Page 46 of Battle with a Billionaire

Grant sighed as he clasped and unclasped his hands. “But my side sounds like someone not willing to take any accountability. We’d have an uphill battle proving any of this.”

“Then we have an uphill battle,” she said.

“And I may lose.”

“Then you lose. But at least you tried, right?”

His lips curled at the corners. “Right. That’s what I thought. I just…wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I don’t want another incident like the one we had after the press conference about the murder arrest.”

“You mean with the reporter questioning my reasons for supporting you?” she asked.

He nodded. She’d done a fantastic job fielding that question after only knowing him for a few days. But he didn’t want that cropping up again. Not because he didn’t believe she could, but because he felt more protective of her and their relationship than he had then.

“If that happens, I’ll handle it. I’m not a porcelain doll. I’m not going to break if someone asks me a question, Grant.”

“I know you won’t. But I don’t want you to have to do it whether you can handle it or not.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll be perfectly fine.” She rose and extended her hand to him. “Come on, you need to call Kathryn with your decision, and then we need to get to breakfast.”

He smiled as he took her hand and rose. He couldn’t be any more in love with his wife. She made things so easy. He hoped things went this easily once he confessed his feelings for her.

They stepped into the hall and headed for the stairs. “I’ll call Kathryn and give her the bad news, then see you at breakfast.”

“Okay, good luck,” she said as they parted ways.

He let his hand linger on hers for an extra second before he finally disappeared into his office. With his mind racing, he paced the floor. The election, once a beacon of his ambitions, now felt more like an albatross around his neck. He mulled over the cost of his integrity against the lure of political victory and potentially losing the respect of the one person who mattered to him.

He heaved a sigh and placed the call to Kathryn. The line trilled once before Kathryn answered. “Tell me you’ve come to your senses.”

“I’m not dropping out of the race. And I’m not admitting to this ridiculous accusation. I know that makes your job ten times harder, but I did hire you because you are the best.”

Kathryn hesitated a moment. “Julia’s on board with this? She’s okay with the idea that this is going to be the most difficult option?”

“She’s fine with it. Very supportive.”

“Good, because we’re going to need her. It’s one thing for you to deny this. It’s another for her to publicly say she believes you and supports you.”

“Do you think we’ll need her to make a statement?”

“Uh, yeah,” Kathryn said. “I told you this was the hardest option. If you’d have said you did it, you could have yammered on about how sorry you were and just her standing behind you is enough, but if you’re going to claim you’re innocent, people are going to want to hear that she believes that from you.”

Grant slid his eyes closed and shook his head. He hated this development, but he was determined to see it through. “Fine. I’ll let her know.”

“I’ll have our statement out to the press in fifteen minutes, then I’ll start fielding calls with the press. Depending on the response we get, we’ll put you in front of reporters this afternoon, and maybe Julia, too.”

“Alright. Let’s hope the response is good.”

“Hold on to your hat, Grant. This is going to be a whirlwind. If you’ve seen any of the public reaction, this hurt us badly. You’ve got one guy on there saying, ‘Once a playboy, always a playboy.’ A woman blabbing on about how sorry she feels for Julia. Get a thick skin, buddy, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

“Yeah,” he said, tension building in his shoulders. “Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do. Ciao for now.” The line clicked as Kathryn signed off to begin her arduous task. After a moment of uneasy reflection about his decision, he left his office behind, striding to the dining room for breakfast.

As he entered the space, he slowed, the tension in his shoulders ramping even higher as his jaw flexed. Kyle sat next to Julia, a hand on her shoulder as he offered her a consoling glance. Anger flared inside him. Kathryn hadn’t been kidding when she said it was going to get worse before it got better.

He cleared his throat as he entered the room and crossed to the head of the table. “Good morning, Kyle. We weren’t expecting you.”

“Sorry, but I wanted to drop by to offer Julia my support after those photos appeared on the news this morning.”

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