Told you.
My father shook his head as he poured himself a glass of brandy. “That’s because every other candidate was an idiot.”
“Or not rich enough to out-campaign you,” Declan added.
“All of that is true, yes,” Mina, said as she walked around the couch, and stopped right behind Olivia’s chair. “The people do love you, the problem is her royal highness here.”
“I haven’t done anything.” Olivia glared at her.
Melody and I had been trying our best to stay out of this. The less we were involved during the election, the less likely people would question any favors that came our way. Sadly, the Colemens were a bunch of political morons who had no idea how to work the system. I would have been surprised if they even knew where the goddamn White House was. It was the reason why I had personally hired Mina Sung; a second generation Korean-American, with an IQ almost as high as mine. I fought her for the top of the class while at Dartmouth. She was a political animal who would do anything to win. She was short, with thick-rimmed glasses, and silky black hair that was always pulled into a bun. I couldn’t dismiss anyone who knew how to get their job done. For the last six months, she had all but sold her soul to destroy any candidate that stood in her way. Melody and I called her our little pit bull.
“That’s the problem.” I sighed. I did not have time for this stupidity. “The people think you’re cold and heartless, with a rich husband, and a powerful daddy. They dislike you and will continue to dislike you until you stop showing them who you really are and start being who they want you to be.”
“I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Mina said as she adjusted her glasses, “The people aren’t just picking a President, they’re picking a first family. They like your father, they like your mother, but you’re the black sheep who needs to be dyed white.”
“Fine,” Melody said, speaking up. “I will handle Olivia. Just keep working on everyone else.”
“You?” Neal questioned worriedly, but with a hint of amusement.
“Yes, me,” she snapped as she sat up. “The woman the public loves. The woman who bats her eyelashes at the cameras, who accepts stupid balloon crowns from annoying-ass clowns, and donates shitloads of money to so many kids that they want to name a fucking school library after me. I know how to act in public. Your wife, on the other hand, needs a few lessons. You should be glad I haven’t thrown her off the bridge for the pity vote.”
“You wouldn’t.” Mrs. Colemen’s blue eyes widened as she stood up quickly. Standing next to her daughter they looked eerie similar, the only difference being Mrs. Colemen’s wrinkled skin and shoulder length gray-blonde hair.
“She would,” my mother replied. She hated when we fought. But you’d think she would be used to it by now. When didn’t we fight?
“She would enjoy it too.” Coraline grinned. Melody had “fixed” Cora, as she liked to say. In other words, Coraline now lived on the dark side of the moon with us.
Mrs. Colemen stood. “We’re all family here…”
“No, we’re family.” I pointed at myself and my immediate family. “You are a chess piece, a stepping stone to our goals, Mrs. Colemen. Harsh, I know. But it’s the truth, and it’s better you hear it now just so we don’t have a misunderstanding in the future. You hold no value other than arm candy to your husband. I thought we made that clear when we asked you to get remarried for the sake of this campaign. That’s the deal you made. So save your life and sit back down, before you don’t have legs to stand on. There are plenty of pretty blondes in the sea to replace you.”
Shocked, she sat back down.
Welcome to the family.
Maybe now what she signed up for was finally hitting her. She wanted to be the first lady so that she could be the face for environmental and educational change. That was the deal. Melody and I were the hands that fed her, and if she bit us, we would pull out every one of her teeth.
“Well then, Senator, we should go over your speech once more,” Mina told Mr. Colemen as she typed away on her tablet.
“I think I will follow along as well,” Mrs. Colemen said. She smiled nervously before walking out.
“They are my parents, could you please refrain from threatening them?” Olivia hissed through her teeth, causing Neal to grab her hand.
“Why? We threaten you, and you’re married to the family,” Melody said, and I smiled.
Olivia looked over to Evelyn and Sedric, who seemed to be having their own private conversation, and stomped her foot like the brat she was. My parents couldn’t do shit, nor would they. Evelyn…well, my mother was happy when my father was happy, and as long as she could throw as many parties as she wanted, she was fine as well. My father was out of this “business;” he was keeping his hands clean and instead focused on our more legitimate affairs. The Callahan family didn’t just control the drug trade. Hotels, restaurants, spas, clubs…we owned so many of them that I’ve honestly lost count. Not to mention the amount of shares we now owned in some of the world’s biggest corporations due to the Giovanni family, which now really consisted of just Mel. The Callahans hid our secret behind small business ventures over the generations, but since Melody had all but rebuilt the Giovanni by herself, she needed a quicker way to hide her blood money. Between us both, we truly did own this city…this state, and Olivia, after all this time, still didn’t seem to understand that.
“This family is fucked in the head and so dysfunctional,” Olivia snapped, walking towards the door, “We’re supposed to have each other’s backs and protect one another. Yet all you ever do is remind us that you wouldn’t hesitate to kill any of us.”
“Apparently we don’t remind you enough.” My eyes narrowed while I moved towards her. Her eyes widened, and Neal immediately stood between us.
“Step aside, brother,” I said softly. “I won’t hurt her.”
Neal’s jaw clenched, and he only took a slight step to the right, allowing me to step in front of Olivia.
“Every day, you bitch and whine at us, and everyday, you manage to wake up. That isn’t luck, it isn’t even the will of God; it’s because you’re family. That is the only reason your tongue hasn’t been ripped from your throat. You’re alive because my brother, whom I’ve come to care for, was stupid enough to fall in love with you. Over the years, you’ve been given the freedom of speech, but now I’m revoking that right.” I cupped the side of her face and could feel Neal flinch beside me. “Never again will you ever tell me what this family is supposed to be like. For if you do, Olivia Callahan, there won’t be enough love in the world to protect you from me.”
When I pulled back, she was paler than the blue dress she wore.
“Maybe we should all rest privately for the remainder of the evening before the gala,” my mother said as she walked over to me and wrapped her hand around my own. She pulled me back, giving Neal a moment with Olivia.
“Brilliant idea, Mother.” I kissed her on the cheek before turning to Melody. Seeing the look of lust in her eyes made me forget everything else.
I reached out for her hand. “Wife.”