Page 21 of Interview with the Billionaire

S. Steele: No. I was being flip. We were good friends long before that.

Bridge: And how did that friendship develop?

[Sylvia looks to Jackson as if for guidance. As far as I can tell, he gives none, but she reacts as if she got a response.]

S. Steele: The truth is, the more I saw of her, the more I liked her. Damien is a brilliant man and extremely talented. Nikki is as well. They match each other. Even just seeing their relationship from my desk, I could tell that that they complement each other. A mutually beneficial relationship.

[Jackson takes Sylvia’s hand at this point and squeezes it.]

S. Steele: To be perfectly honest, I made a point of getting to know her better after the business with the painting went public. She wasn’t used to being the Celebrity of the Month, but she handled it well. And honestly, I think Damien got off cheap.

Bridge: You have no problems with the fact that he paid her a million dollars as a sitting fee for a nude portrait.

S. Steele: None at all. And I hope you don’t either. It’s a fabulous painting.

Bridge: It is. And for what it’s worth, I intend to tell her so.

S. Steele: Oh. Well, I’m glad to hear it.

Bridge: You were caught up in a similarly visible scandal when Jackson was arrested for—

J. Steele: No.

Bridge: I’m sorry.

J. Steele: You’ve crossed the border. Move back into Damienland. The press has covered that murder more than enough, and neither Syl nor I have a comment for you.

[I glance to Sylvia at this point and she nods.]

Bridge: I apologize. I tend to do very conversational interviews. You never know where they’ll lead.

J. Steele: Not a problem. Just back up and take a different road.

Bridge: The first project you two worked on together was The Resort at Cortez, correct?

J. Steele: Yes. Sylvia brought me on.

S. Steele: It was my first job as a project manager. I was still on Damien’s desk, but he knew that I wanted to move into real estate. We lost the original architect and the project was in danger. I—well, I recruited Jackson.

Bridge: I can see why. Jackson was certainly on the rise. A bona fide starchitect.

S. Steele: That’s right. His career was exploding. Which made him a huge asset if we could land him.

Bridge: I assume you were eager to sign on. That must have been a plum project—working with your brother. Two men at the top of their game.

[For a moment, I think he’s going to laugh. Instead, he shifts in the chair, kicking his feet out and looking completely relaxed.]

J. Steele: Back then I wanted nothing to do with the project. Not with Sylvia. Not with Damien. And that’s another road we don’t need to go down. Suffice it to say I got over it. My brother’s a talented man. That’s why I have a permanent West Coast office in Stark Tower now.

Bridge: You said “not with Sylvia.” Had you two met before?

J. Steele: We’re not shifting to an interview about us. Suffice it to say we met in Atlanta a few years before work on The Resort at Cortez.

Bridge: How did—

[Jackson holds up a finger, then waves it.]

Bridge: From what I understand, The Resort at Cortez was a huge success.