Chapter 1

"Do I really have to leave so early? When I arrive, no one from the sector is there yet!" she asked herself, irritated, as she walked down the stairs of the small apartment where she lived.

Ohana was her name, it was part of her parents' "hippy drivel", God rest their souls. She knew it meant something like family or something, and then there was her, so lonely with a name like that.

They died in a car accident when she was just a baby, leaving her alone and passing through all the family members until she reached her most distant aunt, the only one willing to take care of her with all the love and affection in the world. But a child who has known only rejection for so long, more precisely the first five years of her life, doesn't exactly grow up without trauma, no matter how much love she has received in the rest of her upbringing.

Everything leaves its mark.

She didn't stand out in many ways, at work she was just another editor, no astronomical position awaited her that morning. However, in beauty, depending on the perspective, Ohana stood out very well. Her hair, long and naturally black as night, gave her a youthful appearance, her vivid, sparkling eyes had a shade of blue similar to the ocean and her lips, naturally pink, were thick and well"drawn, full and, in the eyes of many, even appetizing. She had lightly tanned skin and breathtaking curves, wide hips and a waist as thin as an hourglass.

However, her looks didn't bring her many opportunities in life, not as everyone had led her to believe in her childhood. She had always heard from her aunt and uncle that she would be something great, that she wasn't born with such beauty for nothing. People had always been kind to her, had always treated her like a little diamond until, one fine summer, she entered the jungle they called university.

There were others who didn't seem to care about her beauty or her needs and Ohana discovered, in the worst possible way, that it didn't matter what she looked like if, in the end, she didn't occupy her space in such a way as to stand out with something other than her pretty little face.

As she walked through the door of her building, trying to balance her bag on her shoulders, she ran towards the nearest coffee shop down the avenue. She had lived in the West Village since finishing journalism school and, at least from her perspective, things weren't going so well.

The brunette turned right and, without even looking ahead, entered the small café. It was a beautiful and comfortable space, very old, that much was clear, but very well maintained and well refurbished by the owners, who already knew the brunette in a hurry and, as soon as they spotted her, went to prepare her coffee.

"Late again?" asked Suzy, the attendant who occasionally chatted to Ohana when she wasn't in a hurry, which was rarely.

The girl was wearing jeans and a long"sleeved blue blouse that could barely be seen, except for the sleeves, as it was hidden by the pink apron with the café's logo on it. Her dark hair was hidden inside a cap and, unlike the way she treated other customers, Suzy didn't force her exaggerated friendliness on Ohana, she was relaxed.

"And when I'm not? It's like life hates me!" complained the brunette, picking up her cell phone and opening the app to order an Uber, hoping it wouldn't cost too much." I'll have to take an Uber, I can't get there by subway.

"Your whole salary goes on these things" Suzy said, rolling her eyes slightly. "That and pure coffee and chocolate-covered doughnuts, you'll die from eating nothing but crap."

Having said that, the waitress handed her a takeaway tray, a little begrudgingly. Despite their lack of intimacy, Suzy was one of the few people Ohana actually talked to when she wasn't swamped with work or bringing coffee to her boss.

"Are you calling your coffee shop's products crap?" the brunette retorted, picking up the tray and raising one eyebrow while opening Instagram with her other hand.

"I can't say it's the healthiest thing in the world," muttered the waitress, rolling her eyes." Look, your car's here.

When the phrase reached the journalist's ears, she grabbed her tray with some force and ran out, getting into the car awkwardly and not even putting on her seatbelt. As she followed Instagram with her eyes, using her other hand to open the box and eat what would be her meal of the day with all the haste in the world, Ohana once again came across some gossip tabloids and the most liked news stories of fellow students who, unlike her, had already earned their place in the journalism industry.

"Yeah, girl, looks like you're the only one who got screwed," she thought, taking the first donut and taking a disgusted bite, enjoying the sweet taste and hoping it would improve her mood. "How depressing."

Although she knew that, unlike her friends, she had landed a job at one of the state's most famous magazines, Cochicho, and supposedly in her favorite field, the glamour wasn't what she imagined. Even though she had the position of trainee journalist, she hadn't managed to carve out her own space and her time was running out.

When her traineeship came to an end, she wouldn't have another opportunity, so she would have a failed career.

"But how am I going to get on top of this shit if everyone is walking all over me?" she asked, without even noticing that she had thought out loud, noticing the driver looking at her with a confused expression. "Sorry!"

"I need to change this, I need a scoop!" she repeated to herself, as she looked at the highlights on Twitter.

She needed something to look for, a piece of news so bombshell that it would make everyone remember her name for a long time and, with it, she could get promoted, maybe even win her own tabloid, that was her dream.

She knew that, at first, she had been lucky to get the job, but she never imagined that things would be so difficult. Far away from her aunt and uncle, living in an average apartment and trying to survive the damn internship, she was beginning to feel hopeless about her future profession and was considering returning to her aunt and uncle's house and giving in to their requests that she get involved in the family wine business.

They owned a chain of farms, grew fruit that was distributed throughout the state and it was what they loved to do. She grew up as a country girl and her aunt and uncle dreamed of the day when they could finally rest because she would take over the family business. They were two childless gentlemen and Ohana was their little girl. However, when she left to study journalism, they realized that she wouldn't follow the path they had planned, but they didn't stop loving her for it and supported her and everything, making it clear that the farm's doors would be open to her forever.

But her dream of succeeding in the stone jungle that was New York prevented her from giving up and running back into her aunt and uncle's arms. She didn't want to spend her life like her other cousins, quiet housewives who had husbands and did pilates, she knew her destiny was different, it had to be.

She wanted to build her career and that internship was the best opportunity she would have, there was no better place.

Cochicho certainly left its mark on the industry it was part of: it was a magazine that dealt with a variety of topics, from gossip to health and wellness issues. But, obviously, the flagship was the tabloids that updated the curious on duty about the main names in Hollywood or the music stars. It was undoubtedly one of the magazines with the biggest audience and the most followers on Instagram and Twitter. Was there any better place to launch his career?

"I just need something bombastic," she thought, sighing and sticking her hand in the box of doughnuts.

The brunette shook her head slightly, scolding herself internally as she stuffed the last doughnut into her mouth, smearing her lips almost completely with chocolate syrup and leaving her cheeks puffed up, full of the sweet pastry and with a slight taste of lemon.

As she looked out of the window, Ohana saw the large building, with its completely glazed façade, looming ahead. The gold lettering, which shone in the sunlight, didn't let it go unnoticed. Cochicho was the largest in the region and represented the magazine's position in relation to its competitors very well, after all, among the gossip tabloids it was the best and most up-to-date.

As she hurriedly took the money out of her pocket, the brunette slung her purse over her shoulder with her free hand. As soon as she found the few dollars she still had left from last month's salary, she practically threw them on the car seat and, at the same time, opened the door, jumping out of the car and taking her box and her untouched cup of coffee with her.

Her steps were hurried, like those of all the workers who were not yet inside the building, she was almost late and everyone knew that Lenor hated delays.

As she threw her empty box into the first garbage can she saw, Ohana wondered how anyone could be so pretentious as to name a gossip magazine after such a common name, but despite the clear display of ego at knowing that she could make something so common become stratospheric, Lenor had hit the jackpot, after all, she had built an enviable empire.

"That was a close one today, em!" she heard Pablo's voice echoing down the long corridor that led to the elevators.

"You don't leave me alone, do you?" after all, the man hardly ever left her alone, especially in the early hours of the morning.

Pablo was her superior, one of the journalists Lenor trusted, and this gave him certain privileges. Together with his brother, Pedro, they formed a duo who, after their boss, were the most feared on all 30 floors of the Cochicho headquarters.

While Pedro supervised the experienced teams, Pablo always looked after the trainees and, in particular, the female trainees. As one of the boss's right"hand men, most of the girls fell for him in order to get a faster promotion to the senior team.

Obviously, Pablo loved it and, more often than not, he managed to have long and very enjoyable stays with all but one of the trainees, making her job twice as difficult. Ohana knew how the scheme worked, her colleagues had told her over and over again how to get the promotion faster, but she wasn't that desperate yet.

Not that Pablo was hideous, on the contrary, he had red hair and a beard that was charming, although he was small and a bit annoying, but Ohana still had a bit of dignity, it wasn't in her plans to have sex for a promotion. Having a mini"relationship with Pablo was out of her plans, she'd rather abandon her career than have to sleep with him to climb the ladder at Cochicho, she wanted things on her own merit, owing a man who used his position to get sex wasn't the best of options.

"I'm still your boss, I know that in two months you'll be kicked out of here, but you still owe me respect," he retorted, already irritated by the brunette's sarcastic remark." Lenor told you to bring the coffee. He stared at her for a moment, knitting his eyebrows together.

The redhead walked towards Ohana, making her stop in front of the elevator after desperately pressing the button several times. Pablo stared at her for a minute and, raising his forefinger, brushed it across Ohana's lips, wiping away the chocolate syrup that stained her skin and bringing his finger to his lips a moment later, with the most malicious and dirty expression he could muster.

"It was dirty in there" having said that, Pablo headed in the opposite direction, strangely enough, that morning, he seemed more interested in other things than taking his intern's mind off things.

As soon as the metal doors opened, she ran into the elevator, feeling her heart freeze after getting away from her "boss". As she brought her own coffee cup to her lips, realizing that her favorite hot drink was now icy and undrinkable, the brunette pressed the button for the 20th floor, trying to calm down.

It didn't take her long to get there, and she headed dejectedly towards the pantry to prepare the real boss's coffee. As she walked down the corridor, she felt a look or two on her back. Most of the staff wondered why she was still there if, even though she had studied at one of the best colleges in the north of the state, she seemed to be nothing more than an ornament on the team.

"Bunch of vultures," she muttered, entering the pantry and starting to prepare the coffee the way she knew Lenor liked it.

It took her about fifteen minutes to return to the elevator with the tray in hand, on which rested a tiny thermos, a cup and a small jar with sugar cubes that she knew wouldn't be used. In less than five minutes, the door opened, giving her free passage to the top floor of the building and, consequently, placing her in front of her boss's office.

After knocking three times, hoping to balance the tray in only one hand as she did so, she entered the room, which remained silent. Lenor was at her desk with her laptop open and her brown eyes focused on the screen. Behind her was a wall full of awards, both from her and from the magazine.

The place was huge, with a glass wall that gave an exuberant view of the city that never slept. There was little furniture, nothing but a very comfortable sofa and a coffee table on the shaggy carpet that made her walk awkwardly as she tried to balance herself. There was also a large bookcase on one wall and then just the large table in the middle and the white armchair where Lenor sat comfortably.

You could see from a distance that she was a firm, not to say rude, woman. She was 47 years old and had an expression of few friends on her pretty face. Her skin was black and her head was shaved, leaving nothing but very small traces of hair. She had thick lips and a well"marked nose, she dressed elegantly and anyone who saw her would know that she was an extremely important woman just by her posture.

"Madam, I brought your..." but Ohana didn't have time to finish her speech.

"I don't understand why a public figure hides her face like that," complained Lenor, without even raising her eyes. "It's so old-fashioned…"

Her voice was reflective, but her expression showed her irritation. Lips compressed, eyebrows furrowed, she was certainly in a bad mood.

At that moment, Ohana understood why Pablo had sent her there, surely he wanted revenge for the frequent beatings he received by putting her in the boss's line of fire on one of his worst days. That was a recipe for disaster, as she could easily be fired if she did anything wrong, even the slightest thing.

"Excuse me... but what are you talking about?" Ohana asked, trying to take advantage of the moment to establish a dialog.

To Pablo's misfortune, she had always been very observant and, while waiting for his answer, she left her coffee on the table just as she had seen the others do from time to time, when she accompanied them to carry papers or boxes with the week's editions.

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" the woman asked, finally raising her face and picking up the cup, looking at her like she was a complete idiot. "Him, of course!"

Lenor turned the laptop to Ohana, who saw an article in her own magazine about the man who had been at the top of his game for almost two months. The busy schedule, the charisma worthy of a pop star, and the sensuality that made all the girls in the state and beyond let out passionate sighs and wet their panties even though they had never seen his face.

That was Apollo, the man who was the erotic dream of all the women who knew him and the nightmare of every paparazzi. Nobody knew who he really was, what his real name was, they didn't even know his face, he was a complete mystery and that only made him even more famous and well"known.

He appeared in the pop industry out of nowhere singing with a husky, sensual voice that soon filled the ears of everyone who liked a good heartthrob and, within a few days, he was already in the charts and among the most listened to on the Billboard ranking. After coming out of nowhere, he filled stadiums all over the country, was the target of the craziest fan groups and the passionate dreams of everyone who fell in love with his shredded abdomen and his voice worthy of a deity.

Everyone knew him and Ohana was no different. She already knew the greatest hits by heart and couldn't help but look curious when she heard that her boss seemed just as curious as she was.

"Everyone is after this guy, but it seems that the media only knows about him what he wants! This is so frustrating!" complained Lenor once again.

"Well, maybe you should try different means, since the conventional ones aren't working," she said, trying to sound unpretentious as she moved away from the table.

Lenor thought for a moment, looking up at the brunette and observing her for a few moments. She vaguely remembered the intern's presence, she knew that she had never done anything really productive, however, unlike what she had imagined, she wasn't so bland, she was also aware that Pablo didn't make life easy for the poor girl.

Raising one of her thick eyebrows as she lowered her brown eyes to the brunette in front of her, Lenor smiled, perhaps that was the unconventional way she needed. Despite the limited information, it was common knowledge that Apollo was very attracted to beautiful girls and that he usually only gave interviews to those who pleased his eye, which had not yet happened with Lenor's journalists, much to her boss's chagrin.

"You know, girl... you're right, I should bet on unconventional means" she said, with a suggestive tone that made Ohana see several red flags waving in front of her, warning that this conversation could lead to something not so favorable. "Do you have an appointment on Saturday?"

The question was a mere formality, after all, Lenor knew that she would never say yes, on the contrary, the ambitious glint in the eye of the girl in front of her clearly said that she would be more than willing to do anything she asked for a scoop, a bit of fame and, perhaps, a promotion.

"None, ma'am," replied Ohana, her heart racing.

She had never imagined that the conversation would turn out like this, she had never thought that, from one moment to the next, her boss would be interested in offering her anything and, as she stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, the brunette prayed to any deity that would listen, that this would be the boost she needed.

And it was.

"Now you have it," Lenor decreed, with a mischievous smile on her lips."I think that, with the right repairs, you'll attract enough attention and, if you're as clever as I think you are, you'll make good use of the opportunity."

Ohana knitted her eyebrows together; surely that wasn't the phrase she was expecting.

"What does she mean by that?" she thought, unable to restrain the expression of surprise that dominated her face, causing her eyebrows to draw together and her eyes to narrow.

Lenor noticed the confusion in the brunette's eyes and rolled her eyes, sighing heavily before getting up, putting her cup on her desk and walking over to her trainee, who shrugged at the woman in front of her, since Lenor was a good few centimeters taller than her.

"You're going to win the magazine's VIP ticket to his next show and, I hope, you know how to use that pretty face of yours to get answers," she said, coming close enough to make the brunette hold her breath with nervousness."If you do it right, it could take you to the top, girl!"