The Kiss that Sparked it All novel Chapter 2764

Most of them were in the thick of their lives, juggling the responsibilities of caring for aging parents and raising young children. The very idea of upending everything for a lofty principle like "fairness" was a luxury they simply couldn't afford.

That's why these reporters, when confronted with the harsh realities of life, sometimes chose to selectively forget the very duties they had pledged to uphold.

"Well, look at you all," came the voice, dripping with sarcasm. "I'm curious. Did any of you even bother to read this article?"

The next slide on the big screen was clearly the piece that had falsely accused Regina. The photo, suggestive in its nature, along with the personal information of those involved, was pixelated, a mosaic of blurred truth. Regina's hands were twisted together tightly in her lap.

She knew this was her boss's way of safeguarding her dignity. She wasn't ungrateful.

The article stirred up a storm among them, with some already whispering and speculating among themselves.

Such a shoddy piece would never have seen the light of day in New Blossom Press, not to mention the salacious language — totally unbecoming of any self-respecting journalist.

"Boss, you must've pulled up the wrong file," one reporter called out. "What are we supposed to learn from this? It reeks of tabloid trash."

The boss shook his head. "Indeed, it isn't the kind of material you should be learning from. But what I really want to know is, what kind of deep-seated grudge does the author have against the subject to paint a victim in such a vulgar light? Ahab, you've always had a knack for mentoring the newcomers. Maybe you can enlighten us?"

Ahab felt his skin crawl as the boss put him on the spot with the article splashed across the big screen for all to see. Wasn't this just a blatant way of telling everyone he was the author?

"Boss, I..."

"You what, Ahab? Do you find any merit in this article?"

Shaking his head vehemently, Ahab replied, "There's nothing worth seeing here. Maybe it's best if you didn't read these things, Boss."

"Heh," the boss scoffed coldly. "If there's nothing of value, then why on earth did you write it? And to slander your own colleague, no less! Is this what being a journalist means to you?"

Regina felt her heart rate pick up. She hadn't expected the boss to single out the issue, let alone defend her in front of all her colleagues.

Moreover, the newspaper was rather niche; it wasn't something that would typically land on the boss's desk unless he had been paying close attention. She realized that as the head of their division, he really did care about his staff.

Regina was deeply touched.

"What's going on? Why would Ahab write something like this?"

"Ha! No wonder he never has time for real stories," another chimed in. "Turns out he's been wasting all his time on trashy pieces like this. To think he'd stoop so low as to fabricate the kind of salacious content that tabloids lap up."

The female colleagues were particularly outraged. "Disgusting! To turn the tables on the victim instead of going after the perpetrator. Is this what male reporters are about?"

The women's reactions were more visceral since Regina was one of their own. Who knew if one day they might become fodder for one of Ahab's stories?

The male reporters were also shaking their heads in disapproval. It was one thing to neglect his main duties, but to then turn around and produce such filth was a disgrace to the New Blossom Press.

Ahab was not playing fair. Even if they had real conflicts with their colleagues, they wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics to smear someone.

"It seems that no one here approves of your actions. Ahab, why don't you explain yourself? What was your intention behind writing this article?"