Page 43 of Battle with a Billionaire

“Of course. Let me know if you want to bounce any more ideas off me. I’m happy to continue to be unhelpful with your decision-making.”

“You’re hardly unhelpful. But I’m not going to keep you up all night. You have a company to run.”

Her mind drifted to the plan she’d set in motion earlier today. Would it lead to anything, or would she merely be faced with another dead-end? She forced a smile onto her face, unwilling to reveal any part of it to her husband. “Yes, I do. Good night, Grant.

“Good night, Julia.” He clung to her hand for a moment longer, a slight smile curling the corners of his lips before he finally let go and strode from the room.

She sucked in a deep breath as the door thudded closed. The man she knew had no resemblance to the picture painted by those pictures. Which one was the real Grant?

She forced herself from the chair, exhausted from the day, and shuffled to her bed. She collapsed on the edge, glancing at her phone before she nestled under the covers. The notification light blinked, and she grabbed it from the charger as she settled back into the pillows.

Wondering if Ally couldn’t sleep, she swiped in to read her texts. She found nothing from her sister, but a message waiting from Kyle. Just checking in to see how you are.

A mix of emotions welled in her. She’d been upset when she’d left him, she supposed she should be pleased he checked on her, though every move he made seemed opportunistic.

She typed a response before she let the phone drop into her lap. I’m fine, thanks for checking. The photos were faked.

It didn’t take long for the response to come back. Really? That’s what he’s going with?

This time there was no mistaking her irritation. Yes. And I believe him.

A response bubble appeared, disappeared, reappeared, disappeared, then reappeared again. He was really struggling with his response. It finally appeared after a few moments. Okay, I’m not going to push it too much. But I just want to point out that it would be pretty hard to fake those photos.

Julia considered it as she tapped the side of her mobile. Would it? Would someone like Alexander Knight be able to pull it off? Surely, anyone with tech savvy could do it. With the way they manipulated cover models these days, would it be that hard?

She hadn’t thought about it before, but she should bring it up to Grant. It may make a difference in how his campaign played out. She’d do it first thing in the morning. For now, she typed a response back to Kyle. Would it? Not for someone who knew what they were doing.

He answered quickly. But why? If you can easily prove they’re fake, why go through the trouble?

The answer seemed clear enough to her. To cost him the election. They don’t need them to be real, they just need them released at the right moment to tank his ratings.

This time the response took longer. She imagined Kyle trying desperately to come up with a response that blamed Grant. Okay, if that’s the case, why not just release them?

Julia chewed her lower lip as she considered it. To the outside world, she wasn’t a steadfast partner, though, contracted to stand at his side through thick and thin. She typed back her response. To inflict maximum damage. What’s better than a cheating scandal and a divorce right before Election Day?

He answered within seconds. Okay, you have a point, though I am not quite as ready to believe him as you. But that’s a different subject.

A second message appeared after that one. Anything on your little plan with Christopher Metcalfe?

She flicked her eyebrows up at the message. Was Kyle actually willing to take a step back on pushing the boundaries with Grant? Progress.

As she typed her response, a twinge of frustration mixed with gratitude. He had an uncanny ability to push boundaries, but they had a certain ease, free from contractual pretenses. Though his tendency to challenge her stance on Grant always stirred a whirlwind of emotions she wasn’t ready to confront. Nothing yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.

I’m holding you to that, Julia. Talk tomorrow. Pleasant dreams.

She sent one last message telling him to have a good night before she dumped her phone on the nightstand, switched off her light, and slid down under the covers.

As she stared at the ceiling, the day’s events rolled past her mind again. This time, they felt less overwhelming. Just as her eyes started to slide closed, her phone buzzed. She glanced sideways at it, spotting her green notification light flashing. If Kyle had texted her to expound on his statements about Grant, she was not going to be pleased.

She snatched the phone and swiped into her messages. Nothing new from Kyle. Instead, she found a message waiting from Mike Donovan. We had a potential bite. Could be nothing, but I thought you’d want to know immediately. Let me know if you’d like me to follow up on this.

What followed was a screenshot of a set of text messages. I think I have something that may be useful.

The response was simple. Riverside Park East entrance, tomorrow, 7 pm.

She typed back a message to Mike. Thanks. Any idea who he’s talking to?

His answer dashed her hopes of making this easy. Negative. It’s a burner.

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