Page 148 of Golden Ruin

Later, peeps :)

–P

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Sterling

I adjust my tie while Cliff and Joss exchange quiet words somewhere offset. The lights are too bright to make out much beyond them, so all I see is Marla sitting across from me, waiting to pick apart my life.

If it were just my name on the line, I’d be at home, but two weeks ago, I decided to do this. To tell the world a story they have no right to hear, to let them see behind the curtain of something so sacred and close to my heart.

Marla checks her makeup, sitting across from me without having said anything other than hello since I sat in my chair. So, my best guess is she’s saving it all for when the cameras start rolling.

I check my phone for the time and count the minutes until this is over, and I’m seated across from Lexi for dinner. We haven’t been out in public much despite the world knowing our relationship status. I guess you could say I’m still a bit protective. Of her, of what we’re building. But after this interview, I’ve decided we’re going to be living our lives out loud, starting with our reservations tonight.

I peer up when the camera guy counts us down, and Marla’s eyes flash toward mine, smiling like she’s been this friendly all along.

She goes through her intro, greeting her followers, plugging her merch and social accounts while I sit quietly, waiting for the real fun to begin. Then, she quiets down, doing this somber bit to hint toward the gravity of the conversation getting ready to take place.

“We’ve got ourselves a real treat today, guys. I’m sure you’ve been following this story closely, but up until now, we’ve only gotten one side of it. You’ve likely watched both interviews with Tiffany Pierce—entrepreneur, mega influencer, friend-of-the-podcast,” Marla gushes. “But today, we’re going to force ourselves to be objective. We’re going to dive in and chat with the man behind the scandal… Sterling Golden.”

I don’t love the introduction, but I play nice. Mostly because Lexi asked me to.

“Glad to be here,” I say, forcing a smile.

Marla leans in, her smile growing. “So, you would not believe the DMs I’ve received. We have a split camp. There are those who are clearly Team Tiffany, but after the things that came to light during that interview, I was totally surprised by the number of people actually rooting for you and your son’s mother.”

“Lexi,” I say, correcting her. “Her name’s Lexi.”

Marla arches a brow, then blinks once as she leans away. “Yes, right. Lexi.”

I’m guessing she’s taken aback that I didn’t let that slide, so she takes a moment to gather herself, pretending to check her notes.

“So, let’s just get right into it,” Marla says, staring when she asks, “Did you cheat?”

The question makes my stomach twist. I straighten in my seat, holding my composure. “No. Never in my life, actually.”

She does that thing where she arches her brow again. “Never?”

“Never.”

She stares like she expects me to say more, but that answer feels more than adequate. It tells her all she needs to know about where Lexi fit into my relationship with Tiffany.

She didn’t.

“Hm,” she sighs, glancing at her notes again. “Well, since you’re blatantly disagreeing with Tiffany’s recollection of how things went, tell us how you felt watching her interview.”

I sit with that for a moment, knowing the kind of response Marla wants me to give, but I’m not here to entertain anyone. I’m only here to present the truth to whoever wants to listen.

“I felt… disappointed,” I sigh. “Having been in a relationship with Tiffany, that means she was someone I once trusted. So, to see someone you deemed trustworthy prove you wrong… yeah… it’s disappointing.”

I don’t elaborate, don’t sensationalize what went down, and Marla is practically foaming at the mouth about it.

She sits back, smiling far less than she was a moment ago.

“You’re not gonna make this easy for me, are you?” she says with a dark laugh, and I smile at her.

“I’m only here to tell the truth.”