esponse popped up right away. "You'

Alina r

in this is wh

ionship is like standing in place while everything els

ett really is a

rriage. No need to mak

ina set her phone aside and

didn't c

arried traces of Rhett's sh

her feel safe. But tonight,

a came down for breakfast,

carefully on the table, said with cauti

ushed the rim of h

years and had watched Alina grow up. She hesitated b

l nod. "Thanks fo

bly. "Mrs. Yates... did something

lm. She wasn't hiding anythi

ask something but held back. After a pause, she carefully asked, "Was

steady. "It was my deci

blic yet. Alec Clarke-her grandfather-was still trying t

about to ask more. But Alina downed the last of her milk, answered a phone

traight to

nterviewee's image tanked before we even got started. Some misconduct-his own secretar

y, "Do we have som

t paused. "N

make it clear? Every feature i

ent silent, sen

in thirty minutes. Start reaching out to heads of o

t i

on't try to sugarcoat it. Those execs' assistants are sharp. They'll fig

erst

. Alina rubbed

never rain

us. The department of journalists buzzed with frantic v

the old draft. All the hours

ina, the staff all gre

uck getting someon

e ans

ings stood. She set her handbag down on a nearby desk,

tepped into the edit

rties and had built a reputation for demanding perfect

face darkened. "You're telling me this

wrong, responsibilit

the blame. "It

ot just about blame. The que

needed Carl on board. "What if we move u

er, thinking. Then, he picked up the phone a

reed, because Carl's expression lifted.

erview this round. That means we have an empty spot where his was origi

a slap. Her eyes twitc

should've been obvious. "Rh

dn't find