Love is in the Dare - 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝟭 𝐨𝐟 '𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 & 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘶𝘹.'

1. Maeve

People are supposed to have rules in life. Otherwise, life would be chaotic. Rules kept things moving smoothly. 

While, some rules could be bent, based on circumstances, others shouldn't. 

On that midsummer morning, while I stood inside my boss's office and watched the sunlit New York skyline, opposite his desk, I didn't know the rules I held dearly to me were about to be broken.

Ethan McEntire, my Boss and the Editor-in-Chief of our fashion and entertainment magazine - Red Dress - had displayed his displeasure with my writing for a couple of months now.

This wasn't the first time that I was summoned to his office.

While I scanned the photo-less-photo frame on his desk, the half-drunk cup of americano and my latest submission, all scribbled in red and green, I knew Ethan's lid of patience was about to blow up.

"This isn't what I expected, Maeve," he said as he leaned back on his lumbar supporting chair and rubbed the bridge of his perfect nose. "I wanted you to write about the distress that women feel when they are forced to confront their male colleagues at the workplace."

"That's what I've written."

I pointed at my submission, which now appeared like someone smeared it with blood.

Thanks to Ethan's editing, my writing resembled less black ink on white paper and more like a scene from World War II.

"What you've written is how easy it is for women and difficult for some others." Ethan breathed into his recoiled fist. "I wanted you to write the confrontation. The prior anxiety woman face before and the exhilaration after."

"And what's wrong with what I wrote?"

His eyebrows bridged.

"All of it is wrong, Maeve. I wanted a piece where, when a woman reads it, she'd be like - yes... this is what I should do. This writer knows what I undergo daily while facing someone whom they want to strangle."

His face crumpled and the lines on his forehead deepened.

"What you gave me, Maeve is something out of a fairy tale." He nodded to himself. "Have you never confronted any male colleague? Ever?"

"I have. And that's you. I can never seem to please you."

"That's because I'm your boss and I want you to strive for perfection. Nothing less."

I fell on the chair, resting my head between my palms. Not that Ethan was stating anything wrong, the part about perfection for him was different from the perfection I strove for.

Ethan was thrust into power when our former Editor quit due to health reasons. Ethan's father knew the right people and pulled some strings.

So, the recluse journalist who wrote about world and women's issues was forced to take up the job of being our Editor-in-Chief.

If you think money can buy happiness, then you're absolutely wrong.

As far as Ethan was concerned, money could buy him anything but his freedom. It was harder on him when our sister company - Black Tuxedo - was doing everything in its power to deliver better writing and podcast content.

I'd never seen Ethan annoyed or angry before today. Since the time our parent company announced the takeover of an independent podcast channel 'Black Tuxedo', everything had turned upside down.

"Maeve, help me out here. I know you're one of those writers who feel inspired daily. You've always delivered amazing content for me."

There was a certain concern in Ethan's tone like he was indirectly warning me.