CHAPTER 4: IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
990 Words
The evening that Jack found his fiancé in bed with another man began at an election fundraiser dinner for Ben Feinstein. Rose had meant to be joining him but had called at the last moment to say that she was feeling unwell and was just going to stay at the apartment instead. For some men, that might have been a warning sign, but Jack was never one to be suspicious of others. At least, not until that evening.
Feinstein had booked the banquet hall at the Davenport Hotel for what would be the RealWorld founder's first campaign event since he announced he was running for the presidency on Caroline Vasquez's show.
Apart from the empty seat that had been reserved for Rose. the table was full. Sat next to Jack were Roger Silverstone, one of his executives at the company, and his wife Jennifer, who ran her own wildlife charity. Going around the table were the Van Den Bergh twins, May and June. They were the great-granddaughters of Robin Van Den Bergh and the great oil baron's wealth had been substantial enough to trickle down and support the young socialites' lifestyles. Finally, there was Conrad Albright, a property tycoon, who was old enough to remember their great-grandfather, and his date for the evening, who was young enough to have been their college classmate.
Having sat through Feinstein's 45-minute long speech and reached the dessert of their eight-course meal, the group was now in the middle of discussing the social media entrepreneur's chances of becoming the next president. While the others speculated, Jack was busy checking his phone to see if Rose had replied to his message asking her if she was okay.
"I'm not sure why he needs to throw a fundraiser. He probably already has more money than everyone here combined," joked Roger.
"Well, perhaps not everyone," he added and patted Jack on the shoulder playfully.
"Feinstein actually said he would donate all the money he raises during the election to charity. Every cent spent on the campaign will be his own money. He wants to show the American public that the only people he is working for are them," said Jennifer.
Without looking up from his meal, Conrad Albright commented.
"I've probably seen more presidents than you have birthdays. Trust me, dear, they are all the same."
The group fell silent for a moment. Eventually, May Van Den Bergh turned her attention to Jack.
"I'm surprised that your father has never run for President."
"I don't think a career in politics interests him," replied Jack dismissively.
June Van Den Bergh leaned towards Jack.
"Why not? He would probably have a better chance of winning than Feinstein. He was the first man to walk on Mars and he built his own multi-billion dollar company. There's nothing the American people love more than a success story."
Albright's date interrupted the young socialite to speak to Jack.
"Your father is Henry Sinclair?"
Jack, who had picked up his wine glass to take a drink, nodded.
"What is it like to go to space?" asked Albright's date.
"I wouldn't know," said Jack.
The young woman looked confused.
"But doesn't your family own Sinclair Space Travel?"
"It does, but I run the Energy division."
"And you never went to space?"
"Never."
"Is the son of the most famous astronaut in the world scared to go into space?" teased May Van Den Bergh.
"When something like that is the family business, it just doesn't have quite the same appeal as it might have for others," explained Jack and he finished his glass of wine.
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After the meal, Jack had plans with Roger and Jessica to go to the opening of a new nightclub across town. He had only agreed to go because Rose wanted to see the French DJ that they had flown in for the opening and now that she wasn't there he didn't feel much like going. As they waited for a cab outside the Davenport Hotel, he checked his phone once more, but there was still no reply from Rose.
When the cab finally arrived, Jack excused himself.
"You guys go on ahead without me. I'm going to go back and see if Rose is feeling any better."
Jennifer had already climbed into the back of the cab. Roger stood holding the door.
"Are you sure?" asked Roger.
Jack waved him away.
"I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself anyway. I would just be worrying about her. I'll grab the next cab."
"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow at work."
Roger got into the cab and Jack waved them off.
---
By the time he got back to their apartment, Jack was feeling increasingly anxious. He had tried calling Rose on the way back, but there was no answer. It was possible that she had already fallen asleep, but when he reached their apartment he could hear music from inside and the door was unlocked.
Rose was nowhere to be found inside the apartment and Jack could hear the music was coming from their bedroom. As he called out her name, he noticed that on the table in the living room there was a half-finished bottle of wine with two glasses.
He approached the bedroom with a growing sense of dread. Each step felt more difficult to take than the last, to the point where he held out his hand against the wall to steady himself. He found the door to the bedroom half closed and he pushed it open gently.
There, naked on top of a guy he had never seen before, was Rose. It took a few seconds before the guy saw Jack stood in the doorway and he started to point and swear. Rose spun around and grabbed the bedsheets to cover herself.
Jack was unable to find any words and just stared at her, while all she could muster was, "It's not what it looks like."
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