"What? The file won't upload?" Jason asked, his brow raised. "Stop shivering and explain it to me."
Matt looked at the trembling reporter standing by his side and sighed, with the beads of sweat splayed all over his forehead and his darting eyes he won't be able to utter a word, than make a coherent sentence.
"It appears they are being hacked." Matt spoke up.
Jason dark eyes narrowed mercilessly at the man who did everything he could to make his big frame smaller, how successful would that be? Jason thought with a scoff.
"You are being hacked? The 'most trusted news station in the country' is being hacked?" He mocked. The man stepped back and struggled to hide his big frame behind Matt's even smaller frame, cursing his superior in his heart for shoving him under this big fat bus.
"We have tried all that we can but we can't find the source, I'm very sorry sir."
"It's a hacker, can't you track them?"
Turning his attention to Matt, "and you couldn't solve it?"
"It much bigger than we think, we have tried everything we could to track down the IP address but there is not trace at all." Matt replied, Jason gaze lowered when he lifted his head he dismissed the reporter, who was more than grateful to be leaving the room.
"There's only one organisation that has the funds and equipment to pull such a thing off" Jason stated.
Matt nodded, "I am thinking the same thing but I could not jump into conclusions, besides what connection does Paradise have with the Lee's? Why would they protect her?"
Jason scoffed, "you can never really tell what they are thinking, and I cannot say I know what they are planning."
"Is that all?"
"For today yes" Matt replied.
"Already, my schedule has been unbelievably free. Did something I'm not aware of happen?" Jason asked.
With a curt bow and brief break in eye contact Matt answered in hesitation "I cleared your schedule for two weeks, you were to go on a trip."
***********************************
"You seem so sure, what if she says no?" Paul voice carried although his words weren't spoken with so much force. It was a quiet night so everything they said sounded like it was spoken through a speaker.
Eyes on the sparkling diamond he replied without even looking up, "she won't, if she does I'll never stop asking." His voice came out softer, was it the emotion? Paul wondered shifting uncomfortably.
"You know there are things called beach mats right?" He complained as he tried to find a comfortable spot for the hundredth time. How was he supposed to be comfortable laying on the hard exterior of the black jeep? It was a beautiful, looking up at the star stained sky and the dark terrifying push and pull of the waves, crashing aganist each other. But while his eyes and mind were set at ease his body cried out in pain.
"Oh I'm sorry I didn't plan for a proper date." Jason sassed, and Paul snorted. "Man up and take it."
"Tch... I'm only going to stop now because this is a special moment for you. You're finally growing up" Paul commented. "Although it's still hard to believe you are going to get married before I am."
At this statement he turned to Paul, "really?"
Paul frowned "really."
A deep rumble erupted from Jason, as his shoulders shook aganist the glass they currently lay atop. "You really thought that between you and I you would be the first to have a successful relationship when you can even recognize your feelings?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Don't get snarky just because you found the love of your life. I haven't yet how is that my fault?" He growled.
"Are you mad?" When he got no response or even a reaction at all he tried to confirm again. "Do you really want to get married so bad?"
"Not necessarily get married, but I'll admit I'm jealous of what you have. Not your relationship with Jessie, goodness know nothing is normal about that, but this certainty I want to feel that for someone. I want to be sure about someone the way you are." He explained.
"Wow that sounded cringy" Jason remarked.
"Have I ever told you that you're mean?" Paul huffed.
"Everyday, but you already know that right? I'm a jerk, and I am not the person you should be talking to about this." Jason replied.
"Who else can I tell?"
"You have other friends, tell them. I'm going home." Jason stated, pushing himself off the car he walked around to the passengers seat, other friends? Paul only had Katherine, if he realized that perhaps he wouldn't be so daft and realise the truth. He had that person all along.
**********************************
The endless sounds of incoming cars and that incessant blaring of the ambulance wrapped washed all over Katherine as she stood patient in front of the busiest hospital in the city, waiting.
The sun had lost all it's fury and begun to retreat back into it's hiding place, so she didn't have to fuss over the uncomfortability of standing under such conditions but she could fuss over the amount of time she had been standing here. Where could he be? Why was he late?
But her worries came to an end the moment a sleek black Ferrari drove up and halted right before her, the peace didn't last cause the moment she realised that Devon didn't like flashy cars she knew it wasn't him. And what made her even more worried was the fact that she knew who sat behind those tinted glasses.
Her suspicion confirmed as the glass went down. "You've been avoiding me, we need to talk." Was all he said and she already felt all her work over the past few weeks begin to crumble.
Katherine shook her head, "I'm busy. I've been busy."
Sighing visibly Paul spoke again, "I'm sorry."
"What?"
"Katherine I know no words I can say will compensate you all the years I hurt you but I'm sorry and I will do everything I can to make it right. Although there is nothing that can make it right.... all I'm saying is for the rest of my life I will keep trying."
Katherine's heart hammered painfully aganist her chest. "Wh-what are you saying?"
"What I'm saying Katherine is.... I love you" he replied softly.
"Paul..." she whispered softly, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"Katherine, Katherine? Hey what are you thinking?" Paul called out Katherine. "Are you crying? What's going on?"
Katherine blinked, wiping her cheek she stared at the confused expression on his face. No way! Did she?
"Get in." Paul stated, the proximity of his voice startling her, as she looked up she saw him standing right before her holding the door of his Ferrari open. "Don't make me carry you in."
Eyes widening at his bold assumption she almost scoffed but before she could gather enough coherent thoughts to refuse he grabbed her arm and shoved her into the car.
Running around the car he got in and drove away.
*********************************
It was hell living like she was okay when she wasn't, because she wasn't. But acting weak now was the easy way out and she didn't want anything that would be easy, not when Tony's life was on the line like this.
And suddenly startled by a tap to her shoulder she spun around and locked gazes with Jonathan. "You? What are doing here?"
"Came to see you, how are doing? I heard what happened." He replied softly causing Jessie's face to light up in a sweet smile.
"You're really sweet, I can't believe you actually came all the way here just to see me." She muttered.
"I am, but you're not going to choose me are you." He replied sitting beside her by the sparkling water. Jessie watched the water, how the light reflected through it and off the tiled bottom causing beautiful lines of gold through the ripples as the wind pushed and pulled the water lightly.
"No, because you don't really like me." She replied.
"What? After everything you-"
"You only like the idea of me, your feelings are sincere but I'm not really the person you should love."
"So is it that I do not like you or I should not like you?" Jonathan asked with a slight frown.
Jessie paused for a bit then spoke again, "how did you start liking me? When you saw me on tv? Or when you saw a real life celebrity in real life?" She asked.
Then there was silence, "I didn't know who you were at first, not even while you were a celebrity" he started.
"Really?" Jessie interrupted and he nodded. "Wow, I guess I wasn't as big as I thought, I mean even the first time your brother bought me. He couldn't recognize me, tch, you two are more alike than you'd admit." She said mumbling the last part.
"I wasn't living in the country, I had a good reason do not compare me to Jason." Jonathan huffed angrily and Jessie rose her hands in surrender as she tried to stifle laughter. "I heard about you first from Krystal!" He blurted out unconsciously.
And Jessie's smile widened, "and when did you fall for me?"
"It was-" he froze, "it was before... before I met you, the way Krystal spoke about you. Her passion and diligence defending you made me curious, made me wonder if you were real."
"And?"
"You were, everything she said about you was true and the way her eyes sparkled when she spoke about you and that little smile that could drive a person mad. The way she stared into space while she rem-!" Looking at Jessie with wide eyes he froze. "How did you know?" He asked.
Jessie laughed, "call it a woman's intuition, I only recently found out, after she told me you knew about me from her I figured you fell for her not me."
Jonathan scoffed.
"Krystal called me and for the first time I was scolded by an all adoring fan." Jessie continued.
"What?"
"She's in love with you Jonathan, go to her. I'll be fine, hmm?"