Exposed | A Ruthless Billionaire Romance Bonus Novel

Exposed is the bonus book in The Ruthless Billionaire Duet. Spencer and Jada’s devotion is tested as two powerful families merge, with secrets to face.

I stared daggers at the person spewing lies on the television screen as I put on my blazer. Carol Ludwig—the woman who had once taken time after our meeting to warn me about Spencer being a womanizing heartbreaker—was being interviewed by Justin Norwood, a popular news show host. Carol had just driven a bus right over my sister-in-law, Holly Henderson, and was now minimizing why she thought Spencer was ten points ahead of my mother in the polls. The tag beneath her image said she was a spokesperson for my mother’s campaign. I was still trying to figure out when Carol Ludwig hooked up with my mother. Was it before or after that portentous warning she issued me?
The interview had initially aired last night. Spencer was in town, which had become rare in the last month. It was the end of another very long day during which he’d juggled the few candidate duties he engaged in, running his business, and heading the foundation he’d set up for the victims of his father’s crimes. Spencer was still my boss.
However, I had been focused solely on being my husband’s campaign advisor. Two months ago, I filed Spencer’s candidate intention statement. Not long after, our campaign for my mother’s Senate seat was up and running. I’d been doing all the heavy lifting. Spencer was tough to manage. I planned appearances that Spencer usually ditched at the last minute. The ones he showed up for consisted of him outright telling interviewers that he wasn’t answering questions or him giving yes-or-no replies. I did most of the speaking as Spencer through press releases and answering questions for reporters and bloggers who were willing to conduct written interviews.
Emergencies at his regular business always distracted him from candidate duties. It felt as if I was the one running for office rather than Spencer. The issue had become an unspoken point of contention between us.
When we first watched Carol’s interview last night, I’d noticed Spencer looking at her as if he’d never seen her before.
“You know who that is, don’t you?” I’d asked him.
He pointed at the television. “It says your mother’s campaign spokesperson.”
“That’s Carol Ludwig.”
“That’s what it says,” he replied indifferently.
I tipped my head to the side. “You really don’t recognize her?”
The slight constriction of his already narrowed eyes indicated that he was garnering a closer look. “No. I don’t. Who is she?” His tone was brisk, indicating he was running out of patience.
“She used to work for you, Spencer. She’s the one that warned me against starting a relationship with you. She alluded to the fact that you broke her heart.”
His forehead wrinkled some more as he continued watching her. “I’ve never met her.”
My mouth fell open as I looked at Carol and listened to her spin her garbage about Spencer’s brother Jasper and his wife, Holly.
“Never?” I asked.
“No, never. And now my family is going to be affected by this campaign crap,” he roared.
It was clear that Carol was the last thing on his mind. Before I could apologize for what my mother’s spokesperson was saying and remind my husband that the campaign he seemed to be resenting was one he’d agreed to, Jasper phoned him.
Spencer put the call on speaker. Jasper was highly pissed and making demands. It became even more clear that he was the boss of the Blackstone family. He insisted that if we continued with our “political efforts,” we needed to hire a real campaign advisor and a team that could keep interviews like the one we were watching from happening. If that couldn’t be done, then Spencer was going to have to consider renouncing his candidacy.
Spencer had no visible reaction to his brother’s ultimatum, not even when Jasper called our campaign a shabby mom-and-pop operation that had gone on for far too long.
“Spence, you’re not going to like it, but if you’re going to keep going through with this, then Dugan needs to be involved,” Jasper said.
“No.” Spencer’s objection echoed throughout our large bedroom. He set his scowl on me. “I don’t care who you choose, but no Dugan. Got it?”
The silence blared loudly. I was happy he’d finally said something. Deep down inside, I knew what Spencer wanted. It was clear to everyone who was paying attention that he was not, nor would he ever be, a politician. That was why I remained trapped in indecision. I knew what I had to do to put our marriage back on the right track. But I wasn’t ready to admit defeat, not yet.
However, this wasn’t the first time I’d heard of Cornelius Dugan. Spencer had mentioned him in a conversation we’d had about how his father wanted Jasper to be the politician rather than him. It was supposed to be Dugan’s job to make Jasper a president by any means necessary. The fact that the man was crooked wasn’t the deterrent for Spencer, who believed just about everyone involved with politics was dubious. Cornelius Dugan had always been aware of Randolph Blackstone’s sins. Therefore, it would be a cold day in hell before Spencer chose to have anything to do with that guy.
Thinking fast, I suggested we approach Jamison Cox.
“I know of Jamison Cox,” Jasper said. “He’s worked with your mother?”
“Never,” I said, and that was the truth. I had a feeling that if I had said yes, Jasper would’ve slapped down my recommendation. “He wouldn’t touch her campaign with a ten-foot pole. But she always made sure he wasn’t working against her.”
“How was she able to procure that?” he asked, sounding skeptical.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But that’ll be the first thing I ask him. Although he’s a friend of my father’s. They golf together sometimes.”
The brothers became quiet. Spencer and Jasper had a tendency to engage in periods of thoughtful silence.
“All right,” Jasper finally said. “Make that the first thing you ask him. I want to know the answer.”
Spencer stopped scrubbing his face and turned to look at me. “You’re fine with letting go of being campaign advisor?” His tone was much more tender than it had been toward me lately. It wasn’t that he’d been harsh. But our conversations had become more transactional than affectionate.
Then it was my turn to engage in a round of thoughtful silence. I knew exactly what motivated me to continue up a path that was wearing me out more and more as the days went by. Carol’s interview had made me angrier than I’d ever been at my mother. I didn’t have to ask or doubt—I knew for certain that the only reason Carol had ever warned me about Spencer was because my mother had put her up to it. I mean, how deep does Patricia Forte’s rabbit hole descend? Am I fine taking my hands off the steering wheel? I didn’t know.