Chapter 3 Interview

After stepping out of Carl's office, Alina raised her hands to rub at her temples.

The plan to get Rhett on board for a feature in Trend Weekly wasn't something they had come up with on the fly-it had been sitting in the pipeline for a while.

But Rhett had always turned it down before, so it never went anywhere.

Now that it was finally happening, Alina's chest felt tight, and any sense of satisfaction was nowhere to be found.

Back in the department of journalists, Alina walked over to one of the workstations and gave the desk a light tap. Everyone turned toward her. She said calmly, "We're moving Zayne Sutton's interview up for this week's issue. Start prepping for a feature on Mr. Yates from Yates Group next Wednesday."

As soon as she said it, a collective sigh of relief spread through the room.

With the fire put out, a few interns relaxed and slipped into chatter.

"Mr. Yates from Yates Group? That's Rhett Yates, right?"

"Who else could it be?"

"I heard he's really intimidating."

"Maybe, but he's ridiculously good-looking on TV."

"I read somewhere that he's super loyal-been with the same girl since freshman year."

The whispers picked up energy, but Alina didn't stick around to listen. She turned and headed back to her office.

After placing her handbag on the couch, she walked to the corner, poured herself some coffee, and took a sip. Her mind drifted back to what the interns had been saying.

It was true-back in university, Rhett had started dating a girl during his freshman year. People used to talk about how close they were. But by the time they graduated, it had ended.

No one knew the real reason behind the breakup. Some said the girl left for something better, something bigger.

After that, Rhett never got involved with anyone else. And years later, he agreed to marry Alina-not for love, but for an alliance.

Her thoughts shifted from the beginning of their relationship to their upcoming divorce.

She wondered if he'd signed the divorce papers yet.

Realistically, Rhett wasn't the type to drag things out.

She reached for her phone and texted Maddie Sanderson, the person she'd messaged the night before. "Have you reached Rhett?"

The reply didn't take long. "I have. He even complimented me."

Alina sent back a question mark. "?"

Maddie texted back. "He said I've handled everything-from your wedding to your divorce-with full service."

She was the one who had drawn up the prenup when Alina and Rhett got married.

She wasn't just Alina's go-to legal expert-she was also her closest confidante.

Though Maddie was single, she dealt with divorces every single day.

She liked to joke that working in divorce law had cured her of any desire to get married.

Just like that, a week slipped by. Before Alina knew it, it was Wednesday again.

Early that morning, Alina walked into the studio with the interview script in hand. She hadn't even taken two full steps inside when two staff members hurried over, worry written all over their faces.

Before either of them could say a word, Alina beat them to it. "What's wrong?"

One of them looked ready to cry. "There's barely any time left, but Mr. Yates still isn't here."

Alina's brows pulled together. She checked her watch-ten minutes to go. "Have you reached out to his assistant?"

"We've tried," the staff member replied, "but we're not getting any response."

Alina lifted her head. "I'll handle it. You two focus on getting everything else ready."

The staff looked visibly relieved, like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. "Thank you."

Alina gave a small nod and walked out. As she reached into her pocket to call Rhett's private number, she nearly ran straight into him. He had just stepped in from outside, bringing with him a crisp breeze.

Rhett outside the home was a different man entirely. Sharp suit, composed expression, a luxurious watch looped around his wrist. His presence was cool, almost cold and unapproachable.

Their eyes met briefly, but neither one flinched or said a word.

Rhett looked her way without slowing down. He didn't give even the smallest pause as he walked right past her.

His assistant, trailing behind, dipped his head and muttered a quick, almost whispered, "Mrs. Yates."

His voice was so quiet.

Alina heard it but said nothing.

The interview began shortly after. As always, Alina took the lead as Trend Weekly's chief journalist.

Once the introductions were out of the way, she smoothly transitioned into the real questions.

With a neutral smile, she asked, "Mr. Yates, you're known as one of Priarpus' most desirable bachelors. No controversies, no gossip. Do you have any specific qualities you look for in a partner?"

Rhett sat straight, fingers slowly tapping the armrest. His reply was flat. "No preferences."

Alina let out a light, polite laugh. "That's something people with very high standards tend to say."

Rhett didn't budge. "I'm just being honest."

Alina blinked, the words catching her slightly off guard. She turned her gaze down for a moment, and then moved on. "Are you seeing anyone right now, Mr. Yates?"

Without changing his tone or expression, Rhett said, "I'm currently going through a divorce."

The studio instantly buzzed with noise.

"Wait! Going through a divorce?"

"He's married? Since when?"

"Did anyone know about this?"

"Whoa, this is huge! Rhett had a secret marriage and a divorce? This issue's going to fly off the shelves."

The comms in Alina's earpiece came alive. The post-production team was practically shouting over each other. "Alina, this is gold. Ask everything. When did he get married? Why are they ending it? If you can get the reason-boom, headline."

Alina met Rhett's eyes for a moment. Her fingers curled slightly around the edge of her script. She hadn't expected him to be that blunt. But she didn't flinch. She went on smoothly, "There's been no public word about your marriage. Would you mind sharing when it happened?"

Rhett's voice was steady. "Late fall, last year."

She smiled faintly, her tone light. "You really know how to keep things private, Mr. Yates."

He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "My wife didn't want it public."

Then he added, almost carelessly, "Maybe she thought I wasn't worth announcing."

There was no way to respond to that, so she forced a weak smile and moved to the next question. "Would you be willing to share the reason behind the divorce?"

At that, Rhett paused. A slight, amused smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Leaning slightly toward her, he spoke in a low voice, meant only for her to hear. "You don't know why I'm getting divorced?"