Stella softly snaps something at the minister, whose jaw gapes as he watches the loud disturbance make its way out of the room.
Fuck, I hope every second of this is being livestreamed so I can rewatch it as often as I want.
The man clears his throat and looks down at the small book in his hands. People are still laughing and Ludlow’s enraged screams are still clearly audible as the minister begins, raising his voice.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together…”
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Eventually the snickersand hiccups of laughter fade out as the minister starts. From there, the ceremony continues without interruption. Once it ends, Mom, Dad, and I are escorted out of the ballroom after Stella and Ellis are proclaimed married, kiss, and Stella practically drags Ellis down the aisle in silent rage disguised by her painfully thin, sharp smile. We’re supposed to take pictures in front of the decorated risers once all the attendees have made their way outside to the large, air-conditioned tent where the reception will be held.
Jordan materializes at my right side. “Holy. Fucking.Shitballs,” he mutters.
I snort. “Pleasetell me that’s all on tape.”
“Oh, we got it with the official White House team, even if Stella tries to destroy all other copies. It’s already been uploaded to YouTube and Twitter several dozen times by people who filmed it on their cells. I suspect it’ll trend on Twitter within an hour, if not sooner.”
I give a little fist pump. “Glorious.”
“That’s one word for it, Mister President.”
I finally glance down and the evilly delighted look in his eyes means he shares my infinite amusement at how this all played out.
Dad chuckles as he stands there with his arm draped around Mom’s shoulders. “That was well worth the price of admission. Karma’s a bitch, and so’s Stella.”
Mom playfully chides him but she’s also smiling and leans in to give him a peck on the lips.
Leo and Casey-Marie walk up. My chief of staff smirks as she slowly shakes her head. “That was certainly…a wedding. It wassomethingelse.” She motions that she needs to talk to me alone.
I excuse myself from for a moment and Leo and Jordan stay with my parents as I step aside with Casey-Marie. “Can I count on you to research those…claims?” I ask.
She smirks. “You mean about Ellis’ father cutting him off if he gets married again? Oh, I’ve already heard that from three of his cousins today.” Leave it to her to be five steps ahead of me.
“He certainly appeared lucid enough there at the end.”
“Rumor has it he’s not nearly as bad as everyone claims he is and that the private doctor and nurses Ellis hired for him are keeping him doped up to look like he’s incapacitated so he doesn’t cut Ellis off at the wallet.”
“Shiiiit.”
“Yeah.” She crosses her arms and leans in close, her voice low and one hand over her mouth. “I might have suggested to one of the grandchildren, one of Ellis’ nieces, how they can file a report with Florida’s DHS and allege elder abuse. And how she might go about getting an emergency order filed to remove Ludlow from Ellis’ care and vacate his power of attorney. And I introduced her to Benchley Evans, who’s promised to help her fight for custody of her grandfather.”
“Look at you doing the Lord’s work, you big softy.”
She grins. “Don’t tell anyone, Mister President. I have a hard-ass reputation to uphold.” Her smile fades as we watch Stella snap orders at two of her attendants. “And anything I can do to fuck those two over is a bonus, in my opinion.” She snorts. “Turns out the granddaughter also voted for you.”
“Even better.” I remember what else I want to learn. “Hey, can you find out how much some of these people paid to score an invite?”
She smirks. “Five hundred a head if not part of the family or one of their plus-ones. Goes right to McMurtry’s PAC.”
“I don’t know if I should be honored or offended.”
“Apparently they tried charging a grand a head but had no takers. But by my rough calculations they turned a profit on today. Maybe a small one, but they paid for all the expenses.”
“Is that solid intel?”
She smiles. “Benchley Evans was one of the few who didn’t have to pay and who isn’t immediate family. Ellis is desperate to suck up to him.”
“I can’t imagine Benchley fell for it.”
