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"Sure, baby." She sauntered off across the room, and then Jessie turned to Carter. He rubbed his nose and widened his eyes. "It's the same guys who helped you?"
"Yep. And they're subtle about it. But it's a guarantee. Votes will be added and deducted where they need to be. You'll be the next elect, and then in one year’s time, you'll be walking into the White House."
Jessie grinned. "Perfect."
Carter wandered over to the bar.
"Come on over here, sweetie," Jessie said, his voice slurring. The woman strode over and gave him a big kiss before doing the drugs herself.
"Gotta piss," Jessie said, stumbling to the bathroom.
The woman peered over her shoulder, and then turned, looking directly into the camera. A moment before she turned it off, I spotted a mole on her cheek, and my heart leapt.
My mind went into overdrive.
I couldn’t be sure…but why did she look so familiar?
14
LUCAS
Iwoke that morning with a mixture of dread and embarrassment. Part of me felt incredibly stupid that I'd asked Olive to be my girlfriend. She'd said yes to moving in with me. So I guess it had felt like the natural next step, but what exactly were we now?
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and with a wad of dread in my stomach, I rolled over in my bed and glanced at the screen. It was Jessie calling...again.
I had six missed calls from Jenny, my publicist, and nearly double that from Jessie. My finger hovered over the phone, and I nearly answered it but then hesitated and sent him to voicemail.
After last night, I didn't want to make the same mistake of putting my career before Olive. Even if she ultimately decided that she didn't want to be my girlfriend, her past was being dug up by the press. She was connected to me now, and I needed to put her feelings first.
Jessie and I would have a talk eventually, but I needed to talk to Olive first. I'd brought her into this situation, so I needed to get her permission and understanding for how she wanted to reveal her past—specifically the mugshot—to the world. And if she decided she didn't want to talk about that, then I would respect her decision.
Everyone else, I'd deal with later.
I was half way through brushing my teeth when an email that made my heart drop popped up.
DNA Test Results
I nearly dropped the toothbrush. Wiping my face, I prepared myself, and with trembling fingers, opened the email.
Lucas Wilson: Genetic Results to Hair submission
Results: Positive. Direct genetic relationship.
A small gasp escaped me. I'm not even really sure why. I had no reason to think Olive had lied to me—and Claire literally looked like me—but I needed to know for sure.
This wasn't the first time a woman had tried to tell me she was pregnant with my child in order to gain access to my money.
But I knew my reactions were deeper than relief. What I was feeling was joy.
I was a father, something I never expected to become, something I'd never considered because I'd never met a woman I loved enough to raise a child with.
This was definitely an unexpected way to go about things, and while I didn't know if Olive and I had a future together, I was certain of one thing. Claire was my daughter, and after missing the first ten years of her life, I would do whatever I could to make her feel loved, to let her know that I wasn't going anywhere.
A knock on my front door made my brow furrow. I lived in the Penthouse, so it was impossible for anyone to get up here without my permission—and there were no missed calls from the front desk.
"Lucas," Olive called from the living room. "I think someone's here."
"Coming."
