Chapter 1 The assignment

Chapter 1

Samantha stretches out In her bed in her cramped studio apartment, she had been up all night , compiling reports she made on her recently concluded investigation on a new fast rising boutique chief executive officer a few blocks down, she squinted her eyes at the bright  light from the early morning sunshine, she reached out for her cell phone and realized what time it is , she jumped up and ran   into the shower ,bathed and got dressed. She quickly put things in place in her apartment and winced after accidentally hitting her head against the wall while rushing, she continued even with the pang of pain she's feeling after the small accident, she has just thirty minutes left to get to work, and Samantha has always been known for her punctuality and rapt determination she can't ruin her reputation now she thought to herself.she applied her face foundation and lip gloss on her lips ,smacked her lips together and pouted.She giggled as she checkout herself in the mirror,she has a blue jacket with a black camisole top on and black ironed pants with a pair of black stiletto heels. She picked up her report and arranged them neatly in her small black briefcase, her favorite  briefcase, she got as a birthday gift from her best friend Alex.She stepped out of the apartment and into the slightly dewy street,Samantha feels so proud and relieved she's done with this not so big but complicated investigation on the boutique Chief Executive officer;Bianca Richardson ,who is the prodigal grand daughter of a wealthy businessman ,she had  eloped with her lover Liam Robyn at nineteen after getting ten percent of her inheritance as her nineteenth birthday surprise gift from her grandparents.she unfortunately got dumped by her lover -Liam  after taking half of the fortune she inherited,the investigation had gotten a bit complicated because the young heiress had concealed her identity by changing her name as her family was well known by their name and not their physical appearances,her grandfather had put all measures in place for his family to not be in the media space.

walking down the street now she chuckled as she  thought of how adventurous,risky,independent and reckless the young heiress had been,admiring how she had picked herself up and opened her own luxury boutique which is now a fast growing success.

She waved to an approaching cab and got in when he stopped,fortunately for her there was no traffic which was very rare and unusual in the ever busy city of New York. In ten minutes, she was in her editor's office, ten minutes earlier than her normal time. She sat in her editor's office placing her compiled report on the young heiress carefully on her editor's desk, her editor, Rachel; a slim redhead beautiful woman in her mid thirties,picked it up skimmed through it and raised her head up with a proud and smug look ,"I'm so proud of you Sam" she said smiling,"yay!"samantha cheered feeling elated and proud.Rachel added the notes to a file and got up pacing gently around her desk with a serious expression, she stopped and looked at Samantha," I have a new assignment for you " she said ,her voice firm."I want you to investigate Julian Blackwood and his business dealings, there are rumours of shady practices and illegal business dealings and I want you to get to the root of it".

Samantha eyes narrowed, she had heard rumours about The billionaire's ruthless business dealings and tactics too,she knows how complicit the investigation may be,but she had never been one to shy away from challenges, in fact challenges were part of the reasons why she loves her job, the thrilling and exciting surge of adrenaline she gets from digging deep and finding hidden truths, complicit and complicated situations and fabricated lies.

She stared at her editor incredulously, "you want me to interview and investigate Julian Blackwood? The notorious billionaire playboy and businessman ??"

Rachel nodded "he's been making great and fast waves in the business world and we need a scoop"

Samantha raised an eyebrow,adjusting herself on her seat."And you think I'm the right person for the job?"

Her editor smiled,confidently"you're the best investigative journalist I have.I don't just think you are the right person,I believe you are the right person,Go get him Sam"  Samantha sat straighter on her seat, eyes widened in shock, her mind racing with the implications. "But Rachel, I've heard rumors about him...about his business dealings, his personal life...he's not exactly the most approachable person." Rachel waved her hand dismissively. "Rumors, Samantha. That's all they are. I'm sure he's a perfectly charming man once you get to know him." Samantha raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "And what makes you think he'll even agree to an interview? He's notorious for avoiding the press." Rachel smiled, a sly glint in her eye. "Oh, I think he'll agree. I've already made the arrangements. You're scheduled to meet him at his office tomorrow at 2 PM." Samantha's heart sank, her stomach twisting into knots. She had a feeling she was in way over her head. "Rachel, I don't know if I'm comfortable with this..." Rachel's expression turned stern. "Samantha, this is a career-making opportunity. You can't pass it up. Besides, I have a feeling you two will get along just fine." Samantha hesitated, unsure of what to do. But Rachel's words echoed in her mind...career-making opportunity. She took a deep breath and nodded, steeling herself for what lay ahead. "Okay, I'll do it." Samantha, still seating in her editor's office, staring blankly at the notes and research papers now scattered before her.She was trying to come up with a strategy for the interview with Julian Blackwood. She stood up and began to pacing around room, trying to shake the feeling of unease.She had interviewed countless subjects before, but there was something about Julian that intimidated her. She stopped pacing and looked at the whiteboard where she had scribbled down some potential questions.They seemed dull and uninspired now.She needed something better, something that would get beneath Julian's guard and reveal the real person behind the enigmatic facade. Samantha walked over to the bookshelf and ran her fingers over the spines of the books. She pulled out a biography of Julian's life and began flipping through the pages. As she read, an idea began to form in her mind. She would approach the interview from a different angle. Instead of asking the usual questions about his business dealings and philanthropic efforts, she would ask him about his passions, his interests, and his values. She would try to find the human side of Julian Blackwood. Samantha felt a surge of excitement as she began jotting down new questions. This could work. She could get him to open up and share something truly revealing. Just then, Rachel walked back into the office. "How's it going?" she asked, eyeing the scattered papers and notes. Samantha took a deep breath. "I think I have a plan," she said, a sense of determination growing inside her. Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's that?" Samantha smiled, her confidence growing. "I'm going to make him talk."