by Sienna Snow
“Those weren’t the words she used.”
“It was close enough.”
“Whatever. You going to help me or not?”
“I’ll give it a shot, but remember you don’t have much to bargain with. You need her more than she needs you.”
Ashur released a frustrated breath. “Use my money. She needs funding for her projects. I don’t care if you promise her half my net worth. It’s not as if I’ll spend it in this lifetime or the next.”
“So in other words, you’re going to buy her?”
“It’s a mutually beneficial business decision. She gets unending funding to save the world and I get a wife who will endear herself to the masses. Just make sure you don’t forget to detail expectations on both our parts in a thorough contract. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”
“You’re the only man who could make marriage to the only woman he’s ever loved into a business decision.”
“That’s all it is. The past is the past. Tara made a choice when she left.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. After everything that happened this weekend, I can’t believe you’d hold on to old mistakes and hurts. You know the truth, and you’re still hiding your head in the sand from it. She was innocent. You want a villain, then look at your father. He’s the bad guy in this, not Tara.”
“Stay out of it, Veer. Why don’t you figure out how to handle your conservative princess and how she’s going to react instead of giving me unsolicited advice?”
Unfazed by Ashur’s jab, Veer responded, “It’s not unsolicited if I’m doing your work for you. Your ass should be the one proposing to Tara. If we win, I can almost see how it will look when the first lady tells the world the vice president was the one who proposed to her instead of her husband.”
“Funny, asshole. At least Tara likes you and will consider anything you offer her. If I went to her she’d slam the door in my face before I got one word out.” Ashur sighed. “This isn’t how I thought I’d marry her, but at least I’ll have her.”
My stomach burned as I realized exactly what Veer and Ashur were orchestrating. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t believe this was their secret. Why hadn’t I figured it out? The clues were everywhere.
“Well, as you said, you’ll still have her.”
Ashur checked his watch again. “V, make it happen. I have to go talk to Sam and fill her in.”
“Good luck.”
“I’m not the one that will need the luck. We’re about to take the wind from Jacinta’s sails.”
“She’ll understand.” Veer paused. “At least, I hope she will when she hears about it.”
“You aren’t going to tell her?”
“We broke up.”
“What? You love her. Why the fuck would you do that? I thought I was the moron out of the two of us.”
“It’s better to cut it off completely.” Veer’s voice was gruff as he responded. “The longer I waited, the harder it was.”
He was hurting as much as I was.
“Shit. I’m sorry, man.”
“As I said, it’s for the best.”
“I guess. I’ll talk to you on my drive back to Houston. Time to go face the Samina tiger and hope she doesn’t eat me for breakfast.” Ashur pressed the off button on the phone and then gazed out to the water.
After a few moments, he turned and walked inside the house. I quickly pressed myself against the wall and stayed out of sight.
My mind reeled. What was I going to do?
With Tara, there was no way Ashur wouldn’t win. He was too conservative for a so-called Independent, even with Veer’s liberal-leaning tendencies on his ticket. It was Tara who would show he was more than a politician.
Tara had endeared herself to the younger demographic of the nation. Because of her, there had been an influx of people joining humanitarian efforts, not only in the US but all over the world. Her international popularity would open doors our current president had shut because of his antics.
My hands shook as a sense of betrayal settled on my shoulders. Ashur and Veer were positioning themselves for a ruthless fight for the presidency. They were checking all the boxes to win.
Veer had held this secret close to his chest for months. There was no way a decision like this was spur of the moment. We were lovers, friends, and I thought so much more.
If he and Ashur won, I’d go up against them in four years.
I pressed my palms to my eyes, letting my tears drip down my cheeks. Ashur was taking my dream and making it his. And on top of that, Veer was helping him do it.
How could they do this to me?
How could the man I loved position himself between me and the one thing I’d spent my life working toward?
Accepting Ashur’s proposal was the reason Veer had made the final decision to end us. He was on a timeline. It was either I gave up my ambition for him, or we broke up.
No, that wasn’t fair. Veer had wanted me to marry him a year into our relationship, and he’d never once told me I had to give up the future I’d planned.
Oh God, why hadn’t I said yes? Then we wouldn’t be in this situation.
Inhaling deep, I reined in my emotions and thought of a game plan. First, I was going to have my tea with Sam and enjoy her company for the short time we had left together. Then, I was going to tend to my guests before we said our goodbyes. Finally, when it was just Kevin and me left, we were going to re-strategize our game plan for the next few months. This news would affect him as well. And if there was one thing we were good at, it was adjusting our plans for the future.
Chapter Eleven
Two weeks after leaving Austin, I exited my car at the basement entrance of the Rosewood Washington Hotel in the heart of Washington DC. Ashur had yet to make his big announcement, something I knew would occur any day.
I’d spoken with Samina in great detail about what was going to happen, and I’d resolved myself to the fact that more than likely I’d go up against Ashur in four years. It hurt deep inside to know people who I considered family would become my enemies. No matter how we felt behind closed doors, in public, we’d have to stay strictly along party lines. The worst part was my best friend would side with her brother and I couldn’t expect anything else of her.
Then there was Veer. I hadn’t heard from or spoken to him since he left my house that weekend. The only news I’d heard about him was when Veer had ruffled a few feathers in Texas by repeatedly voicing his opposition to the president’s spending bill, especially his handling of education funding for states falling behind the national average. Veer and I had conflicting views when it came to government spending, but education was an issue we agreed on. Texas was almost at the bottom of the list on education, and our state needed to increase funding for public schools.
A few of my colleagues had given me the side eye when I informed them I wouldn’t be voting in support of the president’s spending bill. I may have been his public protégé but I wasn’t his puppet, and people were going to know it.
Releasing a sigh, I focused on the guards approaching me. There was no point in wallowing in a situation that I had no control over. At this moment, I had more important things to handle.
Spreading my hands out, I waited for security to frisk me and then take me inside.
“Senator Camden, Mrs. Edgar is waiting for you. As you were informed earlier, no one is to know this meeting occurred,” the first lady’s secretary, Mary Davis, said the moment I passed through the doors.
“This shouldn’t be a problem since any news of this would be detrimental to both of us.”
She was protective of her boss, something I could respect. Mrs. Amanda Edgar had endured humiliation and criticism that would have destroyed a weaker woman. She’d experienced the plight of many women who thought they had a loving and committed marriage only to learn it was all one-sided. Except, the first lady’s was through a public discovery.
The news of the affair broke during a family vacation the president and the f
irst lady had taken with their adult children. A national newspaper reported the president had had a five-year affair with his assistant and had only ended it weeks before taking office. Mrs. Edgar was further embarrassed to learn everyone around her had covered it up.
She’d held her head high, knowing that divorce wasn’t an option until the president left office without causing more scandal. Instead, she threw herself into projects that meant something to her, everything from childhood literacy to women’s health. Her work was the only saving grace for the current administration.
“This way. We have a long walk, but it is necessary.”
I nodded again and followed Mary through a back hallway in the basement of the hotel. After clearing two more hallways and climbing three sets of stairs, we reached a room guarded by six Secret Service agents. One of them nodded to Mary and then opened the door.
I followed Mary inside to find more agents in the corners of the classical French-designed room and the striking first lady sitting by the fireplace while sipping a cup of tea. Her long blond hair was tucked into a loose but stylish bun and her baby-blue day suit accentuated her fit form. She was anything but an aging woman in her early sixties. She had the appearance and physique of a woman twenty years younger. The only things that showed her years were her green eyes. They were filled with knowledge and sadness.
“Mrs. Edgar, thank you for meeting with me.” I offered her my hand, and she stood, taking it.
“Jacinta, it is so good to see you.” She kissed my cheeks, released my hand, and gestured to a seat next to her. “Come sit. We have a lot to go through in a short amount of time.”
I took my place in the antique armchair and pulled out two folders, handing one to the first lady and placing the other one on my lap. “These are the logistics we discussed in detail. It has the timeline of negotiations Ms. Zain was involved in, as well as everyone she encountered. We’ve put in a date that we suggest you say was when you became involved in the No Bride project.”
“Since Mary was part of the planning, I’m sure it is exactly what I requested. It’s a shame Ms. Zain isn’t here—I would have loved to meet the legend in person. However, I completely understand her wanting to keep the spotlight away from us.”
“Once you make the announcement that No Bride will become your project, it will take the president’s focus off her and end the push for a probe into her actions.”
A frown touched her face. “Henry has a way of turning the scrutiny away from his actions and toward those of others. I should know—he threw me to the media and had them question why I accepted his infidelity, instead of admitting he was wrong.” There was a bitterness laced with sadness in her tone that made me want to hug her.
I remembered a recent conservative news broadcaster who said the first lady was a terrible role model to young women for putting up with the president’s affair. I couldn’t believe the reporter’s words. He completely ignored the fact she was a victim of the situation and tried to make her a villain.
“It is easy to criticize when they aren’t in your shoes. We live in a world of double standards.”
“Thank you for that.” She patted my hand. “Now let’s get to the nitty gritty and finalize how we’re going to stick it to my husband and come out smelling like roses.”
I laughed and started detailing every step of the next few weeks.
A few days after my meeting with the first lady, Trisha walked into the living room of my DC townhouse with a large bouquet of roses and a gift box.
“Senator, these arrived for you.”
“Who are they from?” I asked, but I knew who sent them. If there was one thing Kevin was good at, it was remembering special days. Plus, he was due any minute to take me out to dinner.
“It says a secret admirer.” She smiled.
I frowned. Kevin never addressed himself like that. If he were going to write anything, it would be something with a bit of humor, like, “From your sexy frog turned prince.”
I stood up from my couch, placing my book on the side table, and moved toward Trisha. “Set them on the coffee table.”
“I have to say you are one lucky lady with Kevin Stanton. He’s gorgeous, successful, and adores you. He’s going to make this birthday special.”
I nodded and picked up the card, seeing it was the exact message Trisha had said. Then I opened the gift. As the paper came loose, my heart began to pound into my ears.
Oh God, he wouldn’t. I reached in and pulled out a ruby-and-diamond-encrusted key. Tears filled my eyes as the memory of something Veer had said to me years ago when we were friends and nothing more surfaced.
The one I fall in love with will hold the key to my heart until the day I die. Even if we go our separate ways, she will be the only one for me.
My fingers shook around the pendant. Veer had known I’d remember. I remembered everything.
Oh, Veer.
“Wow. That’s the Tiffany Keys Round Star pendant. It’s like fifteen thousand dollars.”
I remained quiet, staring at the gems twinkling against the light.
Trisha must have picked up on my melancholy because she set her hand over mine. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed it was from Mr. Stanton.”
“It’s okay.”
“If it makes you feel better, Governor George isn’t doing much better without you.”
My gaze shifted to Trisha’s. She’d known about Veer and me from the time our affair started. Even if I’d thought to keep it from her, there was no hiding what I was doing. Trisha knew the ins and outs of my life better than I did.
“How would you know?”
“We assistants talk, and Abigail, Governor George’s, said he spends most of his free time holed up with Mr. Kumar or brooding while staring at a picture of you he keeps hidden in his office.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Would you mind giving me a few minutes alone? I need to get myself together.” As she turned toward the door, I added, “Also, will you tell Bridget to get the guest room ready? Mom and Dad will be staying with me for a few weeks until the end of renovations on their townhouse.”
Trisha nodded and left, closing the door behind her.
I picked up my phone from the side table and dialed Veer’s number.
“Senator Camden,” he said in his deep, raspy timber. “What can I do for you?”
“Vee…Governor George.” My voice cracked. “How are you?”
“Busy. Was there a reason you called?” he asked coolly.
“I wanted to say thank you for my gift.”
“You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Senator Camden.”
What was with the Senator Camden references? Even if we weren’t together, I’d thought we’d be friendly if not friends.
“Why are you being so formal?”
“Because it’s the way it has to be. Ashur filed today. You and I are no longer on the same side.”
His words were like a slap to my face. My body shook as I sat down on the sofa.
“Then why did you send me something that would rip me apart?”
“It wasn’t meant to be…”
I cut him off. “You knew I would remember. Damn you.” Tears streamed down my face. “I’d rather you not contact me at all.”
“Fuck. Jaci. Please don’t hang up,” I heard, just as I pushed the end button.
Dropping my phone on the couch, I folded my legs under me and sobbed, still clutching the key held tight in my palm.
This separation hurt more than I’d ever thought possible. I missed Veer so much. Why had I called him?
For the past weeks, I’d kept my mind off Veer by throwing myself into work and the plan with the first lady. It was only when I was alone or when I found something he’d left behind in a random spot, like his cufflinks in the townhouse, that the sadness would come back full force. Now I was left with collecting everything and putting it away so I wouldn’t have to see it again.
“Baby girl, what’s wr
ong?”
Stiffening, I glanced at my father, who stood in the doorway of the living room. He held a tuxedo jacket over one arm, and his tie was unknotted and lying on his shoulder. The worried expression on his face made me want to crawl onto his lap as I’d done when I was a little girl for comfort. Dad was a hardnosed politician, but with me, he was always my daddy, who would jump at the chance to slay my dragons.
I gave him a tight smile and then gazed down at the diamond pendant.
He came to sit next to me on the sofa. He took my hand in his and then the key from my palm. He turned it over and saw the inscription I’d missed earlier.
My heart forever.
Fresh tears surfaced, making me wipe at my cheeks.
“Jacinta, if you ever want to win the election in four years, if you ever want to have any hope of becoming president, you can’t go back with him.”
My gaze shifted from the pendant to Dad’s knowing eyes.
“Don’t look at me that way. I’ve known you’ve been together for years. I have no idea what broke you up, but it’s for the best. I’m not blind. That man loves you, and for some reason, he gave you up. Think of it as a blessing.”
“I wish I could,” was all I said.
“Kevin is the right choice for you. I know you care for each other and that he’s very protective of you. Maybe, given some time, you’ll grow to love him. Having him by your side will give you a solid foundation, and in four years, you’ll be a shoo-in for the party’s nomination.”
“Dad, I don’t think I’ll ever get over Veer.” I rested my head on his shoulder as his arm came around me, pulling me to his side. “And I know I’ll end up hurting Kevin in the long run. He deserves better than me, but he is willing to ride this crazy train to the White House.”
“Does Kevin know about you and Veer?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“And he’s okay with it?” The disbelief was obvious in his voice. My dad was an alpha male who’d never stand for his woman seeing anyone else.
“We don’t have a traditional relationship. It is more a friendship.”
Dad shook his head. “I will never understand this. That boy is a great young man. It makes no sense why he’d let you have a full-blown affair with another man.”
