Red Ring Series ♡Chapter Sixteen♡
Chapter 16 — “The Interview Trap” (Matt POV – 11 Days Until the Wedding)
"Emotions are part of caring. Something we both bring to our work…"
Summary: Matt agrees to a last-minute request to join his fiancée on a local talk show, expecting a short shelter-focused spotlight. Instead, they’re ambushed with questions about their relationship and wedding by a host with a grudge. The situation unites them in shared frustration and snark, leaving them closer than when they started.
Content Warnings:
- Manipulative parent behavior (reader’s father ambushing them into public appearances) - Passive-aggressive/invasive questioning (host with a grudge) - Mild verbal conflict/tension (snarky responses, hostile undertones) - Public embarrassment themes
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Divider by: @kodaswrld
Matt was on his way home from a surprisingly shorter day at the firm.
For once, it was a decent sunny day without too high humidity, and he was trying to enjoy the warmth on his face when his phone rang, blaring “ASSISTANT, ASSISTANT, ASSISTANT”.
One of her father's assistants was randomly calling, though he should be expecting them daily by this point.
He thinks this one's name is Tonya, but her father has so many, and he keeps forgetting to save their contacts under their names, so they've all run together at this point.
He answers politely and listens as they reply, “Good afternoon, Mr. Murdock. Are you familiar with the local talk show, 'Metro Mornings'? With Fallon Vane as the host?”
Matt usually listened to Spectral News for local information, but Metro Mornings did ring a bell, he thinks.
“Yes, I believe that sounds familiar. Why do you ask?”
Tonya's reply came quickly through the phone, “Ah, excellent! He's arranged for her to do a small donor spotlight for the shelter on Metro Mornings that will air tomorrow morning, and he'd like for you to be there as support for her.”
Matt raises an eyebrow at that. He's not sure why she would need his support for something related to the shelter, but he supposes the shelter deserves as much good PR as it can get, and he'll be there if she needs him.
He gives a polite agreement, and Tonya tells him to stay where he is, as one of her father's SUVs will be there right there to pick him up.
It didn't take long for the car to pull up beside him, and for him then to be quickly ushered into it by Tonya.
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Matt felt the vehicle slow down as they approached the building, and he was already reaching for the handle, opening the door before the assistant could scurry around to help.
He's rushed inside the building before he even had the opportunity to ask any questions. He's greeted with a mix of overly sterilized air, a distinct citrus floor polish, and a very heady haze of perfume that seemed to follow him everywhere.
He follows Tonya down a hallway filled with even more artificial scents and voices that sounded too practiced and polished. Too performative. His skin crawled with the feeling that there was more to what was going on.
Somewhere off to his left, he hears her before he's meant to. But her voice isn't right—it's exaggerated. Tight. Polite. Controlled. Too controlled.
Matt tilts his head slightly, focusing in and listening closer.
“Oh, uh-huh... yes, that was such a lovely event. No, I didn't expect frosting to be involved either.”
Then she laughs, but it's not her real laugh. It's fake. Forced. And something in his jaw ticks.
He frowns.
Something is definitely wrong. Not in a dangerous way, just not normal. Things were so polished to the point of being fake.
Forced smiles. Scripted words. He doesn't like it, especially with how she sounds.
But still, he's Matt Murdock. So, when the other assistant guides and explains to him to sit in a makeup chair he was guided to, he does so politely. His hands were folded neatly in his lap, but his jaw was set. He denies the suggestion of powder with a flat, “No, thank you.”
While in his seat, he can focus and listen further to everything around him. The hum of the studio, the buzz of cameras and bright lights, and the voice of the host getting into place.
All the guise of a smooth PR segment, but he could tell that under it all, something else was brewing.
And when he hears her voice again, a moment later, his fiancée's-he realizes it's not the room alone that's tense.
It's her.
And she's pissed.
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Matt was only in the makeup chair for a moment before he was up and guided to the studio set, where the buzzing of lights and the artificial hum of cameras grew even louder.
He finds himself beside her, in a soft, plush chair behind a table. However, he feels that she's as stiff as a board next to him. She's wound up tight.
He then realizes there's another presence on her other side.
He tilts his head, listening in again before he realizes it's her father. And oh, is he practically vibrating with excitement.
She murmurs out a small, almost clipped, “Hi, Matt. Glad you could join us,” before she goes quiet again.
He feels something twist in his chest and immediately thinks to himself, “She's too quiet again. She always goes quiet when something is wrong and she's upset.”
Especially after yesterday… after the cake tasting, the frosting, the way she curled up against him—he hadn't expected a greeting like this. But there's no time to ask. No time to process.
He hears another woman settle into the seat opposite her father. Fallon, maybe? He thinks that was the name Tonya mentioned. Her perfume is overwhelming—sharp and floral—and she clinks her coffee mug too loudly against the desk before rustling some paper.
She's bubbly, animated. Fake.
A cameraman calls out a countdown.
3… 2…
“Good morning, Metro! I'm your host, Fallon Vane,” she chirps toward the camera before turning to beam at their little trio.
She takes a moment to explain who they were and that they were her guests for the segment.
And then Matt can feel her smile. Wide. Too wide. Like she's about to sink her teeth into something.
She launches into the segment with barely a breath.
“So, you've both become something of a staple in the local news cycle lately—how are you adjusting to life in the spotlight?”
Matt's brows furrow.
That's not related to the shelter at all. Why isn't she asking about the shelter?
And why is this host's voice so familiar to him?
She replies while Matt is still trying to understand what exactly is going on, “It's definitely an adjustment. There's a big difference between attention for the shelter and… attention for your personal life.”
Matt hears her offer a smile, but it doesn't feel like one. It's tight. Strained.
“I'm more comfortable behind the scenes, helping people, not answering questions about what I'm wearing or how many times I've been photographed this month.”
Matt stiffens and immediately thinks to himself, “Oh... Oh no, something definitely isn't right.”
Matt takes a breath before he adds his response, trying to choose his words carefully.
He knows an interview wasn't ideal, but he tries to be civil.
“Uh, yeah, I mean we've both always been involved in the community, through the shelter and the firm. But this level of attention is… new.”
“Try to steer it back. Try to anchor it down.” He thinks.
“We're managing it the best we can, staying focused on the work that brought us together in the first place.”
And because he needs to say something, because she's radiating distress, he reaches for her hand.
He curls his fingers gently over hers on the table and adds:
“It helps to have each other.”
There's a beat.
He doesn't miss it... A slight hesitation before she lets him hold her hand.
But she doesn't pull away.
Not yet.
Fallon moves on to the next question, the bite in her smile still there and obvious in her voice.
“There's been a lot of speculation about your relationship… how would you describe your dynamic?”
Matt feels her tilt her head slightly as she thinks before she answers Fallon.
“We're figuring things out. Just like most couples do.”
Matt nods in agreement and adds, still in a polite tone.
“We've been through a lot already. I think that tends to build trust… or at least, a strong foundation.”
Fallon hums like she's impressed with the answer, but there's a smugness under it.
Matt doesn't like that hum. It feels rehearsed. Like she already knows what she wants the headline to be.
Then comes her next question, too casual to be innocent.
“You looked so emotional at the last event. Is that common for you?”
The air shifts. Matt feels her still beside him, just for a second. Just long enough to clock that she's choosing her words carefully.
Her voice is sweeter than sugar when she replies:
“No, that usually only happens when stuck-up women smear frosting on me.”
A beat of silence.
Matt blinks. He can feel Fallon tense across the table—her heartbeat gives her away.
And suddenly, the voice clicks. The perfume. The sugar-coating. The goddamn fake laugh.
He remembers her.
Oh.
Oh.
It's her.
Fallon tries to laugh it off, but there's a slight tremble in it now.
“I think we were all caught a little off-guard that night!” she chirps.
Matt leans forward slightly, resting his arm on the table, tone still polite, but now there's a sharper edge under it.
“Emotions are part of caring. Something we both bring to our work…”
A pause. A tilt of his head. A razor-thin smile.
“…more than some people bring to a fundraiser.”
He hears someone behind the camera choke slightly. Fallon doesn't respond right away. Matt hears her blink a few times, but she keeps going, though her voice wobbles slightly.
“Your father's been so generous to the shelter. How involved is he in your day-to-day?”
That does it.
Matt feels her spine straighten next to him, her tone no longer pretending.
“Not involved. The shelter runs independently, and that's how it should be.”
Matt nods once, slow and deliberate.
“His name might be on some of the checks,” he says, voice low and steady, “but the work… the care, the heart… that's all her. Always has been.”
There's no mistaking it now. They're both done playing nice.
Fallon taps her pen twice on her notepad. The cameras are still rolling, but the energy in the room has shifted entirely. She clears her throat and pastes on another smile.
“Some critics have said your engagement seems like a distraction from your individual missions. How would you respond to that?”
Matt's jaw ticks.
He hears her shift next to him, breath shallow like she's biting back the impulse to lash out. But Matt cuts in before she can.
“Only people who don't understand what we do would call it a distraction.”
His tone is firm, calculated.
“We haven't lost sight of our missions. If anything, we've just found someone to walk through them with.”
She lets out a quiet breath beside him. Like relief.
Fallon doesn't even blink before she tries to regain control by lobbing out the next one:
“And you, Mr. Murdock, has this relationship impacted your focus at the firm?”
Matt tilts his head, slow and deliberate. That lawyer calm. That careful, precise confidence.
“No more than hosting a talk show impacts your journalistic integrity.”
He smiles.
“We all find balance where we can.”
He swears he hears someone snort offstage.
Fallon's smile is tighter now. Desperate. So she goes for the obvious bait. She flips to a new page on her notepad with unnecessary flair.
The paper hisses. So does her voice.
“Have you two decided on a date yet—or are you still in the 'adjustment period'?”
Matt hears the shift in her tone—sweet on the surface, laced with bite underneath. He doesn't miss the slight emphasis on adjustment.
He stays still. Calm. But he can sense her tense beside him again. Can practically hear her teeth grinding as she forces out a response.
“We've picked a date. And I've picked my dress. And I'm sure it'll be a beautiful event… assuming no one throws dessert this time.”
Matt adds politely, but there's a dryness to his tone now.
“The venue's confirmed, the officiant's booked, and I'm planning on showing up on time... though I might skip the pre-show interview.”
Matt's usual smirk returns to his face when Fallon let out a dry, little huff of a laugh before she continues, obviously trying to wrap the interview up now.
She really wants them out of her studio now.
“Well, we'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the wedding photos, then! Can't wait to see them in the press!”
She smiles sweetly and replies politely, but the bite in her tone is still there.
“Oh! Don't worry. If frosting's involved, I'm sure you'll be the first to know.”
Matt is almost certain that the one who snorted earlier offstage just let out a snicker at that.
They all politely shake hands before the cameraman gives the signal that it's all a wrap.
Matt can hear Fallon mutter out, sounding as sincere as cold oatmeal, “Pleasure having you both.”
Matt feels her moving beside him as she jerks her mic off and shoots out of her chair, immediately making her way to the nearest exit.
He'd been removing his mic carefully—methodically—but the sharp click of her heels says she's storming off. He tears his off in a rush and follows her without thinking.
Matt hears her father call after them as he goes to speak with Fallon and deal with her alone, “Great job, you two! Big publicity boost!”
Neither of them acknowledges him, but before she can make it out of the door, he pulls her into a hug and murmurs almost teasingly in her ear.
“For the record, I only held your hand to keep you from lunging at her.”
He hears the soft little chuckle from her as she mutters back just as playfully, “You're lucky you're not wearing your awful slides today, you wouldn't have been able to hold me back with those bad boys on.”
He chuckles softly at that, and something about her tone makes him relax just a little as he thinks: “She's mad. But not at me.”
He presses a sweet, gentle kiss to the side of her head before they make their way out to the car.
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The ride is quiet for a bit as they both decompress.
He can hear her letting out deep, relaxing breaths and can imagine she's probably counting down in her head.
She lets out one last deep breath that ends up turning into a yawn, and he chuckles softly at that.
He can hear the frown in her voice as she finally speaks, “I hate that he thinks he can just… use us like that.”
Their hands find each other's, fingers lacing easily. He gives her a gentle squeeze. “He ambushed you. I won't let that happen again.”
The warmth returns to her voice as she replies, the genuine smile obvious in her tone at his reassurance. “Thank you, Matt. That helps a lot.”
She pauses, then chuckles. “I know we've been putting it off, but we really need to stop at my apartment. I'm running out of things to 'borrow' from your closet.”
Matt grins. “Yeah, I've noticed.”
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