The Pretend Girlfriend (A Billionaire Love Story #1)(41)

This is it, Gwen thought. Then she felt Aiden's hand find hers beneath the table. He squeezed her fingers lightly, and she squeezed him back. It soothed some of her nerves, but not all. She'd never been interviewed before, not even one of those random street corner things where the reporter asks you what you think about the crazy weather the city's been having.

So it was disconcerting to see the large, singular lens of the camera glaring at her. She could see her reflection in the glass slightly.

The reporter gave the cameraman a thumbs up and he started recording, a little red light beneath the lens glowing light the ember of a cigarette.

"Mr. Manning, my name is Sylvia Draper, with Channel 11. I hope you're doing well this fine, if somewhat chilly, evening."

"Yes, Sylvia, quite well. And please, call me Aiden. Mr. Manning is my father."

Sylvia nodded, pleased that Aiden seemed to be cooperating. "We're sorry that he can't join us tonight. Let me get down to it, Aiden. Do you really think your recent philanthropic efforts on behalf of Carbide Solutions will really improve the company's image on the world stage?"

Gwen gathered from the reporter's tone that the woman didn't seem to think his efforts amounted to much. This annoyed her. What right did this over-the-hill witch with her plastic face have to question him like that?

But Aiden just let her insinuation roll off. "Yes, I do. I am not my father, and I will see to it that the company's bottom line doesn't become more important than people's lives."

He really meant it, too. He grew more impassioned, and Gwen could see in the set of his jaw how important this was to him. And while the camera could catch that, it couldn't catch the way his hand squeezed hers again beneath the table.

"Bold words. I understand you're seeing someone now. Miss Gwen Browning, if my sources are correct. Care to answer some questions for our viewers?"

"Not at all. Gwen and I are quite happy to, in fact," Aiden said.

Gwen could figure out who Sylvia's source was pretty easily. She wondered what else Henry had told Sylvia about her, aside from her name. It's okay, she thought, we can get through this.

"How did you two meet?" Sylvia said.

"At a party thrown by the Astors," Aiden said.

Pretty easy so far.

"Tell me, Aiden," Sylvia said, "What do you see in Gwen that attracted you to her? Aside from her pretty face, I mean."

Aiden looked at her, then straight back at the camera. "Gwen is kind-hearted and passionate, trusting, optimistic. And she can be quite stubborn, too."

Gwen couldn't help smiling. Although the only part she really agreed on was the last one. It felt nice when he paid her compliments.

The questions went on like that for some time, relatively innocuous fluff things. Gwen did notice that their interview seemed to drag on considerably longer than any other. A few of the others reporters moving through the room finished two or more in the time Sylvia spent grilling them.


But she and Aiden managed to answer all her questions. Until they got near what Gwen thought (hoped) was the end. She had to keep making her hand relax, trying not to squeeze all the feeling out of Aiden's fingers.

"Gwen, is it true that you're experiencing some financial difficulties? My sources report that you were in arrears on your rent to the tune of thousands of dollars."

The smile dropped from Gwen's face. "What?"

"What kind of question is that?" Aiden started, trying to rush to her defense. This little "interview" had to be set up by Henry. It was the only explanation. He must have told Sylvia to hold off on that bombshell until last.

"Yes," Sylvia said, ignoring Aiden, "That's what my sources tell me. Isn't it a little strange that one week you're just a college student struggling to get the bills paid, and the next you're hanging off the arm of one of New York's most eligible bachelors?"

"I don't like what you're insinuating," Gwen said. She could feel her composure falling apart. Wasn't this just supposed to be a fluff piece? She hoped that no one she knew was watching. She hoped it wasn't live, that it was just a recording.

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm merely stating facts," Sylvia said.

"This interview is over. Come on, Gwen; we're leaving. Sylvia, if I see one word of this in print, if it comes out on some talk show or news piece, your editor can expect a libel suit," Aiden said. He helped Gwen to her feet.

"It's only libel if it's not true, Mr. Manning," Sylvia said.

A few of the people at the other tables must have overheard, at least in part. Little mutters chased them out of the conference room. Mutters and stares.

Rather than leading her back out through that gauntlet of camera flashes and curious reporters, Aiden took her out through a side entrance and had the Limo meet them there. He opened the door for her and then climbed in beside her.

"I'm sorry about that," Aiden said. He slammed his fist into the door. "I can't believe he did that!"

"How did she know about that stuff? About my rent?" Gwen said.

"Henry, of course. He did say he'd find out everything about you. He probably just passed some of it onto Sylvia. I just didn't think he'd be so brazen, is all. I thought it was just going to be an interview trying to trip us up on some detail of the relationship..."