Chapter Twenty-Three: Damage Control

James stared at his phone in disbelief as the images flashed across the screen. Pictures of him and Sarah in an intimate embrace, taken by some paparazzi lurking in the shadows. How could he have been so careless?

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ringing of his phone. Senator Reynolds. James felt his stomach drop as he reluctantly answered.

"Hello, father."

"Don't you 'hello' me, you stupid boy!" his father's booming voice exploded through the speaker. "Have you seen the news? The pictures? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

James swallowed hard. "Father, I can explain..."

"Explain?" Senator Reynolds cut him off with a harsh laugh. "I'll give you one chance to explain how you could be so mind-numbingly idiotic! Those pictures are everywhere, plastered all over the internet and tabloids! And you know exactly what's at stake here!"

James gripped the phone tighter. The Montgomery merger, the key to saving their family's faltering legacy and financing his father's re-elect