CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHEATER

West had done it again. She had crafted the perfect article that created a shit storm in the nation's capital. Her story about Annette Shepherd's old scandal was racking up thousands of views on her website, being plastered on several tabloids, and discussed in the news.

Duncan's eyes quickly read the short article that was pulled up on his laptop. While it was on the shorter side, it had done enough damage to fears chaos.

Annette Shepherd: A Liar and a Cheat

Annette Shepherd, a popular name in the Republican Party, has done her best to cover up a ten year old scandal. She did an excellent job of hiding her secret... until now.

Ten years ago, the Republican Party supporter cheated on her husband, Mark Usher, with the Republican Party campaign manager. Mr. Smith and Shepherd had a year long affair.

When the pair were accidentally found by Smith's assistant, Shepherd cut the unnamed woman a check for $500,000 and Smith fired her on the spot.

A source close to the Shepherd family said, "That's the reason Mark filed for divorce before the two went to counseling. She couldn't explain to her husband where half a million went so she had to come clean."

These are the kinds of people who are funding the Republican Party. If the supporters and managers of the party are that corrupt, imagine how corrupt the politicians of the Republican Party are.

"Where the hell were you when the little reporter published this article?" Annette demanded an answer from her son, venom laced in her voice. "You told me that you took care of her!"

"I did!" Her step son yelled, rising to his feet. His hands were pressed against his desk as he put all of his weight on them, leaning across the table. "For three years I've been fucking the Esmeralda so our family name stayed out of her mouth."

Almost any other person would have been afraid of the man but not his mother. Annette would always overpower him. At the end of the day, she would always have him on a leash.

"Well obviously you stopped. Why the hell did you stop?" She pressed on, feeling as if her own son had betrayed her.

Cindy had been in the room she called her own when she stayed at Duncan's penthouse. The pair had just returned from the City of Love hours before and she had yet to go home, not ready to leave her new found lover.

She knew that his mother came by to speak to him and they were in his office. As usual, her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she had found herself standing outside of his office, intently listening to the conversation that was happening inside.

"I married Misty, mom! And last time I checked, the only reason I did so was because of you." That was the first thing the seventeen year old heard, her eyes going wide. "As a married man, I can't just fuck someone else."

The blonde had known since day one that Duncan wasn't fully invested in her mother but she had tried not to think about it. However, now it all made sense. The thought actually sickened her that he had married her mother only because Anette had told him to.

"Being in a relationship has never stopped you from having mistresses before and I know for a fact that you aren't in love with Misty Blaine!" Annette yelled at him, her face becoming red in anger. "So don't lie to me!"

Cindy's mind went blank and her heart stopped. She knew that her stepfather was a notorious playboy, everyone in Washington knew that. But if never crossed her mind that he would stoop so low as to be a cheater. Then it hit her that he had been cheating on her mother with at least one person: her.

Cindy felt dirty and the sinking feeling in her stomach got heavier. Her eyes began to water and her palms began to sweat. Not being able to take it anymore, she grabbed ahold of the door knob, and quickly opened the door.

Before her she saw an angry son and a pissed off mother. They looked like two lions that were fighting to become the king of the pride. However, when they heard the door open, the pair whipped their heads in her direction. Duncan's face immediately softened at the sight before him but Annette's stayed contorted in anger.

When her son didn't reprimand the child for interrupting the adults, the older woman looked back at her son in confusion. When she saw his softened face, she immediately understood.

"Her daughter?!" His mom started, her voice growing louder. "You're messing around with her daughter! Of all the people, Misty Blaine's fucking daughter!" She was livid, ceasing with fury. "Instead of fraternizing with a little girl, bone someone who will actually be beneficial!" With that, Annette pushed past the teenager and stormed out of her son's apartment, her heels furiously clicking the whole way.

Cindy stood frozen in the hallway, the slamming of a door being the only sound that filled the silent room. Her eyes traveled from her electric blue painted toe nails to the man she adored. Looking at him, she realized how wrong it all was.

It was wrong that a married man was cheating on his wife. It was wrong that a thirty year old man was messing around with a seventeen year old. It was wrong that a thirty year old man was cheating on his wife with her seventeen year old daughter. But most of all, it was wrong that Cindy had happily partaken in it, loved it even.

Misty's favorite had always been Melanie and that had always bothered Cindy. The youngest daughter never had a close relationship with her mother. However, she didn't want to cause her mom any harm, it was her mother after all.

"Cindy..." Duncan started to speak, wanting, no needing, to hear her voice. He needed to know what she was thinking, what was going through her pretty head.

"No." She spoke, her usual melody like voice dead flat like a guitar that was missing all but one string. "Don't talk to me, Duncan." Without another word, she left the same way his mother had, slamming the door behind her.

Duncan was left alone in his large office, inside of his even larger apartment. It had never felt lonely but now it did. He felt so alone in the moment not hearing Cindy humming a random song to herself or her feet prancing around the floor. For the first time in his life, Duncan Shepherd, the infamous playboy, felt bad for cheating. He didn't feel bad for cheating on Misty. It felt like he had cheated on Cindy with Misty when in fact it was in reality the other way around.

It was fucked up, he knew. However, he didn't see himself stopping his infatuation with the seventeen year old anytime soon. Grabbing the closest thing that sat on his desk, a coffee mug, he sent it flying across the room out of pure anger. It shattered into tiny pieces just like his heart when he saw the young girl's face. With a sigh, he collapsed into his chair, and confined to feel alone.