Shit. This isn’t a deepfake. This is real.
The headline makes my skin crawl: "SENATOR'S WILD DAUGHTER: Inappropriate Bodyguard Romance While Mother Pushes 'Family Values' Agenda."
Darhg curses loudly, the crude words bouncing on the walls like his anger can shield me from what’s coming. It seems like Gribble was sneakier than Darhg thought.
"It went live twenty minutes ago," Caroline continues, swiping through cascading viral commentary. "It's already trending on three platforms. #QuinnScandal is gaining momentum by the hour."
She scrolls through the responses with the efficiency of someone who lives for this kind of crisis management. She takes screenshots of gossip sites picking up the story, screenshots of social media posts with thousands of shares, screenshots of news outlets already crafting their own versions of the narrative.
I don’t think I’ll ever see the end of this. All those comments are nastier than the previous ones.
My chest tightens as shame and fury grind together like broken glass.
“Oh no!” Caroline’s voice is shrill and shaky. “This is bad. This is very bad.”
"What now?" Mom says, her temper flaring and her face flushed. I’ve rarely seen her in a state like this.
Caroline swipes to another screen, revealing a flood of text messages and emails.
"Donors are blowing up our phones, and Cassius Roarke just held a press conference suggesting you should be removed from the committee."
This is all my fault. The thought bounces around in my head again and again.
The weight of collateral damage crushes down on me. This isn't just about my reputation anymore. It's about everythingmy mother worked for, everything she believes in being destroyed. Because of me.
"They’re attacking your family values," Caroline adds. "A senator who can't control her own daughter's behavior. They’re also saying you can’t vet your own staff properly and that an inappropriate affair was going on just under your nose. They’re saying your family has become a tabloid spectacle."
Mom's face goes very still as she processes the full scope of the damage. When she speaks, her voice is cold as ice, and her gaze is even colder as it lands on Darhg.
"Darhg," she says without blinking. "You're dismissed. Effective immediately."
The words hit the room like a bomb. I watch all the color drain from Darhg's face as the dismissal lands.
"Senator—" he starts.
"This is not a negotiation." Her voice cuts through his protest like a blade. "Your assignment was to protect my daughter. Instead, you've made her even more of a target. You've compromised her safety and my family's reputation, and that’s not even taking into account how unprofessional an affair between you two is."
"That's not fair." I finally find my voice, though it comes out smaller than I intended. "He kept me safe. He—"
"He created a scandal that's threatening everything we've worked for," Mom interrupts.
She turns back to Darhg, her expression implacable.
"I want you gone within the hour. And if you think about going to the press or monetizing this situation, I'll make sure you never work in private security again. Are we clear?"
The threat hangs in the air like a loaded weapon. I watch Darhg's hands clench and unclench at his sides, watch him absorb the dismissal without argument even though I can see the pain it causes him.
His gaze finds mine across the room, seeking something in my expression. I want to fight for him, want to tell my mother she's wrong, that what we have is worth defending. But the words stick in my throat. I have no doubt my mother will make good on her threat. She will destroy Darhg’s career if he stays with me.
I can’t allow that. He lost enough on my behalf.
“Rona?” he asks, his handsome, open face tense. “What is it that you want?”
Mom’s mouth curves downward at this display of disobedience, but Darhg doesn’t even spare her a glance. I’m his only focus.
“Just go.” The words rip out of my mouth and I feel bile rise up in my throat. “Go, Darhg. I’ll be fine.”
I square my shoulders and grip my hands in my lap even though all I want is to jump in his arms. The silence stretches between us, heavy with everything we don’t say.
