Of course, Henry wouldn’t think that way. He knew that Sarah was a shrewd and mature professional woman, and he absolutely couldn’t let himself be fooled by the outward displays she used to leverage her gender advantage.

“Right here.” Henry pulled a storage drive out of his pocket and waved it in front of Sarah. “The Valley Bill Road home invasion and murder case—I saw at least four victims!”

Sarah’s eyes lit up, a strange gleam shining within them.

“You really recorded it?” she asked uncertainly.

Henry nodded lightly and waved the storage drive again. “I won’t tell you how good this footage is. I think you’d better see for yourself.”

The corner of Sarah’s mouth twitched slightly as she forced a smile, took the storage drive from Henry, and led him toward the editing room. As they passed through the office area, she ordered, “Michael, Kate, put down what you’re working on and come to Editing Room One immediately.”

A young man and woman immediately followed.

The editing room was unusually quiet. As always, Henry stood behind Sarah and the others. Their eyes were glued to the screen, completely captivated by the footage Henry had shot.

When the first victim appeared, Michael and Kate looked uneasy at the bloody scene, but Henry could tell from Sarah’s face that beneath her exquisite professional makeup was a strange excitement—like a young woman seeing a limited-edition handbag.

When the second victim appeared on screen, a faint smile had already formed at the corner of Sarah’s mouth, and the gleam in her eyes grew even brighter. She even turned to glance at Henry, who tilted his head slightly and returned a similar smile.

There was no doubt—this woman was more than interested in the footage.

The video was still playing, but Sarah was already very satisfied. She picked up the phone and dialed an internal number. “Have Connie from Legal come over.”

Henry wasn’t surprised. Sarah was a shrewd journalist and manager; she knew the footage was highly sensitive and could involve legal issues.

A few minutes later, a woman in black with short hair walked in. Henry simply observed as they discussed the possibility of airing the footage on the program.

“Take a look at this video,” Sarah replayed it. “Which parts can be broadcast?”

The woman in black, Connie, stood beside Sarah’s chair, watching the screen. “You mean legally broadcast?”

“Obviously!” Sarah’s authority and professionalism were clear. “Of course, legally broadcast!”

“Have the victims’ identities been confirmed?”

Seeing Sarah shake her head, Connie said, “If the families haven’t been notified, we can’t air the victims’ identities.”

The editor named Michael added, “If we show the victims’ faces, that’s equivalent to revealing their identities.”

“Where did the video come from?” Connie asked.

“He shot it,” Sarah pointed at Henry. “He arrived at the scene before the police.”

When the woman in black looked over, Henry stepped forward and offered his right hand. “Hello, Henry Stanton, freelance journalist.”

“Hello.” Connie shook his hand, then turned to Sarah. “It’s best not to air any of it.”

Sarah’s face immediately darkened. “I brought you here to solve legal issues, not to veto my work plan.”

“Alright…” Connie thought for a moment. “Blur the victims’ faces, and don’t reveal the exact address of the incident on the program.”

“That will be enough?” The question came from Henry.

Connie nodded lightly. “As long as there’s no court injunction, we won’t be breaking the law.”

“What about journalistic ethics?”

The previously silent Kate spoke up. “This goes beyond the standards of all television broadcasts.”

As soon as she finished, Sarah’s gaze shot over like a dagger. “Have you seen our ratings? I’m willing to bear any consequences for airing news like this!”

With that, she gave an unquestionable order: “This is the headline for the six o’clock news!”

“Wait!” Henry suddenly interrupted, reminding them, “Everyone, we haven’t discussed the price yet.”

“You three, step out.” Sarah waved the other three away. After they left, she turned in her chair to face him. “Name your price, Henry, but don’t go overboard.”

Henry’s expression was serious. “One hundred thousand dollars!”

Chapter 10: Spreading Panic

As if she couldn’t believe the number she’d just heard, Sarah froze for a moment. “Are you crazy, Henry!”

“You know that’s impossible.” Sarah exhaled, then turned back to the screen. “How much?”

Henry knew as well as anyone that no TV station would pay a hundred thousand dollars for a murder case video—especially when the victim was just a rich man, not a celebrity like Tom Hanks or Spielberg.

The earlier price was more of a test. Henry pulled up a chair and sat across from Sarah. “Fifty thousand dollars!”

Sarah didn’t even look at him. “Time is tight, don’t joke around, Henry. What’s the real price?”

Henry repeated, in an extremely serious and solemn tone, “Fifty thousand dollars!”