Chapter 29 Interview with Hector
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Rose finally understood this idiom.
She should use any excuse she could find and whatever ways she knew… She should drop her dignity and cause endless trouble for the Roach family.
In that way, at least she could see Judson every day.
He had hated her anyway. He never smiled at her.
Yet, Rose had gained nothing by staying by his side warily.
***
However, it was too late.
Rose didn’t need the wisdom of the idiom at that moment…
Rose stared at the dark windows of the Maybach. She couldn’t see inside as she couldn’t read Judson’s mind through his dark eyes.
As an Edwards, Rose couldn’t allow herself to go backward…
She gained 13 years of memories with her stubbornness and mindless
courage.
Rose thought she could never learn.
The only thing she went backward was her love for Judson.
One time was enough.
She was 23 years old. There wasn’t room for her to try it again.
As Isidro prayed nervously, Rose turned and walked past him quickly.
“Rose…” Isidro didn’t dare to stop her.
Isidro noticed that the Maybach had moved across the street to pull up next to Rose.
“Get in the car.”
Rose heard Judson’s voice, loud and clear.
Her eyelashes flustered. She paused before looking ahead firmly.
She was the one who refused to look at the other person this time.
“Stop her.”
With Judson’s cold order, the Maybach turned sharply and drove onto the sidewalk. It blocked Rose’s way like a wall.
The car door opened.
Rose looked at the creak.
“Get in,” Judson repeated.
Rose had no choice but to look at him.
She looked at his chiseled and pale face and his pink lips.
Rose was wrong…
Judson was as arrogant as always and refused to look at her.
“What do you want? Say it.” Rose understood that she couldn’t get
away.
She was as calm as still water when she faced Judson.
“Quit your job in Flourish Media. Pull your article down and apologize.” Judson turned slightly. The tiredness in his face didn’t affect his handsomeness. “Apologize to Lillian.”
Rose bit her lip.
She thought, “He came to me over and over for Lillian.
He didn’t want his sweetheart to be targeted by the public opinion…
Maybe he did it so Lillian wouldn’t be called a homewrecker once the scandal hit the news”
Røse felt a little sad as she thought she had learned how to deal with Judson.
She then smiled.
“Maybe Keenan missed something when he reported my reply to you.
“I can quit, but I won’t take down my article.” Rose wouldn’t do it unless Flourish Media caved.
About apologizing to Lillian…
“No way. You know the best whether the article is true or not.”
Judson turned, giving Rose a clear view of his clenched jaw.
“Rose, I’ll give you one last chance…
“You never gave me any chance. There’s no one last chance.” Rose cut Judson off sarcastically. “You made it sound like you were giving me the biggest gift.”
Judson’s eyes darkened significantly
Rose lowered her head and said in a polite but distant tone, “I’m busy. So do you. I won’t hold you up.”
Rose turned and left rapidly. She turned the corner and disappeared into a one-way street.
Luckily, Judson didn’t chase after her.
Maybe it was because his car couldn’t break the traffic laws. Maybe it
was because they couldn’t reach an agreement and he didn’t see the need to talk to her anymore.
Rose heaved a sigh.
She was overwhelmed with work. She couldn’t get distracted as everything was urgent and important.
Rose thought she kind of understood why Judson didn’t want to talk to her.
She had too much free time on her hands then…
She was so free that she focused all her energy on one man.
In the end, she sacrificed herself and her devotion seemed so cheap.
***
The in-depth interview with Hector was scheduled three days later.
Hector was coming to Elland City on a plane for a TV commercial. Unprecedentedly, his studio gave Rose three hours for the interview.
Rose’s colleagues all gave her side-eye when they learned that.
Hector was diligent even after he became popular. His schedule was full. Hector had a high fashion sense and the body of a model. As he
worked hard and always did a good job, he had little free time between jobs.
He slept mostly on a plane.
Rose’s colleagues thought Rose could get three hours with Hector because someone richer stepped in and gained this rare opportunity for her.
“Darrin treats her so well.”
“Indeed. But that may not be a good thing. What if she fails to perform with this huge opportunity…”
“She isn’t the only one whose reputation is at stake.”
“Her ability is too weak for the chance she’s given. Just wait.”
The gossip didn’t escape Rose’s attention.
She just chose not to care about it.
She heard all kinds of mean words in the 13 years she stayed with Judson.
Judson was the person she cared most about. Yet, she didn’t let his scold take her down.
These bystanders’ snide comments were nothing to her.
When Rose arrived at Hector’s hotel, he had just finished shooting a commercial. His assistant asked Rose to wait. After about 30 minutes, Rose was allowed to go to his room.
Before the agent left the room, he checked Rose’s ID carefully with the assistant. When he was done, he took out a plastic airtight bag.
“Ms. Edwards, please put your phone and other electronic devices into this bag, including your recorder.”
Rose froze in place.
“I didn’t know there was this rule.” Reporters needed their recorders for interviews.
Hector wasn’t someone important in the government. He never had an in-depth interview before because he was too busy. Rose never heard that it was because he was a poser.
“It’s our fault that we didn’t make it clear in advance.”
The agent was smooth. He explained with a smile, “Frankly, Hector is an introvert. He gets nervous when he sees a microphone or a recorder. And he isn’t good with his words. We’re worried that he’ll say something that will cause him trouble.”
The agent wasn’t lying. Rose watched the brief interviews Hector took and the TV programs he attended. Hector wasn’t talkative and tensed up automatically when it was his turn to speak.
His fans discussed it and called him a simple boy.
“It’s alright. I can take note.” Rose put her phone and recorder into the plastic bag.
The agent gave the bag to Rose. “Just put it aside. We didn’t mean to confiscate it.”
After Rose entered the room, the assistant scanned Rose with a professional detector.
“I apologize. But we have to be discreet in case of trouble. Hector is a star. It comes with the fame. Please be understandable.” The assistant was acting nice too.
1
Rose understood that Hector was standing in many people’s way as he was the top star. She didn’t blame his studio’s wary attitude.
Rose came inside the presidential suite as the assistant directed. She walked down the hall and came to a small living room.
The assistant gave her a glass of water and asked her to wait before stepping away.
Rose took out her note and her pen. It was inconvenient without her recorder. Good thing that Rose remembered how to take shorthand.
It didn’t hurt that Hector wasn’t talkative. It meant she didn’t have to take too many notes.
She had ample time to find subjects in the three hours.
The living room fell silent.
The only sounds were the rustle of Rose’s pen and the faint sound of water running.
As time passed, Rose had gone over the highlights she needed for the interview. Yet, Hector hadn’t shown up.
The sun was shining bright outside.
The temperature in the room started climbing.
The room felt like a glass bottle under the sun with the sealed windows.
Rose couldn’t help but fan her face. She glanced at the air vent above her.
After a few seconds, Rose raised her hand to feel the wind from the
vent.
She thought, “How weird. The air conditioner is working fine.”
Rose turned and said, “Excuse me, would you please…lower the temperature?”
The assistant had left without Rose’s acknowledgment. She was alone in the locked room.
***
Rose instantly became vigilant…
She stood up and walked to the panel of the air conditioner
It was set at 23 degrees.
It wasn’t freezing cold. It should be a comfortable temperature.
However, the room felt like it was on fire… Something was wrong. If it wasn’t the air conditioner…it was her.
“What are you looking at?”
Suddenly, Rose heard a man’s voice behind her.
***
The alarm in Rose’s mind went off.
