Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Dad, are you sitting down?” Caroline asked. It was unusual for her to call her father directly.
“Sweetheart, what is the matter? Are you alright?”
“Dad, I am getting married. I am going to marry Jack Reiner.”
“Oh wow! That is wonderful news, sweetheart! That is…”
“I know it is fast. There is so much I need to tell you about… You are the first person I am telling… We are gonna have our wedding soon… I am so happy, dad!”
“That is amazing, sweetheart! I am so happy for you, too. I kind of had a sense something was going between you two. Have you told your mother?”
“I am calling her next. Please make sure you start clearing your schedule. I am gonna have the best wedding ever!”
“Of course, sweetheart. It will be the wedding of the century!”
“Thank you, dad. Love you. I’m gonna call mom now…”
Pacing around the living room in the high rise condominium, admiring the skyline and the view of the lake, Caroline called her mother. She got the voice mail and left a rambling and excited message expressing her joy. She imagined her mother would be so happy for her. More so than her father.
Turning around to head back into the bedroom, Caroline’s attention was caught by a low volume broadcast of a news bulletin. “A Scandal in Washington, D.C.,” read the headline. She stayed on to watch the details. Congressman Allen Shepherd alleged to engage inappropriate contact with congressional pages. Nude pictures sent along with proposals of sex for favors.
The news shocked her. She had met the Congressman at a fundraising for her father’s campaign. She had thought he was excessively flirty in keeping with his reputation for being the hottest congressman of his class according to various fashion magazines. She didn’t think much of it at that time. It made her wonder about how little one knows about people in general.
The political establishment was digesting the news of the first wave of revelations with pretend surprise and everyone trying to disown any sort of affiliation they have with the Congressman. Alex watched the events with satisfaction knowing this was just the beginning.
The news has had the right effect. The Senator had called him to his office and told him to severe all contacts with Congressman Shepherd. It wasn’t that long ago that he was told to pay attention to the fast-rising politician and find ways to collaborate with him. And as an afterthought, the Senator had mentioned Caroline was getting married. He was still waiting to hear from her, and the fact that he would find out about such big decision in her life from the Senator was further proof of the gulf that was widening between the two.
Instead of wallowing in the news of Caroline’s impending marriage, Alex took pleasure in how Casey was blindsided. He took her call on the first ring.
“Did you know?” Casey asked.
“Does it really matter now, Casey? The deed is done. Was it worth it? I mean how was he in bed?”
“Do you hate me that much, Alex?”
“My father used to tell me the best lessons in life are those learned the hard way. Hope you are having fun.”
Casey hung up the phone on him. It will serve her a lesson, Alex thought. He was slowly getting even. He imagined there was a fat paycheck on the way. He will have accumulated a good sized war-chest by the time the big news hits.
Caroline’s wedding couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. It was all the excuse the Senator needed to keep himself preoccupied outside of the home. It had been an ongoing request of Nicole that he spend more time with her for no other reason than missing her beloved husband. There was only so much shopping trips she could take without seeing her husband. There was also so much of seeing other men she could entertain without being crushed by the weight of guilt. The two led secret lives that corroded the integrity of their marriage by the day.
Nancy Smith made it through the day with a huge sense of relief. The stories had already spread through the power centers of government and business. She was back on top, bringing the kind of breaking news her audience loved to hear from her. The difference between the times before and now was the guilt of betrayal she felt towards to the Senator. She had given him her word and broken it.
“I’m sorry. Need to see you.”
She texted the Senator.
“Come to New York! I’ll be waiting.”
The Senator answered immediately. There was no better gift to celebrate the grand occasion of his daughter’s big revelation. He gave Nicole another excuse suggesting he’s going to have to fly to D.C. directly from his office for an emergency national security briefing. The benefits of a big city like New York is there are plenty of discrete places where the Senator could handle his private business without running into a suspecting audience.
Nancy Smith arrived at a secret Manhattan getaway to find the Senator in a cheerful mood. “Happy to see me?” She asked eagerly.
“Of course!”
“Are you not mad at me?”
