CHAPTER 25: Live on Air

The Vanity Fair article went live at 5 AM.

I read it on my phone while Alexander made coffee, and by the second paragraph, I was crying.

"THE STERLING SCANDAL: How One Woman Destroyed a Family"

James Sterling sits across from me in his newly rented SoHo apartment—a far cry from the penthouse he once called home. His father, billionaire CEO Alexander Sterling, evicted him last month. The reason? A woman named Bella Martinez.

"She was my everything," James says, his voice breaking. "I was going to propose. I'd picked out the ring. Then one fight—one stupid argument about her jealousy—and she vanished."

What happened next reads like a soap opera. Bella, 26, allegedly seduced Alexander, 52, in what sources close to the family call "a calculated revenge plot."

"She knew exactly what she was doing," says a former colleague of Bella's. "She always talked about wanting to marry rich. When James wouldn't commit fast enough, she went for the bigger fish."

The article went on. And on. Painting me as a manipulative seductress. Questioning the baby's paternity. Suggesting I'd trapped Alexander with a "convenient" pregnancy.

There were quotes from "anonymous sources"—probably people James paid. Stories about me flirting with wealthy men at bars. Lies about my teaching career ending due to "inappropriate relationships with parents."

All lies.

All designed to destroy me.

"Don't read anymore," Alexander said, taking the phone gently. "We knew it would be bad."

"Bad? Alexander, he's saying I slept with students' fathers! That I got fired! That the baby might not even be yours!"

"And in two hours, we're going to tell the truth on national television." He cupped my face. "Breathe. We prepared for this."

"I don't know if I can do this."

"Yes, you can. Because you're stronger than James. Braver than him. And unlike him, you're telling the truth."

---

The GMA studio was chaos.

Producers rushing around. Cameras being positioned. The hosts—Michael and Robin—going over notes.

Victoria appeared with makeup artists. "We need to fix your eyes. You've been crying."

"I'm pregnant and my ex-boyfriend just called me a prostitute in Vanity Fair. I think crying is reasonable."

"It is. But on camera, we need you composed." She softened. "I know it's hard. But you're about to win this, Bella. I can feel it."

Michael approached us. "Mr. Sterling, Ms. Martinez. We're going live in ten minutes. I want you to know—we're not ambushing you. We'll ask tough questions, but we're giving you a fair chance to respond."

"Thank you," Alexander said.

"Have you seen the article?" I asked.

Michael nodded. "I have. And between you and me? I've known James Sterling for years. That piece felt... off. Too rehearsed. Too victim-y."

"That's because it's all lies," I said.

"Then tell America the truth."

---

The lights were blinding.

Alexander and I sat on the couch, his hand firmly holding mine. I could feel millions of eyes on us through the cameras.

"We're live in five... four... three..."

Michael's professional smile appeared. "Good morning, America. Today we have an exclusive interview with Alexander Sterling and Bella Martinez, responding to the explosive Vanity Fair article published this morning about their relationship. Thank you both for being here."

"Thank you for having us," Alexander said calmly.

"Let's address the article directly. James Sterling claims Bella deliberately seduced you as revenge. Is that true?"

"No," I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "James and I broke up three months before Alexander and I got together. I ended things because James was cheating on me—repeatedly—with multiple women."

"Do you have proof of that?"

Alexander pulled out his phone. "Text messages. Hotel receipts. Witness statements from three different women willing to go on record."

Michael's eyebrows rose. "You're saying James was unfaithful?"

"Serially unfaithful," I said. "For most of our relationship. I stayed because I loved him. I kept forgiving him. Until I couldn't anymore."

"The article claims you were planning to marry James."

I laughed bitterly. "James never wanted to marry me. He wanted someone convenient. Someone who'd look the other way while he slept around. That's not love. That's ownership."

Robin leaned forward. "Bella, there are claims in the article that you pursued Alexander for his money. How do you respond?"

"I was a teacher making $45,000 a year. I had my own apartment, my own savings, my own life. I didn't need Alexander's money." I took a breath. "What I needed was someone who saw me as an equal. Who respected me. Who didn't treat me like property."

"And you found that with Alexander?"

I looked at him. His eyes were warm, supportive.

"I found everything with Alexander," I said softly. "Respect. Partnership. Love. Things I never had with James."

"Mr. Sterling," Michael said. "You're 52. Bella is 26. Your son's ex-girlfriend. Some would say this relationship crosses ethical lines."

Alexander didn't flinch. "Some would say that. And I understand why. From the outside, it looks questionable. But here's what people don't see—Bella and I connected as equals. Not as my son's ex. Not as an older man and younger woman. As two people who understood each other."

"You fired your own son over this relationship."

"I fired my son for threatening Bella and our unborn child. For embezzling company funds. For sexual harassment of multiple employees. The relationship was just the catalyst that made me finally acknowledge what I'd been ignoring for years—that I'd raised an entitled, cruel young man who needed consequences."

The studio was silent.

"That must be painful to admit," Robin said gently.

"It is. James is my son. I love him. But I can't enable his behavior anymore. And I won't sacrifice Bella and our baby to protect him from consequences he brought on himself."

Michael turned to me. "Bella, the article questions the baby's paternity. Would you be willing to take a paternity test?"

"Absolutely," I said without hesitation. "I'll take ten paternity tests if that's what it takes. This baby is Alexander's. I was with no one else."

"And the claims that you're marrying him for money?"

I touched my stomach. "I'm marrying him because I love him. Because he's going to be an amazing father. Because when I wake up at 3 AM with morning sickness, he's there holding my hair and making me ginger tea. Because he listens to me. Values me. Chooses me every single day." My voice broke slightly. "Money can't buy that."

Alexander squeezed my hand.

"One final question," Michael said. "What do you want people to know about your relationship?"

Alexander answered. "That it's real. Messy, complicated, unconventional—but real. I've been alone for a long time. Building my company, raising my son, going through the motions. Then Bella walked into my life and everything changed. She makes me want to be better. Do better. And I'm not giving that up because people disapprove."

"Bella?" Robin prompted.

I looked directly at the camera. At America watching.

"I'm not perfect. This situation isn't perfect. But I'm choosing love over fear. I'm choosing honesty over image. And I'm choosing to build a family with a man who truly sees me." I paused. "If that makes me a villain in some people's eyes, I can live with that. Because I know the truth. And so does Alexander. And at the end of the day, that's what matters."

The interview ended.

As soon as the cameras cut, Victoria was on her phone.

"T*****r is exploding," she said, eyes wide. "Bella, you're trending number one. The paternity test offer—people are calling it a power move."

Alexander's publicist appeared. "CNN wants a follow-up. So does The View. Ellen's people called."

"The tone is shifting," Victoria continued, scrolling. "People are questioning James's narrative. Asking why he didn't mention his own cheating. Calling him out for playing victim."

I looked at Alexander. "Did we just win?"

"We told our truth," he said. "That's all we can do."

But as I checked my own phone, I saw it.

James had tweeted.

"Enjoy your fifteen minutes, Bella. This isn't over. Not even close."

A chill ran down my spine.

We'd won the battle.

But the war was far from over.