“Your work cut out for you indeed,” Mina said, as she muted the television, and turned back to face us.
“What? They all love me,” Senator Colemen responded, grinning at the television from his seat, “I won by a landslide.”
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.