The Forbidden Throb Chapter 58

Emma's POV:

I froze mid-step, one hand still gripping the car door handle.

Lily was hurrying toward me, her camera bag bouncing against her hip. Her face was flushed with excitement, eyes bright.

"Oh my God, was that—" She pointed toward the street where Daniel's car had just left. "I just saw the most gorgeous car dropping you off, and—"

"Uber," I said quickly. Too quickly. "Just an Uber."

Lily's eyes narrowed slightly, but before she could press further, I pivoted toward the company. "I need to get started on those interview transcripts. Jane's expecting them by noon."

"Right. Yeah, of course." She fell into step beside me. "But seriously, that was some Uber. Are you using like, a premium service or something?"

"Just... lucky, I guess."

I could feel her skeptical gaze boring into the side of my head as we reached our desks.

The morning passed in a blur of work—transcribing interviews, fact-checking articles, and coordinating with photographers. I threw myself into it with single-minded focus, grateful for the distraction.

But it wasn't until noon that I found a moment to check my phone.

The screen lit up with an avalanche of notifications that made me freeze mid-reach for my coffee.

*Thirty-seven unread messages. Five missed calls.*

I'd silenced my phone yesterday at the library and completely forgotten to turn the sound back on.

My thumb hovered over the screen as I scrolled through the chaos.

*What the hell?*

Before I could process any of it, my phone rang. Olivia's name flashed across the screen.

I answered immediately. "Liv? What's—"

"Emma! Finally! I've been trying to reach you all morning!"

"Sorry, I was working and—"

"Never mind that. Have you checked your email? Your Instagram? *Anything?*"

I pulled the phone away from my ear, putting her on speaker as I navigated to my email app. "No, I've been buried in work. Why? What's going on?"

"You're kind of... viral."

The word hung in the air between us.

"I'm what?"

"Viral. On the internet. People are sharing this video and—Emma, you need to see it."

My hands had gone cold. "What video? Liv, what are you talking about?"

"From your interview with that environmental activist? The city council member? You know, the one where you absolutely *destroyed* his argument about the waterfront development?"

The memory clicked into place—yesterday, when Lily had asked to borrow footage from my interviews. I'd handed over my entire archive without a second thought.

"Liv, I'll call you back."

I ended the call just as Lily reached my desk.

"Hey," she said, her voice uncharacteristically small. "I, um... I got you lunch."

She held out a takeout container—some kind of salad from that organic place down the street. An obvious peace offering.

"So you know," I said quietly.

Lily winced. "I swear, Emma, I had no idea it would blow up like this. I just thought—I mean, the footage was so good, but I never expected—" She trailed off, looking genuinely distressed. "I'm so sorry."

I took a breath, studying her anxious expression. She looked like she was bracing for me to explode.

"Lily." I kept my voice calm. "It's okay. Really."

Her eyes widened. "It is?"

"You asked to use my materials. I gave them to you." I managed a small smile. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Just... show me," I said. "Let me see what everyone's talking about."

Her fingers flew across the screen, then she turned the phone toward me.

The video was only two minutes long. In it, I was questioning a city council member about his stance on the waterfront development project, my voice calm but incisive as I methodically dismantled his arguments with facts and follow-up questions.

I barely recognized myself on screen.

The Emma in the video looked... confident. Poised. Her questions were sharp without being aggressive, her demeanor professional yet somehow compelling.

Below the video, the view count made my stomach drop.

*347,892 views.*

"It went up overnight," Lily said quietly. "People are sharing it everywhere. Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. There are already news sites picking it up."

I scrolled through the comments, my eyes skimming over words that felt surreal:

*This is what actual journalism looks like.*

*Intelligence AND beauty? We love to see it.*

*Who is she? I need more of her content immediately.*

*The way she doesn't let him deflect—QUEEN.*

The comments felt foreign, like they were describing someone else entirely.

My mind struggled to process this. I'd always been behind the scenes—the one writing the stories, conducting the interviews, doing the research.

It had been one of the rare times I'd stepped in front of the camera—filling in for Olivia when she'd called in sick.

And somehow, out of all the footage Lily had to choose from, she'd picked *that* interview.

Lily continued carefully, "You're really good at this. You have this... presence. It's subtle, not flashy, but it draws people in. Makes them listen."

She hesitated. "Maybe this is what you should be doing."

Then I looked back at the video—at this version of Emma who commanded attention simply by asking the right questions.

"I don't know," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lily squeezed my shoulder gently. "You don't have to decide right now. Maybe just... think about it, okay?"

I nodded slowly.

"Oh, and—" She brightened slightly. "The department's doing a team dinner tonight. Celebrating, you know, because your video brought in a huge traffic spike for the site. You should come."

I blinked. "A celebration? For... this?"

"Emma, our analytics went through the roof. Jane's thrilled." Lily grinned.

The thought of being the center of attention at a dinner made my stomach clench. But Lily was looking at me with such hopeful enthusiasm that I found myself wavering.

"I'll... think about it," I said.

"Perfect! That's a yes." Lily beamed, completely ignoring my hesitation. "Seven o'clock tonight, that Italian place on Newbury Street—Trattoria Il Panino. Don't be late!"

She was already backing away toward her desk, clearly not giving me a chance to argue.