Covering Bases

pawns fall.

"Not Now. Maybe never." Bradley closed the door on Cory.

"What just happened?" Cory thought. He saw in her eyes that she was happy to see him. How did things flip just like that?

Cory stood with his back to the wall, Contemplating his next move. Should he go in and talk to her? Give her some space and try to catch up with her later? He started to walk away from Bradley's room when he sees Alex walking down the hallway. He plasters on a wry smile as they pass each other.

"Good morning, Alex!"  Cory said looking at her dead in the eyes.

"Fuck off, Cory." Alex said with a scornful smile. Cory could practically feel the daggers held in her stare. He gave her a small chuckle.

"Have a great show, Alex." She walked away without replying.

"Oh, Alex Levy..." Cory thought. The whole situation amuses him. If everything goes to plan, Fred is gone and he gets rid of Alex. After fifteen years and Fred being pushed out, it was the perfect opportunity to rebrand the show completely. That's what Cory is going to do.
...
Cory is in his office running through the different scenarios that could play out during this show. He was 95% sure Mitch wasn't going to fuck the interview, so he thought about the public opinion and logistics of what comes after the interview. Fred won't be fired right away, that was a given. And there is no doubt he plans to drag as many people down with him as he can. Though Cory couldn't predict what was going to happen, he knew everything  he has wanted is falling into place.

Fred's assistant rang his office to tell Cory he wanted to talk about setting up a meeting at 6:30am. He made his way to Fred's office and was let in by his assistant.

"So, Fred, what are we doing setting up a team meeting 30 minutes before the show?" Cory asked. He stood in front of Fred's desk and watched him as he stood up and gestured towards the door.

"Marlon Tate's here now that Chip is officially terminated from his position. We need to introduce the team and tell them why Chip had to go." Fred replied while walking towards Marlon. They shook hands with smiles glued onto their faces.

"Thanks, Fred. I want it to be known how honoured I am to work on America's favourite morning show. It's my goal to make sure America gets the news that makes them feel proud to live here." Marlon said as he walked into the middle of the room close to Cory. Cory didn't care for Tate. He was just another one of Fred's pawns standing in the way of Cory's show.

"Well, Marlon, in about an hour you're going to absolutely love the new team you're producing." Cory said as he shook Tate's hand. In the back of Cory's mind, the dual purpose of what he had said amused him. Pretty soon, this whole ship was about to be turned around and entirely under his control. Anyone who had invested interests with Micklen needed to be wiped clean from TMS and UBA as a whole if possible.

"Well, I look forward to it." Marlon says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. "27 more minutes until then."

"Jesus, this guy lays it on thick." Cory thought to himself. He could tell Marlon was a people pleaser who didn't really care about anyone. As long as his persona of being a "nice" and "fair" guy was maintained, he was making huge cash while sucking Fred Micklen's ass.
...
Cory made his way down to the studio five minutes early. Everyone was notified there would be a quick meeting at 6:30am. The room was filling up as every minute passed. He thought about what the common opinion of Marlon Tate would be. Chip wasn't always the most calm or nicest guy, but he had history with these people. They cared for him because he cared about them.

It was 6:29am when Fred and Marlon walked into the studio. Cory scanned the group and saw Bradley walking in. He couldn't help but relive the moment she shut the door on him. Cory didn't typically let other people get under his skin, but Bradley had managed to do just that in the most unique way. He didn't resent her. Sure, she was hard headed sometimes but he loved that about her. When they first had drinks before she worked at UBA, she wouldn't stop firing questions at him. Cory was pleasantly surprised and loved a challenge. It was at that moment, that he knew she was special.

"Good morning everyone. I'm sure you're all curious at to why we've called this meeting" Fred started. He began to explain that Chip was no longer going to be producing for the morning and that his replacement was going to be Marlon.

As Fred begins to throw Chip under the bus for enabling Mitch's behaviour, Cory could practically feel the fire emanating from Bradley's stare. They were the only two people who knew just how bullshit Fred's reasons were for letting Chip go. She didn't change her expressions as her eyes met Cory's and he kept his completely stoic. They're moment went completely unnoticed, but it felt like they had a whole fucking conversation in those mere seconds of contact.

Bradley looked away when she gazed downward. Cory couldn't see, but assumed Bradley was on her phone. Not even a few seconds later, Cory watched Bradley leave the studio as Fred's speech went on.

"Interesting. Why'd she leave?" Cory wondered. It must have been important if Bradley walked out in the middle of a team meeting. Marlon started to talk about
himself and his goals for the morning show. About two minutes into his introduction, Cory sees Bradley walking back into the studio with a very unsettling expression on her face. It looked as if she were in a trance.

"Bradley..." he thought. All Cory wanted to do was make sure she was okay because she certainly didn't look it. But he resisted every urge to comfort her and waited to see what her next move would be.

Bradley reached the front of the room and stood in front of the stage that the three men were standing on. She turned to the team.

"Hannah's dead. She was found with a needle in her arm..." Bradley choked out. Her voice was thick with emotion. The room went eerily silent until one of the crew started to cry. Those who worked behind the scenes were especially impacted by the loss of Hannah, they knew her personally.

Everywhere Cory looked he saw crying. Then, he saw Bradley walk up to him. She just looked up at him. Eyes filled with tears on the brink of falling. He wanted to touch her, reach out and hug his subordinate. But he needed to be smarter than that and he knew Bradley understood it too. She opened her mouth to say something when Fred Micklen addressed the room.

"We will do this show, for Hannah." he said, practically on his high horse. Cory could see the thousands of emotions that Bradley was feeling. Hurt, anger, guilt, and worst of all... regret.
...
Tired of Fred's bullshit, Bradley stormed out of the studio. Passing Alex on her way out as if she didn't even exist. Bradley felt the clenching feeling of guilt buried in her stomach. As Bradley approached her dressing room, every single detail of Hannah's interview played through her head.

"I saw her struggling. I could've prevented all of this. She would've been alive." Bradley's inner monologue told herself. It's 6:38am. "The show starts in 22 minutes. I have to get out of here." Bradley closed her dressing room door and sat on her chair in front of the vanity. She looked at herself and saw a reporter who couldn't leave well enough alone. Who may as well have killed Hannah herself for prying into her life and opening up a very deep wound.
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Here's chapter 3! Hoping to have 4 out by the weekend.

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-nova w.