KAI
The four of us sat in the living room—Isabella and me on one couch, my mother and Abigail on the couch opposite us.
We faced each other like opposing armies on the battlefield, each waiting for the other to fire the first shot. A plague of tense silence engulfed the room. The only sound came from the clock standing sentry in the corner, as unmoved and passionless as a god observing the petty quarrels of humans.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
I knew my mother would show up eventually. Leonora Young was incapable of relinquishing control over my personal life. However, I hadn’t expected her to drag my sister with her. Abigail looked like she would rather be trekking through the Andes in the winter than sitting here.
“I heard your meeting with Mishra went poorly.” My mother cut straight to the chase. Other than a telltale tightening of her features when she first saw Isabella, she hadn’t acknowledged her presence since she arrived. “Luckily, I have good news that might counteract the DigiStream problem. Tobias is out. He withdrew his candidacy an hour ago.”
Shock burned away my knee-jerk defensiveness at the Mishra comment. “He withdrew? Why?”
“He didn’t give a reason. He simply said he didn’t feel like he was the right fit for the role at this time.”
It didn’t make sense. He had the Black Bear deal, and we were a little over a week away from the vote. Of all the other candidates, Tobias was the least likely to throw in the towel. He wouldn’t drop out this close to the finish line unless…
An inkling of suspicion formed in my stomach.
The photos. The withdrawal.
The two leading candidates hit within weeks of each other and close enough to the election that we had little time to rally. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the timing was awfully convenient.
However, I kept my face neutral while my mother continued. I didn’t want to throw accusations out until I had more than my instincts backing me up.
“This is a good thing,” my mother said. “I like Tobias, but he was your biggest competition. His votes are up for grabs, which means you need a last-minute campaign push.”
“We were here to check on you anyway after everything that happened,” Abigail added. “The Tobias news came at the perfect time. Now, we can brainstorm how to get those votes together.”
“Abby.” I leveled her with an even stare. “You hate talking business.”
She was a professional socialite. Her campaign experience started and stopped with chairing a gala committee. My mother probably forced her to come so she could convince me to break up with Isabella. She knew I wouldn’t listen to her, but I might listen to my sister.
“I can still have ideas,” Abigail countered. “You’re my brother. I want you to win.”
“The first order of business is generating good press,” my mother said, cutting off our back-and-forth. Once Abigail and I started, we could argue for hours. “I’ve arranged for a public date with you and Clarissa.”
Next to me, Isabella stirred for the first time since we sat down. My hands clenched into fists, but I forced myself to relax until my mother finished talking.
“She was understandably hesitant, given the situation you put her in, but she agreed. This will help quash rumors about you and your…friend.” Her eyes flicked over Isabella with disdain. “Not that you seem particularly worried about the tabloids catching you together.”
She was right. Even after the National Star scandal, I’d been careless about sneaking around with Isabella.
If I were smart, I’d cut off contact with her until after the vote, but she had a way of scrambling my brain. Perhaps that was part of the problem. Whenever I was with Isabella, the world seemed…brighter. It could be burning down around us and it wouldn’t matter as long as she was there.
“First, I’m not going on a date with Clarissa,” I said coolly. “It’s wrong to lead her on. Second, Isabella is sitting right here.”