Page 315 of Ricardo

She agreed anyway, and her voice stayed steady and strong the whole time.

I have never been prouder of her.

I have never wanted more violently to keep the world away from her.

Both truths live in me now, side by side, making me a difficult man to reason with.

On the screen, Harrison’s photograph changes to another one. This time he is leaving a building with sunglasses on, his head lowered, a hand raised against cameras.

I smile.

There you are.

For the first time in his life, Harrison Winthrop looks like a man who cannot charm a room with his perfect smile.

The anchor says his representatives deny all allegations.

Of course.

She says the Winthrop family has declined further comment.

Of course.

She says federal authorities are reviewing whether campaign funds or charitable vehicles were used to facilitate payments.

Good.

Let them review.

Let them pull every thread.

Let Harrison watch what generations before him built crumble to the ground. Let him wake each morning to another headline, another woman, another account, another ally stepping back from him with rehearsed disgust.

I am realistic.

Men like Harrison rarely spend their lives in cells. Families like his know how to delay, appeal, settle, erase, redirect. Perhaps he will lose his place in public life. Perhaps his father will cut him loose to protect the family name. Perhaps he will flee to some estate for “treatment” of some ailment that made him act this way.

It does not matter.

He won’t live long enough for it to matter.

I only need him to live long enough to see his own fall from grace. To see his future die.

And to know Julia is the one who did it.

After that… he’s mine.

A soft knock sounds at the study door.

I pick up the remote and turn off the television before she opens the door.

She knows what is happening. She gave her consent. She made her choice.

But she does not need to see it.

The screen goes black just as the door opens.

Julia steps inside, one hand resting lightly against the frame. She is wearing a comfortable sweater and pants, finally hers. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and there is a faint crease between her brows.