Page 38 of Battle with a Billionaire

“No, he wasn’t. He just…happened to be in the office when I got them.”

“So, he came to the office again. He really can’t stop crossing lines, can he?”

“Grant, that’s neither here nor there.”

Grant leapt from his seat and paced the floor behind his desk. “He did this on purpose. I can’t believe him. Oh, I bet he really enjoyed this. What he didn’t count on was you showing them to me. You can bet on that. He figured he’d finally clinch it in your mind.”

“Grant, I don’t think he did this. And the more time we waste on Kyle, the more time we don’t spend dealing with this.”

“It’s him, Julia. He practically told me that on the phone a few minutes ago.”

“He called you?”

“No,” Grant said. “I called him. Kathryn had word that something was brewing and would hit about an hour ago, but she couldn’t find anything on any of the usual channels. She asked if it could be Kyle-related. I called him to ask.”

Julia offered a sarcastic chuckle. “I bet that went over well.”

“Like a lead balloon.” Grant sank back into his chair as his eyebrows knitted. “Although, he did say he had nothing to do with it. That I hung myself.”

“He thinks the pictures are real.”

“Or so he says.” Grant tightened his fingers into fists.

“Grant, whoever did that had extensive resources to create those images. If they’re fake, they’re good fakes.”

Grant’s features turned stony as the words tore at him again. “They are fake, Julia. I’ve already told you that.”

“I’m sorry. My point is they’re well done. They look real. Proving they aren’t will be difficult.”

“But they are fake, Julia, I swear.”

She slicked a lock of hair behind her ear as she chewed her lower lip. “That’s not my concern. If these get anywhere beyond me, this could destroy your campaign. This must be whatever Kathryn caught wind of.”

He stared down at the photos again, imagining them splashed all over the news. It fed right into the playboy image they’d already laid the groundwork for with the old photos. But what bothered him more than those images being spread all over New Orleans or them costing him the election were the cold words from Julia. That’s not my concern.

He wanted to slam his hands on the desk and shout at her that it was her concern. He desperately wanted it to be her concern.

“But why would they send them to me?” she murmured aloud.

“Julia, before we get into that…I…disagree with you. This is your concern.”

“Well, yes. I realize your image is at stake here–”

“No,” he interrupted sharply. “I…we…we agreed to have no extramarital affairs, and I’ve stuck with that. I don’t want you to think you’re supporting a fake image of me. You’re not.”

She studied him for a moment before her features softened. “I appreciate your honesty. And these certainly don’t match with the man I know. But sadly, outside of us, this could be incredibly damning. I mean…I know you don’t want to hear his name, but Kyle believed it immediately.”

“He would,” Grant said with a sigh. “And I’ll bet you got a nice earful about how he told you so.”

“He showed some restraint.”

“How magnanimous of him,” Grant spat out.

Julia heaved a sigh. “I think you’d better call Kathryn and see what she recommends. I can’t imagine these are only going to be sent to me.”

“You’re right.” He collected his phone from the desk with a sigh. “Unbelievable.”

Forty-five minutes later, Kathryn Wentworth’s heels tapped a rhythm across the hardwood in his office. “And you swear they’re fake.”

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