Page 23 of Interview with the Billionaire

But the truth is that I’m only certain because of Nikki.

She has changed everything for me.

Whatever I accomplish from now forward—whatever I overcome—it is because I have found her.

She is nothing short of a gift from the universe, and the miracle is that to her I am the same.

So I will move forward in this new reality where I have an older brother. A man who, as far as I can tell, hates me.

Considering the the landscape of so much of my life, I suppose that state of affairs was inevitable.

But just in case the universe is listening, here’s my request: Stop fucking with me.

That is all.

Chapter 6: The Spotlight

“Would it be possible to conduct this interview upstairs?” Maggie asked. He was doing his damnedest to think of her as Maggie, the vetted reporter. Not Lena, the woman who’d harassed him. And not Magdalena, who was apparently trying some of the same tricks on Ash.

It wasn’t easy.

“Upstairs is fine,” Nikki said, filling the gap left by his silence. She eyed him curiously, obviously wondering if the response was okay, particularly after their earlier conversation with Evelyn when Jackson and Syl were being interviewed.

“Yes,” he said now. Of course that’s fine.”

Maggie flashed a winning smile. “To be honest, I’m anxious to see the painting.”

“Admire it all you like, but that’s also an off-limits topic. I think we’ve seen enough press about how that painting came to be to last a lifetime.”

“I’m sure you have. But if it’s okay with you,” she said to Nikki, “I’d like to talk about the experience of being the model. I’m not interested in the million dollars. I’m interested in what it was like to stand for a Blaine original.”

Nikki glanced up at him, clearly undisturbed by the topic. He’d rather leave it off the table, but as far as he was concerned, it was Nikki, not him, who had the final say about what she did or did not discuss about those sessions.

“Sure,” Nikki said, obviously understanding the nature of his silence. “But just know that I’ll cut you off if it starts to feel dicey.”

“Of course,” Maggie said, with another bright smile. “And I hope you both know that holds true for anything said in this interview.”

“That’s my practice in any interview,” Damien said, and his time Maggie’s smile wasn’t quite as chirpy.

As they talked, they’d begun climbing the stairs from the first floor living area to the third floor, which was the true heart of the house. The painting was mounted there. A stunning portrait that had been well worth the investment, especially considering he’d ended up with the woman herself and not just the likeness. He’d been hesitant to hang it so prominently at first, not wanting Nikki to feel exposed. But she’d insisted, pointing out that her face was hidden.

At the time, they’d believed no one would know the truth. Now most of the world did, but Nikki had never once intimated that she wanted it taken down. On the contrary, he new that she was proud of it

Now, it hung on the wall above the stone fireplace, not visible until about halfway up the floating staircase. When they reached that spot, Maggie stopped, her attention focused on the portrait of his wife.

“Oh, it’s stunning.”

“It is,” Damien said. “Though not as stunning as the woman herself.” He took Nikki’s hand, forcing himself not to laugh as she rolled her eyes.

“Of course I heard all the gossip. About the payment. But I never heard about how it came to be Blaine that painted it. Do you mind if I ask now?”

“Not at all,” Nikki said. “But let’s get some coffee and get settled first.”

They left Maggie in front of the portrait, then went into the third floor kitchen. Originally intended as a convenient location for catering staff, it had completely overshadowed the fully-loaded commercial kitchen on the first floor, now only used on the rare occasion that the Starks hosted a large party at the house.

He slipped his arms around his wife. “You’re sure?”

“Of course. I’m not ashamed of the painting. And I made one hell of a good business decision. What I hated was the spotlight. And the suggestion in the media that I was prostituting myself.”