It was the second time she’d pushed me, but she didn’t cross the line and override my power. A lot of things she mentioned were true. People were obsessed with me. They were sharing gossip instead of facts. At least I could set the record straight.
“You can give me a list of topics that are off-limits. I won’t ask you about them.” She pulled a small notepad out of her purse with a pen. “Then we’ll start the interview.” She held the pen to the paper. “So what are they, Mr. Hunt?”
My eyes shifted to her slender hand, seeing the tight skin. Her age didn’t show in her hands, only in subtle places in her face. I turned my gaze back to her, seeing the dark eyes that were filled with gentle power. “My late wife. She’s off-limits.” She was the love of my life, and I didn’t discuss something so personal with anyone. Even my own sons rarely heard me mention her. Losing her was the hardest suffering I’d ever endured. It’d been over a decade, but I’d never gotten over it. My memories of her and our life together were mine. I guarded them greedily, like they were buried treasure.
Scarlet didn’t hesitate before she made her note. “Anything else?”
I was willing to discuss anything else but Isabela. She was the only thing I couldn’t compromise on. Nothing else seemed to matter. “No.”
Her eyebrow rose slightly, and she set her pen down. “Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Hunt.”
I wasn’t sure why I did.
She grabbed the recorder and pressed her thumb into the button. It started to record. “You’re one of the top ten richest people in the world with a net worth of over sixty billion dollars. It’s the kind of success most people will never even dream of. What has been the biggest contributor to your success?”
It was a stale question, the kind I got all the time. “I worked hard. Before I went to college, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I’d been fascinated by business, but not just running a company or working for one. I wanted to start something that would live long after I died. I wanted to be remembered for something. Immortality is something that motivates a great deal. I work so hard in life to secure my station in death.”
The waiter brought our drinks then walked off again. Scarlet didn’t react to his presence, her eyes glued to mine. She must have anticipated my answer, but she still seemed genuinely interested by it. “What do you love most about it? And what do you hate the most?”
“I love the power. When I want something, I get it. People are aware of my presence the instant I walk into a room. I have the ability to make anything happen. But, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. I think I handle that well. What I hate most is being in the public eye. People think they know me based on who I’m dating or what suit I wear. Honestly, no one really knows me.”
Scarlet didn’t touch her glass of wine. It was deep red, almost purple. I wondered if she would leave a lipstick mark once she took a drink. It was a stupid thought to have, and I didn’t know why I had it. She seemed more interested in me than taking a drink. “You’re very particular about your suits. It’s rumored that you never wear the same one twice. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Why is that?”
“My suits are my image. They heighten my presence and exemplify my power. They also complement my mood. I never feel the same way on any given day, so I never wear the same suit. They’re my most important possession, and they can change the outcome of business indirectly. There’s no greater feeling than putting on a new suit, still crisp from the designer. That’s a luxury I allow myself.”
“And what do you do with the suits once you’re done wearing them?”
“Donate them.”
She slightly nodded before she finally took a drink. Lipstick smeared on the glass, deep red like blood. She set it down again, her slender fingers wrapped around the stem. “Where do you donate them?”
“The United War Veterans Council. They distribute them to vets and other people looking for work. They wear them to their interviews. It’s part of their rehabilitation program. And like I said before, the right suit can make you feel like you’re worth billions—even if you aren’t. It can change the game, change your confidence.”
She didn’t pull out a list of notes during our interview. In fact, it felt more like a conversation than an interrogation. Scarlet didn’t seem like an editor getting a story her readers would want to read. She seemed like someone who wanted the truth—not some romanticized lie. Perhaps that was why Platform had the biggest list of subscribers in the media world.
“Your sons, Diesel and Jax Hunt, have followed in your footsteps. Did you push them to be successful businessmen as well? Or was that something they cultivated on their own?”
People usually asked questions about my own success. They didn’t seem to care about my relationship with my two sons. We were very different people. “I’ve always been close to Diesel and Jax. Once they became adults, our relationship shifted from parent and child and turned into a friendship. I know both of them look up to me in a lot of ways, and I suspect I have a lot to do with their motivations. But honestly, I pushed them a lot too. It was important to me to raise fine men,
