What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 184

Hearing the door click shut, Kaia briefly looked up.

She really didn't care about the wealth list. The truth was, she had made some private investments on the side, and the returns were currently looking excellent.

Three days after the list dropped, an email arrived in her inbox. It was an interview request from *Financial World* magazine for a feature piece.

Right on its heels, several online business news outlets reached out as well.

Even a well-known financial TV network called. They were incredibly polite and complimentary, asking her to come on their talk show to share her professional insights and success story.

Looking at the pile of requests, Laura desperately hoped Kaia would pick at least one.

Not long ago, Noelle had done an interview on female leadership, and it had garnered her a massive fanbase and a ton of attention. Her popularity was rivaling that of an actual celebrity, and it had done wonders for Aethelstan Biopharma's brand awareness.

Because of that, Laura really wanted someone as low-key and brilliant as Dr. Chavez to step into the spotlight, to serve as an inspiring role model and let people see how amazing she truly was.

Around 11:00 AM, Laura was called into the office.

Kaia sat at her desk, looking at her seriously. "Laura, please draft a standard reply to all the media outlets that sent interview requests. Make sure the tone is cautious but polite."

Laura blinked. Just as she expected. Dr. Chavez only cared about her data and had absolutely zero interest in vanity metrics.

"Dr. Chavez, could you give me a specific reason to give them? I don't want to phrase it poorly and offend these journalists," Laura said with an awkward smile.

Kaia frowned slightly. "Just tell them I appreciate their interest and the invitation, but my current schedule is completely packed. I have too many projects running right now and simply can't spare the time for interviews. Also, make it clear that I personally prefer to stay focused purely on research and development, and I'm not really interested in public exposure. Thank them for their time."

Laura nodded, but couldn't resist trying to persuade her one last time. "Dr. Chavez, these outlets have a massive reach, especially the cover story for *Financial World*. It's a rare opportunity... Are you absolutely sure you won't reconsider?"

Kaia shook her head, her tone final. "No. Just reply exactly as I said. Moving forward, use the same excuse to politely decline any similar requests—unless it's an important academic journal or an industry conference. Everything else is a no."

"Understood, Dr. Chavez," Laura replied, dropping the subject.

When Laura sent the rejection to the editor-in-chief of *Financial World*, the editor seemed quite disappointed. On a whim, Laura added a quick note, mentioning that there was another female executive from the Sanders Conglomerate who had made the list, and suggested they might want to reach out to her instead.

The editor sent back a very gracious reply expressing their regret, and noted that they would indeed contact Aethelstan, while reiterating that they still hoped to work with Dr. Chavez in the future.

Since Kaia's decision to decline the interviews was kept strictly internal, the whole thing quickly blew over.

Wendy smiled smugly at Laura. "Ms. Lawrence was personally invited by *Financial World* several times. I wonder, does your Dr. Chavez ever get that kind of VIP treatment?"

Laura froze. The sheer arrogance on Wendy's face made her want to gag.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow and glaring back.

Wendy casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smirked. "Just exactly what I said. Ms. Lawrence is having her moment in the spotlight, and as her team, we couldn't be prouder..."

"Ha!" Laura let out a loud, mocking scoff.

"You guys really know how to kiss the ring, don't you? Who told you *Financial World* didn't invite Dr. Chavez?" Laura pulled out her phone and waved it at them. "She just didn't want it. You guys are literally gnawing on the leftover bones someone else threw away, and you're standing here acting like you won a gold medal?"

"What... what the hell are you talking about?" Wendy's face flushed with anger, her voice shooting up an octave. "Laura, you're just incredibly jealous. The facts are right here in print. You're making a complete fool of yourself."

Laura calmly looked at the group of women. Seeing them so riled up, she smiled. "You're taking scraps and acting like royalty. I'm just stating facts. Why are you all so triggered?"

"You'd better explain yourself right now, or you aren't going anywhere." Wendy had worked for Noelle for years and was used to throwing her weight around. Laura's words had hit a nerve, and she was ready for a fight.