After I sat down with one of New York’s most respected journalists and laid my soul bare for the public.
No pressure.
“You don’t have to do this.” Dante brushed hair away from my face.
Of course he’d picked up on my hesitation. “Yes, I do.”
“We can find another way.” He tried to insist but stopped when I pressed a finger to his lips.
“I’m doing this. It’s what needs to be done. I’m ready. I’ll see you at the office.” I kissed him, then Julian, and made my way downstairs to the car and driver waiting for me.
The driver offered me a polite nod and held the door open, closing it behind me and rounding the car to the driver’s seat.
I sat back and stared out the window as I ran through my story one last time. The drive passed in a blur, and by the time we pulled to a stop, nervous butterflies had given way to a cold certainty that lifted my chin.
No matter what happened, I would tell the world our truth.
Someone had to change the narrative. Who better than the woman who’d been coerced by the public’s standards? Only I could tell them the truth.
The driver pulled up outside a sleek, modern skyscraper and parked.
I took a deep breath and composed myself while he opened the door for me and helped me from the back.
“I’ll be here waiting when you’re done.”
“Thank you.” I smoothed my jacket and walked into the building. Chrome and glass stretched as far as I could see, a dizzying display of glass on the elevators making my eyes water.
Maggie Lately stood in the center of the foyer, her hands clasped at her waist and a bright smile wrinkling her cheeks. She wore her hair in a severe bun—her signature style. Her reputation asa relentless pursuer of the truth as she took down corporations and politicians with equal enthusiasm that she matched when championing the underdog when the story warranted it had been the sole reason I sought her out.
I needed her to see me as the latter, but I would not bend our story to match any narrative except the truth.
“Ms. Bloom.” Maggie extended her hand and I shook it, grateful when my grip stayed firm despite my trembling legs. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”
“Thank you for giving me the chance to tell my side.”
Her gaze flicked over my shoulder. “Will they be joining us?”
They, as in Julian, Dante, and Alexander. I rested my hands at my sides, keeping my expression carefully neutral. “No.” I’d been clear about that from the beginning, but I didn’t blame her for asking. “This is my story to tell, and I don’t want the public seeing them here and twisting every word because they’re under some false impression that they control me.”
“Excellent.” Maggie rubbed her hands together and turned. “This way.”
I followed her into a glass-walled conference room with recording equipment on the table. My stomach clenched at the sight. This was what I wanted. Everything I said would be captured, analyzed, and possibly used against me.
Tell the truth anyway.I’d been telling myself that so long it came to me in an instant.
Maggie settled in her chair across from me, pen poised over a legal pad despite the recorder. “Before we begin, I want you toknow I appreciate you trusting me with this. I’ve covered a lot of corporate scandals in my career, but this one feels different.”
“Good. Because it is, and I’m hoping to show people we’re just human.”
She clicked on the recorder. “Tell me how this started.”
I took a breath and held it, using it to steady my voice. “It all started with a text message that I accidentally sent to them.”
The story poured out of me. I told her everything from the text to how mortified I’d been to how they’d responded with humor instead of firing me on the spot.
I didn’t hold back on my attraction to them or shy away from admitting I’d been the one to make the final decision. I flat out told her the power dynamics were not complicated because they had never used them against me.
“Here’s the thing people need to understand.” I leaned forward with my hands on the table. “I was never afraid of them. Never felt pressured. If anything, they bent over backward to make sure I had all the power. They gave me the choice, again and again, and I chose them. Every single time.”
