Page 53 of Without Judgment

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Mason

Mr. Newhall, along with three other people dressed in business attire, arrived around six o’clock in the evening. They congregated in his office to strategize while I hung out in order to try and find out as much as I could. Avery might wonder where my loyalty was, but I didn’t. The more I was in the know with her father, the more I could help her. Even if only by texting her brother to pass on information which would help her prepare.

Right now they were all discussing how best to summon his daughter down here without making her go on the defensive.

I knew from the earlier meeting this morning in his office that the plan was to control his daughter. As if she was the problem. I scoffed at the idea. Though I’d been as surprised as Avery to hear about the first note, it corroborated what I’d been thinking all along. This wasn’t about her. Instead, it had everything to do with Charles Newhall’s political campaign.

Although I’d presented him and his team with evidence of Edward’s gambling debts, I couldn’t definitively tie that to the video. But there had to be a link. He’d needed money. Someone else needed Mr. Newhall not in office. The question was who.

I wished for more time to figure out the connection and expose it. The key was Edward.

But first came the task of dealing with Avery. All of her father’s political advisors appeared to have their own brand of advice. Not one cared whether or not it was her on the video. Instead, their sole focus was how she needed to act once the video came out and, of course, the effect that would have on her father’s numbers. After this proposed meeting with her, I could picture her in tears, hurt once again her father was putting his campaign before her.

I regretted not giving Avery a copy of the second video; however, I’d reasoned it wasn’t mine to give. And after explicit instructions from her father not to give her the copy, I couldn’t break his trust. I had a feeling she’d gone and lumped me in with the others, making me feel like shit.

After a consensus that I should be the one to bring Avery down, the whole discussion turned out to be for naught.

She walked in all by herself. She looked absolutely stunning in a simple pair of skinny jeans with an off-the-shoulder black top and black heels. But the folder in her hand and the mischievous glimmer in her eyes gave me pause.

What are you up to, princess?

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Her father was the first to speak. “No, no, you didn’t. In fact, we have some things to discuss. Marion, do you want to start?”

Marion, the lone woman in the bunch of suits, took the lead. She began by addressing Avery as though she was a child. “My dear, we have a number of things to go over with you for next week. As you may be aware, this new video will be hitting at any moment. That means we need to be prepared to make a public statement. Unfortunately, this time around, we won’t be able to take the same tactic of having you avoid the media. Which means some planned appearances. So the first order of business will be your wardrobe.” Her gaze flicked over Avery while she spoke.

“What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“Nothing, except we need to go for a more innocent vibe. Something more conservative.”

Avery looked down at her outfit. “Jeans and a black top with black shoes aren’t conservative?”

“Not when the jeans are tight, and the shirt is showing your shoulder. We can go through your wardrobe and make some suggestions. The bright side is your father has allocated a budget for new clothing should you require it. Think of it as an excuse to go shopping.”

It was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes. How ironic that a week ago I would’ve said something similar to Avery. Now I knew better.

She simply smiled at the older woman. “Anything else?”

Marion forged ahead. “Your hair and makeup. We’ll need to ensure everything is subdued.”

Her hair was down, her makeup barely noticeable. How much more toned down could it get?

Avery’s hand came up. “My nail polish too? I’m wearing pink. Is that okay?”

I was ninety-nine percent certain she was messing with them, but Marion wasn’t picking up on her tone.

“Clear would be better.”

“Ah. So I couldn’t possibly be involved in a ménage with two men while my ex records it for the world to see if I wear clear nail polish?”

Marion turned red while her father shook his head and said with a cautious tone, “Avery.”

She wasn’t heeding the warning. “It’s a shame you wasted your money on your PR team because from now on I have my own representation.”

I worked to mask my amusement as everyone else appeared shocked.

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