Chapter 236
Interview with a VillainAlexander allowed himself to be ushered down the palace hallway.
Talia and Jasmine flanked him on either side, while Carmen and Gabriel brought up the rear, cutting off his escape.
He scowled. “What do you mean I have to give an interview?”
Gabriel chuckled.
“This opportunity is too good to pass up, Alex,” Talia said. “The Global Truth News Network’s viewership is escalating exponentially. They covered the files and recordings we released, front to back, no censorship.” She gripped his arm and guided him into turning right, down another hallway. “They were recording when Dubai returned, and right now the people want to hear from the Machine God and the Dragon Lord.”
Alexander huffed. “So? You can’t just roll me out on stage. I’m a supervillain! And I’m about to go kill some people!”
Up and down the hallway, heads turned. But when the palace staff got a good look at him, they went back to their business.
That stung. Somehow they’d become numb to his presence.
“The interview goes live in seven minutes, Mr. Rooke,” Jasmine said. “It will take ten minutes, tops. And then you can be on your way to do… something I didn’t hear.”
Alexander glared over his shoulder. “So why are you two here?”
Gabriel met his gaze with a smile. “I thought it would be fun.”
“I thought we were meant to be friends,” Alexander growled.
Gabriel nodded. “Best friends.”
“And I’m here to make sure the news correspondent’s intentions are above board,” Carmen said. “Talia assured me they’ve been nothing but supportive of Grimnir and Throne, but Gabe thought it best we double-checked.”
“Because you would be extra annoyed if it turned out the lady set you up,” Gabriel added. “For anything serious, at least.”
“I’m going to be extra annoyed if Santiago gets away!”
“Ryan is already aboard with the rest of the crew,” Carmen said. “The ship was shut down when we all traveled to Dubai for the injections, so it’s being cold-started anyway. That takes time, and then the Chief needs to run diagnostics and make sure everything is in the green. You’re not losing any time.”
Alexander frowned. “Oh. Well, good then.” He glanced at Talia. “Do you at least have a list of questions or something so I can prepare myself?”
“No. It will go better if you just be yourself.”
“But I’m someone who improvs. I’m going to say something stupid, even I know that.”
Talia made a face. “Since when do you care about that?”
Alexander shrugged. “Since now, I guess.”
Jasmine guided him down another hallway, and through a pair of open double-doors.
The room was small by palace standards, which meant it was still bigger than his old apartment. A sofa and an armchair had been arranged at one end, angled toward each other beneath an array of lights, reflectors, and cameras. Small tables with bottled water flanked both seats. The rest of the room’s furniture had been shoved against the walls to make space for the small army of people rushing between equipment cases, monitors, and cable runs.
Alexander snorted.
Maximilian sat in a chair near the far wall, positioned in front of a makeup mirror ringed with lights. One woman was running a comb through his hair with the focused intensity of a surgeon. Another was applying something to his jawline with a small brush, tilting his chin with two fingers while he sat there looking like he’d done this a thousand times.
Because he probably had.
Before Alexander could open his mouth, a young woman appeared in front of him. She looked him up and down in under a second, clicked her tongue, and shook her head.
“No, no. This won’t do.” She reached up and turned his head to the side with her fingertips, examining him. “When was the last time you conditioned this? And what is this supposed to be?” She gestured at his jaw. “Is it a beard? Stubble? A cry for help?”
Alexander blinked. “I—”
She was already inspecting his suit.
The black one, with a white shirt, casually worn. He was ready for battle. With Santiago, not a news reporter!
Her eyes narrowed. She ran a thumb along the lapel, checked the shoulder seam, then leaned back and pursed her lips.
“The clothes are acceptable.” She grabbed his arm and started pulling. “Come with me. Quickly. We don’t have much time to make you look less like you and more like a real supervillain.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I am a real supervillain!”
***
Alexander sat on the sofa beside Maximilian and silently acknowledged that he’d been expertly played.
The interview had started exactly when Jasmine said it would. Except the first ten minutes had been dedicated to the Sheikha eloquently answering questions, reassuring the world that Dubai was home again, and that efforts were already underway to return the people left behind under the domes of Mars.
An interlude had followed. Footage of the attack at the conference, followed by short clips of attacks around the world, while a voiceover recapped events.
Only now was it their turn.
Across from them, a woman sat in the armchair, legs crossed, swiping through a tablet. She hadn’t looked at them once since they’d sat down. Her attention was entirely on whatever she was reading, one finger scrolling with rapid flicks.
Alexander leaned closer to Maximilian. “This is all your fault.”
The Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“You ambushed me with the whole Compact thing, and then I got trapped into signing it. I want a refund.”
“That’s unfortunate, Rooke. There’s no clause in the contract for that.”
“We’re live in ten!” someone called from behind the cameras.
A production assistant rushed over and plucked the tablet from Priya’s hands. She let it go without protest, straightening in her seat and adjusting the collar of her blazer.
Alexander glanced past the cameras. Cash, Raelene, and Julia had joined Talia, Carmen, and Gabriel near the back wall. They were chatting quietly among themselves. Julia caught him looking and offered a small smile. He winked. She rolled her eyes.