Rage filled my veins and I clenched my fists, holding it all in, before I lunged over his desk and squeezed that stupid smirk from his pompous face.
I nodded, not trusting that I wouldn’t insult him if I opened my mouth and then ruin my plan.
As much as I wanted to run out, I forced myself to walk calmly out of his office, into the elevator, through the lobby, and out of the building.
Then, I didn’t hold back. I exhaled through my mouth and rolled my shoulders. I counted to fifty, thinking of a peaceful beach, the waves breaking on the sand. Charlotte sprawled on a beach blanket, and me seated beside her.
A little better, I fished my phone from my pocket and pressed the big red button on the screen, turning off the recording. Donnie’s reputation was in the palm of my hand, and he didn’t even know it.
Chapter Twenty
Charlotte
Liana and I had barely slept all night. Instead, we lay on her bed and talked. We talked about what happened, about how stupid I was for not suspecting anything, about Mason and how much of a jerk he was, about what I would do with my life from now on.
I had a couple of options. I could face the press and tell them what my mother wanted me to, but not act as innocent and betrayed as she wanted me to, then move on as I wanted. I would apply to another university—and hope there was still time to be accepted since it was the middle of August already—change my major; find an apartment; and find a part-time job, because the money I had in the bank wouldn’t last forever and I was sure, by now, my mother had frozen my trust fund and cut me from our other joint accounts.
Or I could move somewhere else. A small town—far away from here and uninterested in politics. Or move to Europe where no one would know who I was.
I wasn’t ready for all that though. I needed more time. Time to heal, time to think, and time to find my ground again.
In the morning, Liana’s parents went to work, Liana went to one of her classes, and I stayed alone. I moved from Liana’s room to the living room and sank on the couch, hugging a pillow and taking short naps between reruns of Once Upon a Time.
At lunchtime, Liana burst through the front door.
“Charlotte, you won’t believe what just happened.”
I sat straighter, afraid the press had found me, and now they were harassing Liana and her family. “What?”
With her cell phone in her hand, she sat down beside me.
“Don’t panic, okay. Just listen first.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Oh, Lord. “Tell me.”
“Mason contacted me through Facebook. He said you weren’t answering him anywhere and he had something urgent to show you. I ignored his messages, but then he sent this one.”
She turned her phone to me so I could read it.
Mason: Liana, please. I didn’t send those photos to the press, but I know who did and I can prove it. Please, call me.
A pang stabbed my heart. What now? “Did you answer?”
“Wasn’t going to, but something told me I should. I called him and we met right after my class, just off campus. He had a recording with him and I listened to it.”
“And?”
“He sent it to me through email, and I want you to hear it.” She went to the files in her phone and selected a voice recording. “Are you ready?”
Not really, but I nodded.
She pressed play and I held my breath. Soon, I heard Donnie and Mason’s voices. In a shock, I heard to the entire recording.
Something like anxiety and rage and disappointed and frustration and a whole bunch of other feelings assaulted me.
“Holy crap,” I said shakily.
“I know!” Liana took my hand and steadied it. “It wasn’t Mason! He told me that Donnie discovered you two, had the both of you followed, and then went to Mason and threatened him. He said if Mason didn’t break up with you, Donnie would send those pictures to a newspaper. Mason didn’t believe him because he thought Donnie wouldn’t do that to you, but Donnie did! And you thought it was Mason’s fault.” She smiled at me. “But Mason cares so much about you; he found a way to let you know the truth.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to think.
For one, Mason hadn’t accepted the deal with Donnie, and he let Donnie expose us. Sure, if it were me, I would also think Donnie was bluffing. He would never do that to me. But he did. Donnie was the one responsible for this mess. He was the one responsible for damaging my mother’s career.
Not Mason.
Oh, crap, Mason. Relief coursed through me, sending all the hate and pain away. My feelings for him, the ones I had kept locked away since this bomb exploded yesterday morning and thought I would never allow myself to feel again, resurfaced and I welcomed them.
With a tiny smile, I reached for my phone, but then I remembered it was stashed in Liana’s bedroom, turned off since yesterday.
“What are you going to do now?” Liana asked.
I frowned, thinking about it for a moment. “I need to find a way to fix this.”
Charlotte
Without wasting time, I called my mother’s assistant and asked her if my mother was having dinner in.
“No, but tomorrow she has a dinner scheduled with Senator Williams,” Sarah said.
“Oh, do you think I could stop by? I need to talk to her.”
“I think so.” She paused. “I know she’s upset but I know she really loves you, in her way. She’ll like it if you two can patch things up.”
That wasn’t exactly my plan.
“All right. I’ll be there,” I said. “Don’t tell her anything. I want it to be a surprise.”
“Okay. I won’t say anything,” Sarah responded.
Good. Next, I called Donnie and asked him to have dinner tomorrow with my mother and me at the Executive Mansion, if he could.
“For you, I can,” he said, sounding way too happy.
“Great. See you tomorrow.” I turned off the call before he could say anything else and try to keep the conversation going.
The next day, I arrived at the mansion a little past six. Sarah met me at the front door and guided me to the empty dining room, where the table was set for two people.
“Your mother will be here in fifteen minutes,” she said.
I took my usual chair at the table. “Thanks.”
With nothing to do, I looked around the formal dining room. Dark wood floors were polished to a perfect shine, the walls were dull white, big windows were covered with lush curtains, a crystal chandelier hung above the mahogany table, and several chairs with beige velvet cushions were set around the table. A china hutch stood against a wall, showing off all the crystal flutes and glasses, and a few crystal picture frames. My mother behind her desk on the first day as the governor of Virginia, my mother and I at my Sweet Sixteen birthday party—which was exactly how she wanted it, not how I wanted it—my father and her on their wedding day, and one of my father in his military uniform in front of a platoon somewhere in the world. Every picture on display had been carefully selected to show off our happy family and our accomplishments.
The doorbell rang, catching my attention.
Soon, I heard voices. Donnie must have arrived and my mother didn’t even know I was here yet. The voices grew louder until my mother, Donnie, and his father stepped into the dining room. Then silence reigned for a few moments.
“Charlotte,” my mother said my name as in a prayer, and I felt bad for deciding to confront Donnie before her and his father.
I stood. “Hi, Mother. Hello, Senator Williams. Donnie.”