Battle with a Billionaire: A Suspenseful Billionaire Romance (Hearts and Holdings Billionaire Romanc

Chapter 5

Grant frowned down at the black and white photos as his fingers tightened around the newspaper pages until they crumpled. His heart pounded as anger tore through him. “How the hell did this happen?”

His campaign manager Kathryn sat behind her desk, scanning the images–in living color–now crawling across the internet–aging pictures showing him in his wilder, younger years surrounded by scantily clad women, caressing them, kissing them. “I told you we had trouble brewing.”

Her usual no-nonsense, take-no-crap attitude annoyed him at this moment. “Trouble brewing doesn’t mean my face splashed all over the front page and every news website in the county.”

“Look, I’m not happy about it either, Grant. Believe me.” She flicked a lock of brown hair over her shoulder as she leaned back in her chair. “But if I wanted a saint for a client, I’d never have agreed to run your campaign. I expected this. Frankly, I thrive on it. We’ll spin this, mold it, make it work for us. But you need to trust me and do what I say. Can you do that?”

“Well, I’m glad you could care less,” Grant muttered, his voice a heavy mix of sarcasm and deep-seated worry. The images weren’t just pictures, they were ghosts of his past, threatening to destroy the future he desperately wanted with Julia. Each photo felt like a brick in the wall that would soon come between them.

“I didn’t say that. I care. I would much rather run a clean campaign. It would be so much easier if you hadn’t been a playboy for most of your life, but where’s the fun in that?”

Grant’s jaw tensed as he tossed the newspaper down. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying this.”

“Oh, get your knickers out of a twist. These photos are ancient history, which is exactly what we’ll say.” She clicked off the newsfeed and shrugged.

“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.”

Grant’s shoulders slumped at the suggestion. How much more would he have to put his wife through?

“That’ll nip this in the bud.” Kathryn sat back with a Cheshire Cat grin, pleased at her coup.

But the thought of calling Julia to ask for this made his skin crawl. After the incident yesterday with Kyle, he felt more uncertain than ever. Would she eventually agree with his son?

Kathryn scrolled through her cell phone contact list before she snapped her gaze back to him. “When I said get Julia on board, I meant now. Not when you felt like it. The last thing we need is a reporter shoving a microphone in her face and her having zero idea what this is about.”

“She should be at work. I doubt she’ll?—”

“What? Get a random phone call? Have a reporter waiting outside the office? Come on, Grant. You’re not this stupid. Get her on the phone, have a nice little chat, and say all the things you need to say so that when someone inevitably asks her opinion, we don’t have to do damage control. She can confidently answer which is a win for us because it looks like you two have no secrets.”

Grant pulled his cell phone from his pocket with a sigh. They had plenty of secrets. Or at least he did from her. His feelings about her being the biggest. And it was those feelings that made this phone call more difficult than it would have been had their marriage remained the contract it started out to be.

He scrolled through his contacts to Julia’s name, his thumb hovering over the call icon. Would it be easier in private? Maybe.

He stepped toward the door when Kathryn, her phone already pressed to her ear, called after him. “Don’t forget to tell her about the marriage interview. We’ll want to get her answers prepped for that right away.”

“Right,” he said with a deflated tone as he left her behind. He stepped into a quiet meeting room, too tense to slide into one of the empty chairs surrounding the long table. He didn’t want to make this call, but he had to. Kathryn had been clear about what they needed to combat this hiccup in his campaign.

He’d changed a good bit since the days of those photos. But even so, the thought of Julia equating those images with who he was now weighed on him.

He revived his black cell phone screen and hit the call button as he strode toward the window. He stared out at the fluffy white clouds doting the azure blue sky, hating the sunny day when he felt this gloomy.

“Hey,” Julia’s voice answered after the third ring, “we missed you this morning at breakfast. You were gone early.”

The tiny comment brought a slight smile to his face and also a punch to his gut. He wanted even less to ask her for this favor now.

“Yeah, I had a few things to take care of. How are things at Harrington? You settling in okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine here. And thank you for the briefcase, you didn’t have to do that. But I love it.”

He smiled, his muscles relaxing slightly. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

“How is everything at the campaign? All these sudden meetings with Kathryn don’t seem so good.”

The happy moment ended between them, and his stomach clenched as he faced the moment he’d have to tell her the truth. “It’s not great.”

“Uh-oh,” she answered. “Anything I can help with?”

He slid his eyes closed, both grateful and mortified that he’d married her. She was always ready to be helpful. Was that merely because she was under contract, or could there be more? Probably not after what he was about to tell her.

“Actually, that’s the reason I’m calling you. There is something I need from you…as usual.”

“Of course. What do you need?”

He swallowed hard, trying to find the words. “Have you looked at the papers this morning?”

“No,” she answered. “Should I?”

“I’d rather you didn’t until I’ve explained.”

“That sounds ominous.”

He shook his head as he finally slumped into a chair. “Someone leaked some old pictures. Ancient history stuff, but still, fairly damning for someone who wants a Senate seat. I need to address it. And I’d really like your support.”

A few papers rustled on the other end followed by a series of clicks. “Oh, yes, these do not create a very nice image of a future Senator, do they?”

He slid his eyes closed as his stomach churned imagining her studying those photos. “Not really.”

“Well, the past’s the past. I assume you’ll do a press conference?”

“Yes, Kathryn is setting it up now. I’m not sure when yet.”

“Okay, just let me know. I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, Julia. That means a lot to me.”

“Of course,” she said again, her voice warm and soothing. Her unwavering support, even now, only deepened his desire to make things right with her. He couldn’t let her down, not when she stood by him so steadfastly.

“Oh, there is one other thing.”

“Name it.”

“Kathryn wants to set up an interview with the two of us to combat this image. You know, showing that I’ve grown and changed and that our marriage is…perfect.” The word stuck in his throat.

Before he could ask for her help, she was already answering. “Okay. Whatever she thinks is needed.”

“Thanks, Julia,” he said again. “Well, that’s all the bad news on my end. I guess I should let you get back to work.”

“Well, that depends on if you want me to come home tonight or stay at the office.”

Her easy manner relaxed him once more, enough to elicit a chuckle. “I want you to come home. I’m not eating dinner with Lydia alone tonight. Or we may have another scandal to face.”

“Oh, sure, you leave me with her for breakfast but you can’t have dinner with her.”

“She came to breakfast? I thought surely she wouldn’t have bothered given how much she hates early mornings.”

“She did. She made a lovely appearance, bit my head off, and then stormed off.”

Grant slid his eyes closed as he shook his head. He really had to work on getting his ex-wife to move out of their house before she single-handedly ruined things with Julia.

“It’s been a day already.”

“Sorry to add to it.”

“Does Kathryn think it’s going to be difficult to overcome?”

Grant heaved a sigh. “She said it’s a setback but not a campaign killer.”

“Well, then it’s nothing to worry about. Leave it in her very capable hands and move on.”

He smiled at the words. Apparently, she hadn’t been too upset over it. “I will do that. See you later?”

“Yep,” she said. “Good luck with everything.”

They said their goodbyes and ended the call. His mind went over the conversation again as he wrestled with a mix of gratitude and guilt. Her easy acceptance was a soothing balm, but he couldn’t stop feeling as though he unfairly burdened her.

He considered calling her back, asking her to meet and talk it all through. He flicked on the display and found her name in his contact list. Before he could press the call button, the display dimmed.

As he was about to stow it in his pocket, though, it lit and buzzed. Max’s name flashed on the screen, bringing him a measure of concern.

“Max, everything okay?”

“More or less,” Max answered. “I have some information I figured you’d like to hear sooner rather than later.”

Grant’s heart thudded against his ribs as he sat straighter. “What is it?”

“I have Reynolds keeping an eye on Mrs. Harrington just like you asked…”

“Yes?” He prompted as the man’s voice trailed off.

“I thought you might like to know that Dr. Carter showed up at Harrington Global this morning.”

“What?” Grant asked, his mind whirling at the information. “Did security stop him from getting inside the building?”

“He was waiting for her at her parking space. They spoke for several minutes before she went up to her office and he left.”

Grant squeezed his fingers into a fist, his protective instincts flaring. The idea of Kyle confronting Julia at work, possibly upsetting her, was intolerable. He needed to make sure she was okay, but he didn’t want to call her again. She hadn’t said anything to him. Why?