third time's a charm

01

Cute face, ebony hair, prominent nose, and small crescent eyes stared back at him from the mirror as he lazily brushed his teeth until it was pristine white. As white as his skin that was like a polished marble.

It felt like the fiasco the other day was a mile away, ignored but not completely forgotten...

A VIBRATION.

Win glanced down to pick up his mobile phone, ignoring the name that registered on the caller ID.

"Win."

"Gulf?"

"No, it's the Wizard of OZ. Who else do you think it is?"

Win rolled his eyes and jumped back to his bed and started his usual dramatic monologue. "I think I'm coming down with a fever..."

"Oh, no, no...you're not doing that again! Computers are down and I need the story about mother and daughter tandem in Only Fans. Get your ass in here!"

He groaned. "That's not even mine! Where's Gun?"

"You should be lucky that Gun gave you something else to do."

Gulf paused for a deep, exhausted sigh and Win quickly took advantage of it. "I have a story."

"So, I was told and you almost got caught." Another sigh. Gulf asked sincerely, "Do you know what kind of story sells nowadays?"

"Yes."

Gulf ignored him, "Sex and drug scandals, bribery, teenagers jumping off the building. So, unless this actor killed himself because he was being blackmailed for the exposure of his relationship with the married designer, you got NOTHING."

"You don't understand," Win tried to reason out but he was getting dressed as he spoke. "My horoscope tells me that something big is about to happen. I can feel it, Gulf!"

"Okay. Did your horoscope also tell you that you're about to lose your job if you don't get your ass here? GET YOUR ASS HERE!"

The line cut off and he could only groan in frustration as he hurried to leave his apartment and rushed into the parking lot for his sedan.

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Honestly, life couldn't be any better for Win. He loves his job and he has friends he could always count on. He grew up in a healthy household with doting parents and an older sister who clearly adores him. The only problem was...

...he had no luck when it comes to his love life.

He always followed the stars and it brought him all the blessings that he was now savoring. His first job was in a prestigious magazine where he met Gulf who eventually became an editor-in-chief of the Headline Daily. This opened a lot of opportunities for him since they were very good friends and their group became a solid team that spearheaded a lot of the controversial news that boosted the sales of their paper.

Apparently, the city where they resided was prolific for wealthy ladies, retired military officers, and Gen Zs. Their hobbies and recreations could be summed up in one word, "gossip". So, it was only understandable that he exploited his skills and he had been good at providing their daily dose of entertainment for the past few years.

The only thing missing for him was the love of his life.

Now, he was a simple guy, he wasn't asking for much. He stopped demanding ever since the jock he dated in high school broke his heart and out him to his parents unceremoniously. But once again, the stars aligned and his parents didn't mind his choice as long as he was happy. But as he had become an adult, his ideal partner had become less and less as a disappointment after disappointment rocked his core, and out of sheer desperation, he ended up asking a fortune teller if he would ever find his true love.