Page 17 of Battle with a Billionaire

“Oh, that’ll work. Why didn’t I think of that?” Grant said, crossing his arms as he straightened.

“Because that’s what you hired me for,” Kathryn said with a grin.

“I wasn’t being serious.”

“No kidding, Grant. Look, is this a setback? Yes. Is this a campaign killer? No.”

Grant stared down at the images, his features tugging into a frown. It wasn’t just the campaign he was worried about. He pictured Julia in her office at Harrington Global, taking a break from all the corporate pressures to check her newsfeed, then shrieking as she spotted his reputation splashed all over the front pages.

With his playboy persona confirmed in her mind, she’d be even less interested in staying with him beyond her contract. Kyle’s spiteful words floated through his mind. She deserves far better than you. He wasn’t wrong.

She’d once told him it was how we moved forward that defines us, but would she understand this?

“Grant, hello?” Kathryn said, waving a hand in the air. “We’ll fix this. But I need a few things from you.”

“What?” he asked, finally pulling his mind back to the present.

“First of all, I need you to stay clean. Like a Boy Scout. No arrests, no drugs, no affairs, not even so much as a stray glance at another woman’s rear-end. Got it?”

“Done,” he agreed easily. He had no reason to look elsewhere, not while he was trying to win over his current wife.

“Second, I need Julia on board with this. The wife’s support is always more meaningful than your commitment to change or whatever nonsense we’re writing in your statement. And yours is perfect. That little doe-eyed look and sweet smile as you blabber on about how you’re a changed man will turn the tide. People will think, gosh, if she believes in him, so do I.” Kathryn pumped a fist across her chest.

Grant heaved a sigh. He really didn’t want to go to Julia to ask for her support in this. She’d done enough for him. He wanted to sweep it neatly under the rug. Maybe if he played his cards right, she’d never even know about it. Harrington Global business could be all-consuming. It could eat up her life while this little scandal passed.

“Grant? You’ve got her support on this, right?”

“I’d rather handle it without her if that works.”

Kathryn flicked her eyebrows up. “Why?”

“She’s just stepping into her new role at Harrington Global. And–”

“And she’s your wife. She needs to be there to support her husband. I don’t care if she’s running two countries and raising six kids. Trot those little cuties out holding mommy’s hand and have her at your side.”

Grant heaved a sigh. “These photos are just a smear tactic against this campaign. They could do damage to my family, especially Julia. This could affect our future.”

“Is there a problem? Should I be bracing for another scandal when the current Mrs. Harrington announces her divorce?”

“No,” he said sharply. “No, there’s no marital problems. I just…don’t want to put her through this.”

“Then you shouldn’t have run for Senate. You knew your past. You knew they’d use it against you.”

He’d been stupid to do this. But then he would have had less reason to ask Julia to stay and less to offer her. He glanced at the pictures again. What did he offer her though, really? A damaged past and a questionable future. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Talk to her? Just tell her.”

“Well, I’d like to give her the option,” Grant insisted. He respected Julia despite the contractual nature of their relationship. He didn’t want to use Julia as his shield.

Kathryn’s features registered surprise. “This is a woman who stood by you days after your wedding when you faced a murder charge, then bailed you out of a fistfight with a man who turned out to be your own son. You’re telling me you don’t think she’ll stand beside you as you acknowledge your past mistakes?”

As the laundry list of his sins floated through the air, Grant wondered at what point she would stop supporting him. “Fine. I’ll prepare her for the latest blow.”

“Perfect. And lastly, start practicing your penitent face. We need this to be convincing on camera. You’re sorry. You’ve changed. You’re a new man. That sort of thing.”

“I have changed.”

“I don’t care. I just want you to be convincing on camera. And we’ll get an image consultant in here, we’ll make sure you both look just right. Oh,” Kathryn snapped her fingers in the air before grabbing a pen, “I’ve got it. We’ll book an interview. A portrait of the perfect marriage or something catchy like that. We’ll do a photo shoot. You, Julia, holding hands at Harrington House. You know, the value of real commitment and all that.”

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