CHAPTER TWELVE:THE INTERVIEW
868 Words
Emily woke up to camera flashes.
Not in her face. Outside the penthouse windows.
A dozen of them. 60 floors down, but she could still see them.
"Damian?" She whispered.
He was already awake. On the phone. Shirtless. Jaw tight.
"Yeah. I know. No comment." He hung up.
Turned to her. And his whole face softened.
"Morning." He pulled her into his arms. "Don’t look at the news."
Too late.
Her phone was blowing up.
Tasha: GIRL YOU ARE ON EVERY BLOG
Tasha: Business Insider Called you ‘The Girl Who Tamed Sterling’
Tasha: Also TMZ is offering $10k for your
high school photo
Emily threw the phone. "I hate this."
"I know." Damian kissed her forehead. "But we knew it would happen."
He got up. Pulled on a suit.
"Come on. We have an interview."
Emily sat up. "What?"
"A sit-down. With Forbes. Controlled. No tabloids. If we don’t do it, they’ll make up the story for us."
Emily hugged a pillow. "I don’t want to do this."
Damian sat on the bed. Took her hands.
"Then we won’t. But Emily... if we hide, it looks like we have something to hide. If we talk, we control it."
He looked at her. Really looked.
"I’ll be right next to you. Every second."
Emily sighed. "Fine. But if they ask me about Victoria I’m walking out."
"Deal."
---
The Forbes office was all white and cameras.
The interviewer, a woman in her 50s with sharp eyes, smiled too wide.
"Mr. Sterling. Ms. Carter. Thank you for coming."
They sat side by side. Damian’s knee brushed Emily’s under the table.
"Let’s start easy," the woman said. "Damian, how did you two meet?"
"She applied to be my assistant," Damian said. Simple. "She was overqualified and underpaid. I hired her."
Emily almost smiled.
"And when did it become... more?" The interviewer asked. Eyes gleaming.
Damian didn’t hesitate. "When she told me I was being an i***t in a board meeting. And she was right."
The room laughed.
Emily felt herself relax a little.
Then the questions got worse.
"Ms. Carter, how do you feel about dating the most eligible billionaire in New York?"
"Ms. Carter, were you aware Mr. Sterling was previously engaged to Victoria Hale?"
"Is it true you moved into his penthouse after 3 weeks?"
Emily’s hands were shaking.
Damian’s hand found hers under the table. Squeezed.
"You don’t have to answer that," he said to the interviewer. Voice like steel.
"Yes I do," Emily said quietly. She looked at the camera.
"I was aware of Victoria. And I’m not her. I’m Emily. I’m not moving in. I’m staying with someone who makes me feel safe. That’s all."
The interviewer leaned forward. "And the timeline? 3 weeks seems fast for—"
"It’s fast," Damian cut in. "Because when you know, you know. I’ve known for 35 years. I wasn’t going to waste another day pretending I didn’t."
Boom.
The interview ended 10 minutes later.
---
In the car, it was silent.
Emily stared out the window.
"You okay?" Damian asked.
"I don’t know." She said. "They made me feel small."
Damian cursed. "I’m sorry. I should’ve shut it down sooner."
"You didn’t. You let her—"
"I was trying to let you speak!" Damian’s voice rose. "You said you wanted to answer!"
Emily flinched. "Don’t yell at me."
"I’m not yelling." He rubbed his face. "I’m just... I hate that they did that to you."
"Then why did you agree to it?" Emily snapped. "You said we could control it. But we didn’t!"
The driver pretended not to hear.
Damian went quiet. Looked out his own window.
"You’re right," he said finally. Low. "I messed up. I thought if we faced it together it would be easier. I didn’t think about how it would feel for you."
Emily’s anger deflated. "I was scared."
"I know." Damian reached over. Took her hand. "I’m scared too, Emily. Every day. That I’ll say the wrong thing and you’ll leave. That I’ll fail you."
He turned to her. "I’m not good at this. At... people. At relationships. But I’m trying. For you."
Emily’s throat hurt. "I’m trying too."
Damian pulled her into his lap right there in the car.
"I don’t care what Forbes writes," he murmured into her hair. "You were perfect. Brave. And you’re mine."
"Yours," Emily whispered back.
---
By evening, the interview was live.
Headline: DAMIAN STERLING:
“WHEN YOU KNOW,YOU KNOW “
Clip of him saying it got 2 million views in an hour.
Comments:
THE WAY LOOKED AT HER
HE DEFENDED HER ON LIVE TV
MARRY HER ALREADY
But one comment was different. Buried deep.
@V.Hale.Official:Cute.
Let’s see how brave she is when I’m done.
Emily saw it. Her blood went cold.
She showed Damian.
He went still. Then he picked up his phone.
"Security. Double it. Starting now. And find me where Victoria Hale is."
He hung up. Pulled Emily close.
"Don’t read the comments anymore. Okay?"
"Okay."
That night, he didn’t let her sleep in the guest room.
He didn’t let her sleep alone at all.
And for the first time since the interview, Emily didn’t feel small.
She felt chosen
**********
- Writer
