Hard to Handle by Raven Scott

figure out why she had little real interest in planning her nuptials to a man she loved.
    â€œMikayla! When did you get home?” George Clement asked as he walked into the living room at about ten-thirty that evening. He leaned down and kissed the cheeks of both his wife and his daughter.
    â€œHey, Dad,” she replied with a broad smile.
    George was a big man with a portly stature and a jovial disposition. He was a multimillionaire and CEO of one of the largest media conglomerates in the United States, which he had built from the ground up, yet he was always present for his family.
    â€œGeorge, you’ll be very happy to know that we finally have the wedding plans finalized,” Elaine stated a she walked over to the bar at the side of the room and poured a glass of aged scotch for her husband and glasses of cabernet sauvignon for the two women.
    â€œReally?” he replied. “That’s great! Now we can all get some sleep.”
    Elaine rolled her eyes at his sarcasm.
    â€œI’m going to give Cecile a call with an update. At least she will appreciate our efforts, right, Mikayla?”
    â€œRight, Mom,” she agreed, but gave her dad a big wink on the sly as her mom walked out of the room with her usual long, confident stride.
    â€œHow’s work going?” her dad asked as he sat down beside her on the deep soft brown leather sofa.
    â€œI don’t know, to be honest,” she said with a deep sigh. Now that she had the opportunity to address the issue that had originally brought her back home, Kaylee was having second thoughts. She had always been so adamant that she would not use her family name to further her career, yet here she was, complaining to her daddy because she didn’t like a decision made by her boss.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?”
    She looked at the man she loved but also respected greatly.
    â€œIf I get your advice on something, will you promise not to do anything about it?”
    â€œOkay. What is it?” he easily agreed while sipping at his drink.
    Kaylee took a deep breath and told her dad a very brief summary of what had happened since the contentious city council meeting and her coffee chat with a friend in the mayor’s office.
    â€œDid I do the wrong thing, Dad? Should I have stopped pursuing the story when Jason told me to?” she asked when his expression remained completely unreadable.
    â€œThat depends on why you did it,” he replied, watching her closely.
    â€œBecause! I think there is a real story here,” she insisted passionately. “I know a couple of million dollars is not a big deal in the scope of the full city budget, but that’s not the point! How are vendors allowed to overcharge the city that much without someone knowing about it? And if it’s happening, why would anyone hide that from the rest of the city council?”
    â€œWell, if that’s what you think, then you did the right thing, sweetheart. The job of a journalist is to uncover the truth, and that’s not always easy or convenient. But the key is to focus on the truth, not what you want to find,” her dad stated with deep seriousness.
    â€œSo you’re saying I might be wrong?” she asked, confused.
    â€œIt’s not about being right or wrong. It’s about pursuing the facts, wherever they lead,” he patiently explained. “As long as that’s your true intent, you’ll always be doing the right thing as a journalist. And sometimes that comes with consequences.”
    Kaylee let his words soak in for a couple of minutes as she silently tried to figure out how they applied to her current situation.
    â€œLooks like you have some decisions to make,” her dad continued as he drained the last mouthful of rich, golden scotch from his glass. “In the meantime, tell me again about the conversations you had yesterday at city hall?”
    â€œWhy?” she asked with some concern. “I told you,