Chapter 304
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Chapter 304:
Carmen waited for the punchline. It didn’t come.
“The midterm elections are approaching,” Justin explained, slipping smoothly into his political register. “My opponents are running smear campaigns — claiming I lack family values because I am a single father. I need a respectable, independent woman by my side to stabilize my polling numbers p>
He reached out and lightly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The brief contact sent a jolt of electricity straight through her.
“You need a man powerful enough to terrify your parents into silence,” Justin continued. “I am a United States Senator. If they believe we are together, they will never dare arrange another blind date p>
It was a flawless, logical argument. It solved both of their problems at once.
For exactly three seconds, Carmen was tempted.
Then her Wall Street instincts took over. She looked into his deep, calculating eyes and recognized the trap.
“No,” Carmen said firmly. She pulled back, pressing herself against the opposite door.
A flicker of surprise crossed Justin’s face.
“If I pretend to date you,” Carmen said, her voice sharp and clear, “my face will be on every political blog in Washington. I will lose my privacy. I will be pulled into a world I want absolutely nothing to do with p>
She looked him over deliberately. “And more importantly, Senator, you are far too dangerous. I am not playing games with a politician p>
𝖠𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝗇
Justin held her gaze. A slow, genuine smile crossed his face. She was smart enough to see the danger — and that only made her more compelling.
He leaned back, returning to his side of the SUV.
“The offer stands,” he said simply. He did not push further.
The SUV slowed to a stop outside Carmen’s apartment building in Chelsea.
Carmen grabbed her bag and pushed the door open.
“Carmen p>
She paused, one foot on the pavement, and looked back.
Justin reached into his jacket pocket and produced a thick, gold-embossed business card. He held it out.
“When you change your mind,” he said, his eyes carrying complete certainty, “call my private line p>
Carmen snatched the card, shut the door firmly, and walked into her building without looking back.
Inside the SUV, Justin watched her disappear through the glass doors. His smile faded into something colder and more deliberate.
He pulled out his phone and dialed his Chief of Staff.
“That research grant for the Golden Foundation,” Justin said. “I want you to flag it for a full financial review. And have our contacts at Treasury take a closer look at their overseas asset declarations. Be thorough p>
He hung up. He was going to bring her back — on his terms.
Tuesday afternoon at the Wolfe Hotel.
Jocelyn sat in her top-floor office, reviewing the marketing budget for the upcoming holiday season, her eyes moving steadily across the glowing laptop screen.
The red light on her desk phone began flashing. The sharp ring cut through the quiet room.
She hit the speaker button. “Yes p>