chapter 6: Interview Went Wrong But Right

"I'm so excited. I��ve watched and edited a bunch of interviews for our magazine, but this is the first time that I'll be interviewed." Diva was fully pumped up for her interview with Blaze.

Blaze just rolled his eyes and kept his eyes fixed on his phone screen.

Both of them were sitting in the backseat of a limousine on their way to the interview location. While Diva couldn't wait to get there, Blaze wished for the destination to never arrive.

When they were close, noticing the paparazzi hovering around, Blaze told Diva, "Try to act like my wife in front of others."

"Are you asking for my help?" Diva asked, a teasing look on her face. Blaze��s eyebrow twitched. He was about to retort, but Diva spoke up with a kind smile, "Don't worry. I'll help you as best I can."

Blaze pursed his lips and turned his face away from hers, wondering if Diva wasn't as horrible as he thought. His good impression of her didn't last long when her next words were, "Open the door for me when you get out."

What am I, her bodyguard? The words itched to escape, but he controlled himself, well aware that he was the one who needed her to pretend for his reputation.

Receiving no reply from him, Diva perceived that he agreed. She grinned to herself until reality smacked her in the face.

The car came to a halt. As Blaze was about to get out, Diva reminded, "Open the door for me like a true gentleman."

Diva sat back like a polite girl, waiting for the door to open. She lifted her head and watched as Blaze just stood near her side of the door with his phone in hand, clearly having no intention of opening her door. Her cheeks puffed up in indignation.

Diva immediately called Blaze. Somehow, she managed to get his cell number earlier, by pestering him before they left. As soon as he picked up, Diva demanded, "Why aren��t you opening the door for me?"

"What will you do if I don't?" he challenged.

The paparazzi furrowed their brows in confusion, wondering what was going on with the newlywed couple.

"I won't get out," Diva declared and crossed her arms.

"Good luck with that." Blaze hung up on her, a knowing smirk on his face. Blaze motioned towards the driver, who immediately scurried off to open the door for Diva.

When the car door opened, Diva expectantly looked up and gushed, "I knew you would do it in the end, Blaze��" her words died off in her mouth as her gaze fell on the driver.

Groaning, Diva stepped out of the car. She didn't have any other choice, especially with the paparazzi watching her every movement.

Diva stomped her heels and glared at Blaze until a devilish idea popped in her head.

It's sweet revenge time, Blaze, thought Diva. She took slow steps towards Blaze before snaking her arms around his biceps, closing their distances.

Blaze squirmed under her sudden touch and threw her a disgusted look. He hated uninvited touches.

Diva smiled up at him and said, "Let's go inside."

Blaze was about protest but went along with her. If the paparazzi weren��t here, he would have probably pushed her harshly.

The reporters went crazy with the photos as Blaze and Diva walked through the aisle, looking like the ideal couple that they most definitely weren��t, with Diva's dazzling smile outshining Blaze's displeased expression.

They finally sat in their designated seats in the front, with the news reporters sitting across them like an audience.

"Okay, I will choose amongst you to ask a question," Atlas told the reporters who looked like they were about to burst if they didn��t ask their questions. He pointed to a reporter.

One of the news reporters cleared his throat and asked, "Why did you decide to get married in a mass wedding, Mr. & Mrs. Hudson?" As Blaze was one of the most wanted bachelors in the state, for him to get married in a mass wedding caused quite an uproar. Everyone expected either a private or grand wedding from him.

Another one asked, "Was it planned? Were you two in love before you got married?"

"Mrs. Hudson is so exceptionally beautiful. Why did you not reveal your relationship with her?"

"That's because I didn't want my face to be revealed in public before I married the love of my life," replied Diva confidently, shocking the crap out of Blaze.

Love of her life? Who? Me? Blaze wondered, averting his eyes to the corner of the room.

"So you really are in love?" a reporter inquired, making Diva nodded happily. "Since when?"

"Since we were in high school," she answered.

It was her dream to meet her soulmate in high school��which obviously didn't come true. Whereas, Blaze could bet she was one of the most annoying high school girls in her days.

"That means, it's been more than nine years?"

"Yes, and I hope for it to last for the rest of my life." Diva couldn't keep herself from grinning as Blaze started choking on air. His reactions to her replies were hilarious��as if he saw a ghost every time.

Fifty years? I can't tolerate her for fifty seconds, Blaze groaned internally.

"When did you guys decide to get married? Who proposed? Was it Mr. Hudson?" asked another reporter.

Blaze's hands were itching to strangle all the news reporters present. It was supposed to be an interview to confirm their wedding, not something that would test his patience.

"Of course, it was Blaze." Blaze's eyes widened��as if he would ever propose to a talkative girl like that. Meanwhile, she continued, "He got on one knee and proposed to me with a gorgeous diamond ring!" Diva further exclaimed, waving her left hand around. The audience cooed.

Blaze wanted to disappear.

"You wouldn��t believe how red his face was. He looked like he would cry if I didn't accept his proposal," Diva lied through her teeth with a big grin, and everyone roared with laughter.

Earth, swallow me now, Blaze cried out in his mind.

"Then why a mass wedding? If he proposed to you, why didn't he marry you in a grander, more glamorous way?" questioned a young reporter.

A cat caught Diva's tongue as she couldn��t think of a response. She sweated and nervously glanced at Blaze for help.

Blaze frowned and cleared his throat before saying, "Actually, we went there to attend a mutual friend's wedding. Then some mishaps happened, and we ended up getting married. It was lucky that our token numbers matched."

"Yeah," Diva agreed, praising him internally for coming up with such a solid answer.

"What sort of mishaps? And what if your token numbers didn't match?" interrogated yet another reporter.

Again, it was Diva's time to shine. "I'm sure fate is not that cruel. We are soulmates, so of course, we would get married to each other. There's no way our token numbers would have been mismatched," she exaggerated.

"It's just a possibility. What if they did mismatch?"

"But they didn��t," Blaze cut in rudely. Everyone turned their curious gazes to Blaze. "Even if they did, I wouldn't have just married anyone."

"See? He loves me so much!" Diva chirped and hugged his arm.

"What a sweet couple!" cooed the paparazzi.

After a few more questions were asked, they were finally allowed to leave. Diva answered most of the questions in the most ridiculous way possible, while Blaze wished to crucify her.

As they were walking towards the car, Diva still clung onto him. When Blaze was certain no paparazzi were watching them anymore, Blaze brushed Diva away, pushing her to the side slightly.

Diva was caught off guard by his action and took a tumble.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Who said you could touch me?" Diva was shocked at his tone. Blaze's voice was cold as ice but frustrated as a volcano about to erupt. It was torture for him to stay there among so many people��it exhausted him. Being an introvert, he hated to be around too many people, especially when he had to speak.

Diva lowered her gaze and clutched her phone tighter before uttering, "I'm sorry. I thought that was how a wife was supposed to act around her husband."

"Well, I don't like such clingy wives," he spat out.

"Sorry. I'll try my best to not be a clingy wife anymore," Diva responded with a forced smile on her face, her voice strained.

"Good." Blaze started walking ahead. Diva followed behind him, biting her lip, sucking up the strange pain in her heart.

����

Blaze was working in his study when his phone buzzed. He glanced at its screen to find a message from his twin brother.

Vyan: I saw the interview.

Those four words were enough to remind Blaze of the humiliation he faced that day. Vyan's message was short, yet he could feel the mockery in it.

Blaze wanted to hide himself from the embarrassment he was yet to face with Diva living with him.

If his current misery wasn't enough, his cell phone started ringing this time. Grumpily, he took the phone and looked at it. His eyes widened when he saw the displayed name.

Mom.