Chapter 11

The city had learned their faces.Jason realized it the moment he stepped out of the penthouse.Cameras clicked as they walked not aggressively, at least not yet but it was enough to register. A ripple of attention followed him across the sidewalk, subtle and unsettling. Phones were lifted and murmurs were codedly passed between strangers like shared secrets.“Don’t look at them,” Adler said quietly beside him.Jason clenched his jaw. “I’m not looking at anyone.”“Yes, you are.”Jason shot him a look. “You don’t get to narrate my body language.”Adler ignored that. “Walk normally.”“I am walking.”“Jason.”Jason stopped short. “If you say my name like that again, I swear.. ”Adler leaned closer, voice low and even. “If you want your mother left out of tomorrow’s headlines, you’ll listen.”Jason swallowed and turned to look over at his mother.Judy stood a few steps ahead, smiling politely at a woman who had approached her with rehearsed warmth.“Mrs. Judy,” the woman said. “Lovely to

Chapter 12

The penthouse was too quiet when they got home from the press conference .Not the calm kind.. this was the heavy, watchful silence that pressed against Jason’s chest the moment the elevator doors slid shut behind them. The city noise had suddenly vanished, sealed away by glass and steel, leaving only the soft hum of the building and the echo of their footsteps.Judy didn’t say much either she leaned heavily on Adler’s arm as they walked inside, her smile tired, eyes unfocused. Adler guided her down the hall with practiced ease, murmuring reassurances Jason couldn’t quite hear.“I’m fine,” Judy insisted softly. “Just… exhausted.”“You took your medication,” Adler said.“Yes.”Jason followed a few steps behind, hands clenched, heart racing for reasons he couldn’t explain.Adler settled Judy into bed, adjusting the pillows, drawing the curtains. She was asleep almost instantly, breath slow, body slack in a way that scared Jason more than he wanted to admit.“She’s out,” Adler said q

Chapter 13

Jason woke up before the rest of the house woke up.Not dramatically because there were no slammed doors, no final looks. Just quiet movement through the penthouse, sneakers pulled on by the door, phone buzzing softly in his hand.Ava: Mall. Noon. I’m dragging you out whether you like it or not.Jason typed back, you’re the boss Ava .He didn’t look towards Adler’s wing of the house as he stepped into the elevator.He didn’t trust himself to so he just walked out the building flagged a cab and headed for the mall.The mall was loud in a way the penthouse never was.Music blared from storefronts. Laughter echoed. People moved with purpose that had nothing to do with cameras or optics. Jason breathed easier the moment he stepped inside, shoulders loosening as Ava looped her arm through his.“Look at you,” Ava said, grinning. “You look like a man who escaped a scary hostage situation.”Jason snorted. “Trust me Ava, It felt like one.”“Did he finally bite you? Or were you the one that di

Chapter 14

The first headline dropped at 6:12 a.m.Jason knew because his phone vibrated violently against his nightstand.He groaned and reached for it, eyes barely open, and the moment the screen lit up his stomach tightened.RUMORS RESURFACED ABOUT SENATORIAL CANDIDATE ADLER JOHN BARON. QUESTIONS ABOUT PRIVATE LIFE REIGNITED.He immediately sat upright and another notification followed.And another.Ava: Have you seen this?Ava: Call me.Jason exhaled slowly and scrolled through the headlines.Anonymous sources. Old photographs. Speculation dressed up as journalism. And then there was a blurred image from years ago.. A male silhouette beside Adler outside a hotel. The article did not accuse directly, but it honestly did not need to as it suggested and implied that something was off.The article planted doubts like a seed and suddenly the door to his room opened without warning.“Have you seen it?” Adler asked.Jason looked up to find Judy and Adler standing in front of his door.Adler was

All Chapters of Power and Pleasure |The man my mother married|: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14