ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝔻𝕆𝕎ℕ

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"Everybody ready? We go live in three... two... one!" You smiled as the camera light came on, flashing red.

"Good evening! I am Y/N here with your daily news! As you can see..." You expertly read off the cue cards, having perfected it after doing this job for years. You were a longtime reporter of a large news station. What had started as a part time 'on the scene' reporting job to help pay off college had grown into a full time gig.

"Now, on the scene with our story is Ashley Davis. Ashley?" You took a few deep breaths as the camera switched off for a second. You could see Ashley's segment playing on a screen in front of you before it suddenly shut off.

Seconds later the entire studio went dark, the cameras all turned off as well as the lights and microphones. You glanced around from your chair on set at the director.

"Are we having a power outage?" You asked. He shook his head as he started frantically typing on his phone.

"No, we shouldn't be. But, if we are, the backup generators should kick in any second." True to his word, everything started up seconds later and you saw Ashley looking worridly into the camera.

"You okay there, Y/N? We lost you for a second." Ashley asked and you put on your best fake smile.

"We're all good. The studio lost power for a minute but we should be fine." You flinched as the studio door slammed open.

"Hey! We're in the middle of a shoot-!" Your boss yelled. He froze when he realized the person who entered was Mrs.Gianna, his boss. You instantly smiled at the camera again.

"Sorry for the sudden interruption but we'll be back after this quick sponsor break!" You expertly controlled the situation and as the tech people cued up the ads you hurried over to your boss and Mrs.Gianna.

"That wasn't any normal power outage." She said in a clipped tone, showing the both of you her phone. Pulled up was a text message from an unknown number.

'What you just saw was no ordinary power outage. I have taken control of your systems and will start to release private information starting tomorrow at 5:30 PM if my demands are not met. I want $1M. Any negotiations will be done over the phone on my terms. I will only speak to your evening newscaster Y/N L/N.'

"5:30? Thats when the evening news starts." You said, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. "Do we have any confirmation if this is real or not?"

"Not yet. We will continue to operate under the assumption that this is a hoax for now. However, be on standby in case we need you for negotiations... for some reason." Mrs.Gianna said. You nodded before being waved back over by the tech crew. You hid your unease with your best customer service worker smile and continued on with the news.

--------------

You had just entered the building to prepare for your later broadcast when the door to your office was opened. Your boss stormed in with Mrs.Gianna following him.

"Y/N, you can't go on tonight. We're going to have Ashley take your place." You opened your mouth to protest but Mrs.Gianna cut you off.

"You will still be paid. Since this potential threat has named you in particular we want to make sure that you aren't in any possible danger." You just nodded, seeing through her words. She thought you had some part to play in this scheme. 

"As long as I'm still getting paid. Good luck." You said, picking up the coffee you had yet to drink and heading for the elevator. Right when the doors closed behind you and the elevator started to move everything went dark. 

You turned on your phone flashlight and looked around with unease. The power seemed to cut out again. You remembered the threatening message from yesterday and felt a chill run down your spine. That was when the elevator speakers crackled to life, suddenly playing Jingle Bell Rock and the elevator started it's slow decent again.

You had just made it out of the elevator, looking back at it suspiciously, when someone grabbed you by the arm and pulled you into a nearby meeting room. It was your boss, looking panicked and scared, as he thrust his work phone into your hands. "Talk." 

You lifted the phone to your ear, hearing deep breathing on the other side. "Hello?"

"Hello there lovely." A voice answered back. Something about it made your blood run cold. 

"Who is this?" You asked, hoping your boss hadn't just thrown you under the bus to talk to some hacker.

"I am the so called hoax that's got your higher ups so worried. You see, there's a lot of unsavory secrets they keep. But, they can't stay hidden forever. I want more than money to keep these hidden, however." The voice suddenly got audibly happy. "And I've been given exactly what I want."

"If- if they gave you the million then why do you want to talk to me?" You asked, eyeing your boss suspiciously. He refused to make eye contact.

"Because, one million isn't all I want. In fact, it's the least of what I want. The true exchange between your company and me is very simple. I don't release anything... and I get to keep you." Your body went rigid.

"W- what?"

"You heard me lovely. I promise to treat you right. You'll want for nothing ever again. All you'll ever have to do... is stay with me."

"No."

"Never leave my side ever."

"I- I can't-!"

"Never talk to any guys... or anyone at all really. I can do that for you!"

"You can't do this. You won't be able to get away with this." You finally managed out in a horrified whimper. Your boss finally met your eyes, mouthing out 'I'm sorry'.

"Oh, lovely... I already have." You stood still in horror as you registered that the voice you heard came from right behind you and not the phone. Then, it all went dark.

A/N: Gonna try doing another daily upload thing. Kinda like a one shot advent calendar. December is a busier month for me school wise than October so I can't fully guarantee complete success but I'm going to try my best!