Hostile Takeover

Chapter Nine

Quinn thought long and hard about her life as she caught the bus back to The Daily Times office. Working at his newspaper meant she was never going to be free of Gray. He was her boss, which meant he could track her every move and she couldn't believe she hadn't realised this before. She needed to get away from him, but making a clean break was not going to be so easy. The only other big paper in the state was owned by Dylan Holloway, which limited her options severely. She couldn't very well apply for a job at The Daily Metro and she didn't feel like working for a regional newspaper. Which meant her other option was to look for something interstate or overseas. Quinn thought about it as she stared at the passing cityscape from her bus window. It would mean moving away from her friends and family, but it had always been something she had wanted to do, being a foreign correspondent had been her dream. Her marriage to Gray had sidetracked that dream for a while, but maybe now was the time to reassess what she wanted out of life.

She wanted to be away from Gray, that's what she wanted. Quinn pulled her phone out of her bag and began to trawl through job seeking websites. There were positions being advertised in Perth and one in Melbourne. She could definitely handle living in Melbourne. Sure, she would miss her family, especially her nieces. But Melbourne was only a short plane trip away and the shopping, oh, the shopping. Quinn scrolled through a few more adverts then almost squealed in excitement right there on the bus when she saw a position advertised for exactly what she wanted. Amazing salary, based in the Middle East, working with a strong and established team. It ticked all the boxes. And then her heart sank. The job was being advertised through the Daily Times, in other words, she would still be working for Gray.

Quinn turned off her phone and threw it back in her bag in exasperation. She was never going to get away from him. Quinn looked resolutely out the window of the bus, but the thought of that job wouldn't go away. It was like it was written just for her. She could always just apply and see what happened. It couldn't hurt, right? The ultimate decision was up to James Landolt, the Senior Editor at the Daily Times. Gray didn't even have anything to do with the hiring and firing process within his companies, she knew that for a fact. Apart from the one time he called her into his office, Quinn remembered. It was the first time they had met, he definitely wanted to fire her then.

But he hadn't, he'd married her instead and now she was in this horrible mess where she didn't even have a car anymore. Quinn blinked, trying not to cry only then realising that the bus was just about to sail right past her stop. She jumped out of her seat and grabbed her bag, pressing the buzzer frantically as she made her way to the front of the bus. Thankfully the driver stopped just in time and after calling a quick thank you, she jumped off, one block from the Daily Times office. She fumbled with her handbag, trying to get it over her shoulder and checked her watch at the same time. She was later than what she said she would be. Hopefully, Gordy was on his lunch break and wouldn't notice. Picking up the pace she hightailed it toward the office, but not before she heard her name being called.

"Mrs. Holloway! Mrs. Holloway!"

She spun about to see a man with an exceptionally large camera running toward her. Panic filled her. She'd been married to Gray for long enough to know what this was- a photographer from the paparazzi after a scoop. She turned and walked quickly again praying to God he hadn't seen her getting off the bus.

"Mrs. Holloway, why were you just getting off a bus?"

Crap. She walked faster.

"Are you destitute now that Gray Holloway has left you?"

Quinn ground her teeth together, desperate to set him straight that she was the one to do the leaving, but she knew what trouble that would cause. She walked faster still.