CHAPTER SEVEN
Rick sat back in one of the leather chairs across from Leonard Hart’s desk, listening as his father and Leonard discussed the fallout from his affair like they were strategizing damage control for a business deal instead of the implosion of his relationship with Nova.
To them, the problem wasn’t that he had cheated. The problem was that he had gotten caught. The concern centered around the timing and the potential political disaster if Nova decided to make their breakup public.
The entire situation was a damn mess. And the worst part was that Rick knew it was his own fault.
“The optics of this are a nightmare if she decides to make it public,” his father said.
“She won’t,” Leonard replied confidently. “Nova isn’t impulsive. She’s emotional right now, but once she cools off, she’ll think rationally.”
Rick’s dad scoffed. “Not impulsive? She broke his goddamn nose,” he said, waving his hand in Rick’s direction. “Which was completely uncalled for, by the way. The way she overreacted was ridiculous.”
“What would you expect her to do? She caught him in bed with another woman,” Leonard pointed out.
His father waved a dismissive hand. “Jesus Christ, Leonard, we both know how this world works.”
Rick stared at the carpet between his shoes, barely listening anymore.
The truth was, Rick had always assumed his future would look a lot like his father’s.
A beautiful, accomplished woman by his side at fundraisers, campaign events, and charity galas.
A wife who could command a room, impress donors, and help project the image of the perfect family.
Nova had fit that role effortlessly. She was everything a future governor’s wife should be.
She was intelligent, poised, respected, and admired.
However, somewhere along the way, he had convinced himself that was enough.
That the emotional and physical gaps in their relationship didn’t really matter because men like his father seemed to make it work.
They had the polished public marriage everyone envied while quietly finding fulfillment elsewhere.
For years, Rick had told himself that was how the world operated at their level. Now, sitting in Leonard’s office with a broken relationship hanging over his head, he realized how twisted that thinking had been.
Nova had never viewed their relationship as a political partnership or a carefully managed arrangement.
She had cared for him and trusted him. She had planned a future with him.
And while she had been building a life around the promises he had made, he had been treating those promises like flexible suggestions.
For the first time, Rick was forced to confront the possibility that he hadn’t just betrayed Nova; he had become exactly the kind of man she deserved better than.
Rick shifted in his chair, suddenly feeling like the walls of Leonard’s office were closing in around him. His father and Leonard continued talking, but the conversation had become little more than background noise. Every sentence only seemed to drive home how badly he had screwed things up.
He couldn’t sit there anymore and listen to another discussion about campaign schedules and public perception while the woman he had hurt was being treated like a problem to manage instead of a person whom he had hurt.
Pushing to his feet, Rick grabbed his keys from the arm of the chair.
“I need some air,” he muttered, already heading for the door before either man could stop him.
The truth was, he needed to clear his head. He needed to figure out what the hell he was going to say to Nova, assuming she ever spoke to him again.
Because if the look in her eyes the last time he had seen her was any indication, Rick was beginning to fear that he had finally pushed her past the point of wanting to hear anything he had to say.
◆◆◆
Leonard watched the door swing shut behind Rick and felt a surge of irritation. The conversation they were having was important, and the last thing he needed right now was Rick deciding to disappear in the middle of it.
After all, he had played a huge part in creating this mess, yet now he was walking away while Leonard and Merrick were left to figure out how to contain the fallout.
“Where the hell is he going?” Leonard muttered, setting his scotch glass down on the desk.
Merrick let out a slow sigh and waved a dismissive hand. “Let him go. He’s just pissed off and needs to cool off.”
Leonard wasn’t entirely convinced, but after a moment, he leaned back in his chair. Arguing about Rick’s abrupt departure wasn’t going to solve the more pressing problem sitting in front of them.
“Now, let’s get back to the real issue facing us. How can we be sure that Nova won’t make that video public?”
“She won’t,” Leonard stated, swirling the scotch in his glass.
“How can you be so sure? From the way she acted yesterday, that wasn’t the same compliant Nova we’ve all known for years.”
Leonard couldn’t disagree. The version of Nova who stormed into his house yesterday and spoke to him in a way he never would have believed possible was definitely eye-opening.
For the first time in her life, his daughter wasn’t behaving predictably. And that concerned him far more than Rick walking out of his office.
He couldn’t completely dismiss what had happened yesterday. He had never seen Nova look at him the way she had. There had been no hesitation, no second-guessing, and no attempt to smooth things over. All that Leonard saw was anger.
And if there was one thing Leonard Hart disliked, it was uncertainty.
“She’ll cool off,” he said, though the words sounded less convincing than they had a little while ago. “Nova has always been practical. Once she has some time to think, she’ll realize that blowing up her future over one mistake isn’t in anyone’s best interest.”
Merrick raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to convince yourself or me?”
Leonard put his drink down and folded his hands together on top of the desk. “Look, the important thing right now is keeping things contained until she calms down.”
Merrick shook his head. “She needs to understand the bigger picture here. We’re about a month away from the campaign ramp-up. The last thing we need is a scandal.”
“I think you’re overreacting,” Leonard stated calmly.
Look, I know my daughter. Nova is a very private person who hates attention being drawn to her personal life.
She isn’t going to run to the media or create some dramatic public spectacle.
When Nova gets emotional, she does what she’s always done.
She’ll bury herself in work. And fortunately, I have the perfect opportunity for her. ”
Merrick’s brows pulled together. “Like what?”
“One of our largest clients, Silverman Petroleum, is acquiring Gulf Tide Ventures. Mr. Silverman called me this morning and specifically requested that Nova handle the acquisition review. She will be leaving for Louisiana Saturday morning.”
“And you think she’ll just go?” Merrick asked.
Leonard gave him a wicked smirk. “Trust me, she’ll go. Sending her out of state gives her time to cool off while keeping her distracted.” He leaned back in his chair. “By the time she gets back, she’ll be thinking more rationally.”
Before Merrick could answer, the door opened without warning.
Leonard looked up, prepared to be annoyed by the interruption, only for the irritation to vanish the second he saw Nova.
She walked into the office with purpose, her expression unreadable and her gaze unwavering.
Something about her demeanor immediately set off alarm bells in his head.
This wasn’t the daughter he had spent the last twenty-four hours expecting to calm down.
This was a woman who looked like she had made a decision and was gearing up for war.
And Leonard had learned long ago that a determined opponent was far more dangerous than an angry one.
◆◆◆
Nova stood outside her father’s office door with her hand on the door handle.
The man behind that door, the one who called himself her father, was inside with Rick’s father, no doubt plotting whatever manipulation came next. She knew them all too well. They were probably discussing what to do about her. And how to make her come crawling back like she always did.
But this time, that wasn’t going to happen. She had thought long and hard since storming out of her parents’ mansion. After venting her rage to her sister, she and Sophia worked for over an hour on a plan and a timeline for Nova’s move to the East Coast.
“I’m strong, and I refuse to be controlled anymore,” she muttered to herself before taking a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, and pushing the door open.
She was a vision of confidence and calculated defiance. Her hair was down in loose waves that framed her face like armor. She wore tailored black slacks, a crimson sleeveless silk blouse tucked neatly at the waist, and black pointed heels. Her lipstick matched her top, bold and commanding.
Her dad and Merrick looked up mid-conversation.
“Perfect! Two people whom I wanted to speak to,” Nova said coolly, shutting the door behind her.
Her father opened his mouth. “There’s something I—”
“No.” She raised a hand and cut him off. “I’m talking first.”
Merrick shifted uncomfortably in his seat, while Leonard’s face remained a mask, but his nostrils flared slightly. He wasn’t used to being interrupted, especially by her.
Nova turned her gaze first to Merrick.
“As I told your son yesterday, his and my relationship is over. What he did may be easy for some people to overlook, justify, or quietly tolerate, but I am not one of those people. The trust he broke is something I can never forget.”
Merrick’s jaw clenched. His expression was a mix of panic and barely contained rage.