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Anastasia uncrossed her legs and stood. She wore purple today, and though she looked as stunning as always, he hated her with every fiber of his being. She should be in black. In mourning. Drowning her sorrows like him. She knew him, knew his son, and yet all of her condolences were a mere formality. Did she care at all?

He knew she didn’t.

Anastasia approached his desk and swiped the bottle out of his hands before he could pour another glass. He rose to snatch it back, but one push against his shoulder sent him stumbling into his chair. It rolled backwards, and he had to scoot forward to regain his position. He felt like a child. Probably looked like one, too.

“You’re a mess. Get it together.” She set the bottle on the corner of his desk, just out of reach. “I understand you’re in pain, but we have work to do.”

“My son is dead.” His voice cracked, and it lost all of its power. “How can you say that?”

“Your son will keep being dead, no matter how much or how little you drink. Let’s be proactive about it instead.”

“How?”

Anastasia sat down. Crossed her legs. Adjusted her tablet. Looked him dead in the eyes. “First, you need to make a statement. Are you capable of reading it yourself?”

“I don’t want to talk to the media.” He shuddered at the thought of all those cameras picking apart every emotion. Did he cry too much? Not enough? Did he look humble or apathetic? What about his wife, would she be there, too? “You do it.”

“Fine.” She tapped twice on her tablet. “The public won’t expect to see you for quite some time. Too early, and they’ll think you don’t care. Too late, and they’ll forget about you.”

He hated that the Politician stirred at the unacceptable thought of being forgotten.

“After the funeral services, you’ll have a bereavement period. You’ll work from home to better console your wife. We’ll announce new legislation about being tougher on crime. Language will include honoring my son and ensuring no father feels this pain again. It’ll connect.”

“Great.”

She looked up at the sound of his detached sarcasm, but made no comment. “A few months down the line, we’ll get you into the public eye again. We’ll have to change your volunteer work from veterans to children. Lower predictability with kids, but it’ll play much better now. Do you think you’ll be up for that?”

Grayson picked up his glass, remembered it was empty, then thunked it back down again. “Does it matter?”

“I may be navigating, Senator Grayson, but you’re the one driving the train. I can’t force you to do anything, but you understand the consequences if you step out of line. It’s up to you to decide if you can live with them.”

Grayson couldn’t imagine losing his career on top of his son. “I’ll make it work.”

“Wonderful.” She sounded genuinely ecstatic. “That’s fantastic news.”

“Is it?” He leaned across his desk and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, pouring himself a double. He didn’t break eye contact with her. It was a challenge, and they both knew it. “Tell me, Ms. Bolton, do you have a heart of your own? Do you have a sympathetic bone in your body?”

When Anastasia didn’t respond, he thought maybe he’d finally crossed the line. After a moment, she stood, walked over to his mini bar, grabbed a second glass, and poured herself a drink. She slammed it back in a single gulp and didn’t even wince. When she turned to face him, her eyes held the hint of transparency.

“Your son was a spoiled brat who risked your career and his life on countless occasions without a thought to the consequences. That is precisely the reason we had a contingency plan in place should something like this happen. Do I think he deserved what he got?” She paused, and Grayson saw the flicker of a lie in her eyes. “No, I don’t. It’s a tragedy what happened to your son. But this is my job, Senator Grayson. Nothing more. I am human, and I feel for you, but this is what you pay me for. You have your wife to console you. Do not make the mistake of thinking that is part of my job. If you want me to step aside, I will. But I will not return as your publicist. Apex represents you because you had an impeccable track record, incredible charisma, and a dogged determination bound to take you to the top. We don’t offer second chances. You’re at a crossroads now. You can walk away from all of this, and we’ll let you out of your contract with no strings attached. I personally guarantee it. But Apex will not get into bed with you again, and I don’t think I need to emphasize just how difficult it will be to attain your goals without us.”

The Politician was awake now. Anastasia had said exactly what he had needed to hear to snap Grayson back to reality. He had been a good senator before Apex had stepped in, but he’d been spinning his tires in the mud that was congress. After he hired Anastasia, everything had changed. He’d finally gotten some traction, and his career had taken off like a bat out of hell.

There was no way he was going to lose all that, too.

“I’m here,” he said. “My heart will be in it.”

“Good.” She picked her tablet up and swiped at the screen a few times. “Now, our biggest concern is getting through this investigation. We’re doing what we can to speed up the process, but we have to follow procedure. It’ll be a few months before sentencing is complete, but your job is almost done. The arrest happened quicker than I expected, but I’m not complaining.”

“I don’t like Agent Viotto.”

“Neither do I, but he’s harmless. His partner is a lot smarter than him. Mannis is keeping him on a short leash. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble.”

“He was asking a lot of questions.”

That caught Anastasia’s attention. “What kind of questions?”

Grayson sipped at his whiskey, as if imbibing more alcohol would help recall the memory faster. “He doesn’t seem to think Lewis did it. He was trying to come up with alternative scenarios, but Davenport kept shooting him down.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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