Page 105 of The Girlfriend Card
“Then it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to plant a story about me cheating on you, was it? A rotten cheater isn’t exactly First Lady material.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Leo dismissed my concerns with a wave of his hand. “Did you notice that none of those pictures in that article showed any kind of intimate relationship? Wedohave pictures of you and Dakota holding hands and kissing, for example, but those weren’t used. Can you guess why?”
“So you can deny it,” I murmured.
“Bingo. All we have to do is issue a denial that you and Dakota are friends and nothing more. The story is discredited, buried, and completely forgotten about in a matter of days.”
“As long as I go along with Dad’s plan, right?”
“Well, yes,” he said matter-of-factly.
“So predictable.” I shook my head with a cynical laugh. “And I’m sorry, but I’m still having a hard time seeing you as a futurePresident,by the way.”
“I won’t be eligible to run until I’m thirty-five, of course,” he replied. “But eight years of experience under my dad’s administration will go a long way towards building connections and gaining experience. During that time, I’ll also run for congress and start building my own political profile.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds? This is absolutely insane.You’reinsane if you think you can just plot the future out like that.”
“Okay, Tavi,” Leo said with a shrug. He clearly didn’t think it was all that crazy. “It doesn’t really matter what you think of it. You only have to decide how you want this to proceed.”
That’s when it struck me: none of this would be necessary if they didn’tneedme. I started to smile, feeling my power.
“You’re smiling,” Leo observed. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking, it sure seems likeIhold all the power here. So in actuality,youguyshave to do whatIwant, if you want me to play along.”
Leo snickered, his eyebrow arching in amusement. “How do you figure that?”
“Because Dad still needs us to be married for his crazy fucking plan to succeed.”
“Eh …” Leo showed his teeth in a grimace. “I wouldn’t be so sure. Sal has every outcome war-gamed. There’s really no way he can lose here.”
“Oh yeah?” I folded my arms indignantly. “So what happens if I refuse to play along? What if, instead of denying the affair, I come out and say the rumors are absolutely true? That Dakota and I are a couple?”
“Do you know your dad’s motto for public relations? ‘Let no crisis go to waste.’”
“And what does that mean?”
“It means that Sal is well aware of the rumors surrounding the Capuano family’s alleged ties to the mafia. And we’ve been increasingly worried how those rumors will affect a Lancaster’s electability if everyone thinks my family has ties to criminal activity.”
I nodded as it slowly dawned on me. “So, the story about me and Dakota was planted to make it look like the families are divided, or something?”
“Exactly.” Leo clapped his hands, happy I’d figured it out. “You and I split up because you’re cheating on me—and it’s a big, juicy story that’s trending on social media for weeks and weeks. On a deeper level, our public breakup is symbolic of the ‘split’ between the Lancasters and the Capuanos. While your dad willcontinue to fund the campaign, moving forward, he will distance himself from the campaign, and all money will be donated entirely through a series of PACs, making his involvement virtually untraceable. Problem solved.”
Whatever rush of power I felt a moment ago had slipped through my fingers and vanished in the blink of an eye.
“It seems like that’s the desired outcome,” I murmured.
“That’s because it’s the expected one.”
I sighed, feeling totally powerless. It was beyond disheartening to realize that I was being used as a pawn in my dad’s elaborate game of manipulation and image control.
“So why would you tell me all this?” I asked. “Why would you betray my dad by coming clean to me?”
“Betray?” He chuckled. “You still don’t get it? Nothing happens without Sal’s approval.”
“He … wanted you to tell me?”
“Indeed.” Leo stood and picked up his phone from the coffee table, where it had laid. He flipped it over, the screen glowing, revealing that his phone was on the entire time.
