation will know it would be useless to get rid of her as long as there are two of us.”
Victor thought about Shane’s words, but he didn’t appear convinced. Apprehension drifted from his mind to mine.
“Are you sure you want to work with her on this story?” Victor asked.
“The story concept is fascinating, but I need Daisy to tell me more about it,” Shane responded. “Daisy, will you tell me what you have uncovered so far?”
I relaxed as I began to tell Shane about the interviews I recorded with Betas, Omegas, and hybrids who attempted to get into good schools. Then I revealed how they had been discouraged by high school guidance counselors.
“I recorded an interview with the guidance counselor from my old high school,” I said. “She admitted she discouraged non-Alphas from applying to colleges under orders from the Department of Education.”
It was easier to talk to Shane than I thought it would be. My work fascinated him, and his response to everything was enthusiastic.
“I’m impressed, Daisy,” Shane said.
“So am I,” Victor added. “You are an amazing investigator. This report is needed more than I thought.”
“You’ve got that right. This story will be one of the most important of the decade,” Shane declared. “I would be honored to work on it with you, Daisy.”
“It will still be your story,” he assured me. “You’ll be listed first on the byline, and we will listen to each other’s ideas.”
“That’s wonderful news,” I said. “The story may be my idea, but I hope to learn a lot from you.”
“I’ve been looking for a partner,” Shane said. “It would be great to have someone with skills like yours to work with me on big stories.”
I sipped the wine the waiter had brought to the table. “That sounds great, but I just started college. I’m not ready.”
“I only went to college for one semester,” Shane revealed. He winked. “I learn best by doing something instead of sitting in a classroom listening to lectures. I’d bet you do, too.”
“It sounds intriguing,” I said. “I’ll think about it.”
Shane gave me a grin. “You think about it. In the meantime, let’s begin with your story. We can work around your class schedule for now. I’ll try to fit in around campus and see what I come up with.”
I returned his smile. It sounded too good to be true. I couldn’t believe it. I would be working on a story with Shane Ross!
Quitting college sounded a little scary. It would be a difficult decision for me to make further down the road. For now, I wanted to finish this report and have it published.
Our food arrived, and we chatted while we ate.
“How do you choose the stories you write about?” I asked Shane.
“Fate usually leads me to them,” he said. “Whenever I see or hear of something I feel is wrong, I find out more about it. After I write the article, I offer it to several newspaper editors I know.
“Why don’t you work for a newspaper?” Victor asked.
“Because newspapers assign their journalists stories,” Shane replied. “I can’t write an article if I don't care about the subject. To write a truly effective article, you must want to solve a particular problem.”
“I care a great deal about this problem,” I said.
Shane raised his wine glass. “That’s why I’m sure you're the person I want to work with.”
Victor stiffened at his words, but he continued to eat his steak.
We would discuss it on the way home. I wanted to do the article with Shane.
