27. WORTHY
CHLOE
I checked the clock—it was almost time. Olivia Jensen had pulled a rabbit out of a hat and made arrangements for that very morning.
I couldn’t believe I was doing this again.
And this time would be so, so much worse. Because this time, I was going to have to tell the truth. About myself. To millions of people. On national television.
I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer. Mom, I hope you know I did all this for a good reason. I promise I’ll always take care of him.
“Why’re you crying!” Midge swatted me with a tissue. “Is it the hormones?”
Midge was even more excited than Daphne about my pregnancy. She’d only known for twelve hours, but somehow she’d already started a Pinterest board of possible outfits, baby names, and nursery decorating ideas.
“I’m nervous,” I admitted.
“Don’t be. You’re protecting your family. What’s that saying? Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” Midge smiled at me.
“Aw! My mom used to say that.”
Midge winked as she started working on my lip gloss. “Your mom was a smart lady.”
I nodded. “She was.” I hope you forgive me for going on Sugar Finder, Mom!
“And because she was a smart lady, she’ll understand why you made the choices you did. I bet she’s up in heaven right now, really proud of you.”
“I hope so.” My eyes pricked with tears again.
“I know so—okay, stop!” Midge forced another tissue on me. “I have to get you downstairs!” She finished with my makeup, insisted that I wear a body-hugging dress and sky-high heels, and then sent me on my way.
Olivia Jensen waited at the landing, clutching her signature enormous iced coffee. She was the one person on the staff that didn’t know the truth yet. We didn’t want her leaking information to the press or worse, running to Gene.
As always, the PR executive looked pulled together, her makeup perfect, a cute ivory adorning her curvy figure. “You look great—your skin’s glowing,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“Nervous,” I admitted. “Was the network surprised we reached out?”
“They were thrilled, to tell you the truth. They want the inside scoop on how the family’s doing now that Gene’s in prison.
” Olivia led me downstairs to the media room.
The camera crew had arrived at four a.m. to get everything set up.
Once again, the morning talk show hosts were going to interview me live from New York via a video chat.
The same production crew and assistant had returned to the island to run things on our end.
We headed inside the media room, which was buzzing with the production crew.
There were lights and cameras all over the place, barely organized chaos.
“They’re going to want to know how Bryce is holding up.
They will probably ask you about the fight with Felicia Jones, even though I asked them not to. ”
“Ugh. Do I have to talk about that?” The fight seemed like it happened in another lifetime when the pretty heiress had been my biggest worry. My, how times had changed!
Olivia sighed. “They agreed to do this interview at the last second. I think we owe them the courtesy of answering their questions, don’t you?”
I grimaced. “I guess so.”
“Don’t frown—you’ll ruin your makeup.” Olivia patted my arm. “You can do this, Chloe. Just be yourself.”
I nodded, but inside I was dying. Olivia had no idea just how “myself” I was about to be!
The assistant hustled over to me. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Windsor. Are you ready?”
Feeling sick, I nodded.
“You look perfect, as usual.” She clipped a small microphone to my dress.
“We’re going to go ahead and get started.
You know the drill—just follow me.” She brought me to a high, long table that faced several screens.
I remembered the set-up: there was the New York studio, the two attractive hosts facing the cameras.
Behind them was a large window that showed the live-NYC audience smiling and waving from the sidewalk.
“Let’s go, everyone!” The assistant checked her clipboard and hustled next to the cameraman. Olivia Jensen waved and smiled at me, my redheaded cheerleader.
The lights dimmed as they counted down. “Five, four, three, two…”
“Our next guest is a surprise. So…surprise!” One of the pretty hosts said. “She’s someone we’ve had on the show recently, and we loved talking to her. Hoo boy, this is going to be good. Joining us again is Chloe Windsor, wife of billionaire Bryce Windsor! Can you believe it?”
The second host turned to her. “I am so thrilled that Chloe wanted to talk with us again! I loved having her on a few weeks ago. So much has happened, hasn’t it?
The Windsor family’s been in the news a lot .
First of all, Gene Windsor, CEO of Windsor Enterprises, was arrested and formally charged.
” They showed an image of Gene being taken away in handcuffs and wearing his Gucci loafers, of course.
I braced myself, knowing what was coming next.
Host Number One arched her expertly groomed eyebrows.
“And it’s not the only scandal that’s rocked the family lately.
Our next guest also got into a smackdown with the American heiress Felicia Jones at a high-society wedding.
We’ve obtained an exclusive video—watch this.
” They showed a video of me wearing that provocative red jumpsuit, jumping on Felicia and pummeling her.
Ugh, I hadn’t known someone got it on film…
I saw Olivia’s shoulders slump. She hadn’t known, either.
The shot returned to the hosts; they both looked like their eyeballs might pop out. “That’s something,” Host Number Two said.
The first host nodded in agreement. “I can’t picture sweet Chloe doing something like that—so let’s bring her on and ask her. Please give our next guest, Chloe Windsor, a warm welcome!”
I longed for the floor to open up and swallow me whole, but alas, I just stood there until my image appeared on the screen. Thank God for Midge and her makeup brush because I looked a hell of a lot better than I felt.
“Hey there, Chloe!” The hosts smiled at me. “That was some introduction, huh?”
“Yeah. It was really something.” My palms started to sweat.
“Can we start off by talking about the wedding?” The first host asked gently. “What happened with Felicia Jones? I know there were rumors your husband was cheating on you with her—”
“And those rumors were totally false,” a male voice boomed. Bryce strode into the media room, past the stunned production assistant and an openly gaping Olivia Jensen, and joined me at the table.
“Hi, Chloe.” He kissed my cheek, then turned to face the cameras.
“Can you two hear me?”
The hosts blinked at him. “Yes, Mr. Windsor—Bryce—we can hear you through Chloe’s microphone.”
“Perfect.” Bryce gave them a wide smile.
He looked achingly handsome—with his hair pushed back from his face, a light beard, and his striking navy suit.
“I thought I should join you this morning to address some of these concerns. I never do interviews like this, but you two were nice to my wife before--I thought I would return the favor.”
The hosts looked as if they might start fanning themselves. Not only was Bryce super hot, but their ratings were going to be on fire! “Please, tell us everything . How’re you holding up since your father was arrested?”
“I’ll get to that in a moment.” He put his arm protectively around me. “First things first. My wife was encouraged to get into a fight with Felicia Jones by my father. He’s the one who was behind that; Chloe would never act that way. Although in my opinion, Felicia certainly deserved it.”
The hosts almost fell out of their respective chairs. “What do you mean? Why did she deserve it? What does your father have to do with it?”
“Felicia and I dated about a million years ago. She cheated on me and broke off our engagement. It took me a long time to get over it, but I did—and I’m so happy.
” He squeezed me tight. “But Felicia didn’t like it when I finally moved on, so she was texting me and being very inappropriate.
If you ask me, any woman who tries to steal someone else’s husband certainly deserves a bitch slap—if not more. Am I right?”
The hosts were practically fist-pumping. “Yes!”
“You tell it, Bryce!”
“But it was my father that orchestrated that fight. He was blackmailing Chloe. He’s never approved of her because she’s from a different background. He forced her to do that so she looked bad in the press—he wanted us to separate.”
The hosts nodded, eating up every one of my handsome husband’s words.
“And that’s why we’re here. Chloe is so brave.
She offered to do this interview by herself and take all the scrutiny.
She’s so selfless, she wanted to protect me and my position with the company.
But she shouldn’t have to face this alone.
I’m proud of my wife and the life we’re building together.
” Bryce smiled at the cameras. “And that’s why I’m here. ”
He turned to me. “Are you ready to tell them the truth, babe?”
I nodded. I was petrified, but I could face anything as long as Bryce was by my side.
I took a deep, shaky breath. And then I started telling the truth.
“I didn’t meet my husband at Dunkin’ Donuts. It started a little differently than that…”
We told them everything. On national television. In broad daylight. About the escort agency, Bryce’s father’s blackmail, the fact that he was the newly appointed CEO of Windsor Enterprises, all of it.
The best part of the interview was the end.
“What do you want to say to your father?” The host asked Bryce.
He squeezed me against him as he considered it.
“Ah, I know.” He grinned. “By the way, Dad, congratulations. You’re going to be a grandpa!”
* * *
The network told us later that our episode was the most watched (and re-watched) in the show’s history.
The hosts even sent us a gift basket, replete with a silver Tiffany’s baby rattle, a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne, and some sort of aromatherapy candle that was supposed to emotionally support you through the first trimester. I lit it, and it smelled great!
Not only was the candle lovely, doing the show had been a blessing.
Telling the truth about my background had been scary.
I was embarrassed for Bryce and Noah, but they both said they were fine.
Bryce didn’t get fired. There was an uproar in the press, but that was the thing about telling the truth.
Once it was out, there was no dirt left to dig.
In the end, it was like my mother said: sunlight was the best disinfectant. Thank goodness.
For his part, Gene didn’t take the news very well. He sent me several more menacing text messages, including phrases like How dare you, don’t you know who I am, and you’ll pay for this until Bryce took control and made arrangements to speak with him on the phone.
He put him on speakerphone so I could hear.
“Dad?”
“I can’t believe what you’ve done, legal’s going to undo everything , and then you’ll be out on the streets—”
“No, I won’t. You’re being prosecuted for other things, too, like violating your fiduciary duty to the company.” Bryce smirked. “Regina Hernandez is making a list and checking it twice.”
“Son…” Gene sounded so enraged that I could picture blood vessels popping from his forehead. “You have no right to dismantle everything I’ve worked for. I built my company from the ground up. I don’t deserve to be treated like this!”
“I’m going to respectfully disagree with you on that. I know you had plans to have Noah abducted. What were you thinking? I can’t believe that you’d do that. That’s a whole level lower than I thought you were capable of.”
“I was desperate. You wouldn’t break things off with your wife, and she was going to make us all look like trash. And that’s exactly what’s happened. I can’t believe you married an escort!”
“The thing is, she was never really an escort. She was just broke and scared and needed the money to protect her family. But you never looked below the surface, and that’s your loss.
I hope you rot in there, Dad. With all the additional charges, you won’t ever get out of jail again.
Have fun! Hope you make some nice friends. I hear the food is great!”
He hung up and put his face in his hands. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
I nudged him. “I’m sorry you had to be related to that.”
“Ha,” Bryce said, me too.”
* * *
Bryce turned to me. “I have a surprise for you.” He grinned at me. “Remember I told you about that shower bench in Beacon Hill, Mrs. Windsor?”
I grinned back. “How could I forget?”
He picked me up and cradled me against his massive chest. “You won’t ever forget it after tonight! I had one installed in Maine.”
I laughed. “When the heck did you have time to do that?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I’m on billionaire time, babe. And it’s always billionaire time.”
“It’s good to be you, huh?”
He nuzzled his scruff against my neck. “It is good.”
I had to agree with him on that.