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“Rings? You saw a boxing match?”
“No, silly,” I respond, happy she didn’t make it sexual.“Engagement rings.”
“Fuck. Me. No, actually, fuck you. You’re not serious?”
“Are you mad?” I ask as I sink into my chair and cross my legs. I’m not sure how she will react; she’s been filling the shoes of my best friend/sister, brother, mom, and dad for years. Every person that has been taken from me she has tried to replace, and she has. That’s why I’m not sure how she’s going to take this.
I could hide it from her, but I don’t want to hide.
“No,” she replies quickly.“I’m thrilled, but—”
“But it’s fast,” I respond to her. Reaching out, I grab a pen and begin to hyper-click to calm myself.
“Yes. But, well, your relationship has never been conventional; maybe fast is the best thing for you,” Harper says, sounding sincere and mature. Sometimes, that shocks me.
“Is this you showing your support for Julian and me?” I bite my lip. I desperately want her approval, but at the same time, I know I might not get it. Harper isn’t the relationship type; she’s the type that rides the roller coaster and gets off. A relationship is a never-ending ride, and it’s a battle she’s about to fight with Kent.
“Poppy, I’ve seen you cry; I’ve seen you break. I forgot what seeing your smile looked like, and Julian makes you smile.”
My throat thickens with emotion; my fingers pause mid-feverish tap.“Thank you,” I whisper, curling my hand around the edge of my desk, needing to feel something. I wish she were here so I could hug her.
She clears her throat,“Of course, I need to have a private conversation with Julian.” Here we go...“Maybe I’ll get him a kitchen knife set for his wedding gift?”
“Why?” I snort, laughing. I glance at the contract and see splashes of coffee on it. Great, I need to reprint it.
“Yes, I can see it now, a shiny new knife set with a pretty pink bow, attached with a note that says‘if you fuck up, then one of these knives will be used to cut your balls off,’” Harper snickers.
I shake my head, grinning, as I log onto my computer and begin to reprint the contract. We ramble for the next ten minutes, giggling and joking until she says,“Oh shit!”
“What?”
“The news. Turn it on.”
“I’m at the office; I don’t have a TV.” I place the call on speaker, a dangerous move because I never know what will come out of her mouth, and type in the news site. There’s a red banner with breaking news flashing. It reads,
OLIVER SINCLAIR STEPS DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE.
My brain malfunctions and it takes me longer than it should to reread it.“Are you seeing what I am?” Harper shouts in a high-pitched voice.
I swallow, but it won’t go past my throat, leaving me with a mouthful of saliva.“Yeah,” I nod.“Did you know?” I ask.
What the hell does this mean? Andrew’s dad, who was the top contender for the winning of the presidency, is stepping down!
Does this mean Harper and Dan found enough evidence to lock him away?
“Let me call you back,” Harper says, and before I can respond, the line goes dead. The screen of my phone goes black. She didn’t know. I can tell from her reaction.
I reach up and touch my throat. What does that mean?
If Harper and Dan, the head of the CIA, don’t know, then that means the Sinclairs are still too strong, right?
I look back at the website and click the live feed; the news reporter extends a microphone to an older woman.“What do you think of the news?” the reporter asks.
“You want to know what I think,” the older woman replies, her jaw set in a firm line,“I think Oliver Sinclair would be the best thing to happen to our country. That man was going to win, but he made the ultimate sacrifice for his family, for his son who is grieving the loss of his fiancée.” The woman says as tears fill her eyes.
I grasp my stomach. I think I’m going to be sick as I witness the depths to which the Sinclairs have tricked the world.“I know he stepped down, but he will be back, and when he is, he will have my vote,” the woman raises her hand, shaking her finger at the screen.
I stand and walk to the wall, facing it.“It doesn’t matter,” I whisper to myself as tears fall. It doesn’t matter what evidence we find; Andrew and his father fool the world.
