The Bodyguard

1.

Jasper knew from a young age that his mother was a powerful woman. Never mind the way she could graze through a room and have everyone enamored with her beauty. It was much more than that. Karla White exuded power and demanded respect.

It was no wonder Jasper looked up to his mother, and all women for that matter, with the amount of respect he did.

Growing up with Karla as a mother meant poised, cunning, and enigmatic children. Karla knew that family was power, and power meant control.

Jasper knew that much meant he could never be ordinary. His perception of the world was heavily based on what it meant to be perfect, never once being presented with the opportunity to fail anyway.

Even now as Jasper and his mother, along with his siblings made their way to the Senator's annual charity gala, Jasper wondered who out of the four would be the first to break.

Whether it be from stress, or the tactful nature of their mother, he didn't know quite yet.

"Fix your tie, please." Karla spoke, as she reapplied her rogue red lipstick in the mirror of her handheld makeup case.

Jasper looked down at his polished suit, blond hair falling over eyebrow to notice his tie was slightly crooked. He heard the mirror case snap shut, as his mother gave him one of her long, scrutinizing looks.

"Better," she said. Reaching up to fix the piece of his hair that fell forward. "You look handsome. Right?"

Jasper smiled, looking around at his rather unbothered siblings. The back of the suv
where they sat was oval shaped, giving him a perfect view of the New York architecture that passed. Leslie, clad in a black dress suit and tights looked up momentarily, as if to confirm or deny their mother's previous statement.

"I need a drink," she muttered, and turned to the cooler filled with champagne next to them. Her dark hair fell over her shoulder in pieces, a stark contrast between her siblings and mother's natural blond. What was originally meant to be an act of rebellion when she was 16, turned permanent.

Leslie, now 24, has since gotten over her mother's disapproval for her hair color. Karla wouldn't admit that it made her seem strong, more powerful than before, even if it was just an illusion.

"God, pour me some too, will you?" Lucas spoke next to Jasper, the fabric of their suits briefly rubbing together as he leaned forward. "Bria is going to be there, you know?"

At that, Leslie rolled her eyes, and Jasper simply scoffed, ignoring the glare his mother shot him.

"Bria Levingston." Jasper said, referring to the daughter of the all righteous Bryce Levingston. "Are we supposed to feel sorry for you? No one told you to go fuck the daughter of mom's opponent."

"Fuck yo-"

"Enough," Karla snapped, ceasing whatever argument that was about to ensue. "I don't want any arguments tonight. Lucas, suck it up."

Lucas sat back, glaring at his younger brother who smirked with triumph. His lips wrapped around the bottle, champagne dripping down his lips and onto a ten thousand dollar suit. He was clearly the one least concerned with etiquette.

"And Jasper," Karla spoke up, "Don't provoke him tonight. I need all of you on your best behavior. Understand?"

"Tell Jasper to mind his fucking business then," Lucas snapped back. "I told you I didn't know who she was when it happened."

At that Jasper scoffed, toying with the cuff links on his sleeve. "Like hell you didn't. How do you think that is gonna look in the news if people find out? 'Lucas White, Son of Karla White, democratic senator, and his affair with Bria Levingston. How the pair from opposite sides of the political spectrum found love"

"It's not lov-"

"Sex, then." Jasper corrected. "Either way, you accidentally fucked someone whose dad is endorsed by white supremacists, I swear, only you could do something that reckless."

"As if your flings aren't just as scandalous, if not more," Lucas shot back along with a glare. "Your last sexscapade almost cost mom the election."

Jasper's eyes darkened, his pulse quickening at the mention of it. It happened in a flash, so quick, that not even their mother had time to pull them apart. Jasper's hands wrapped around Lucas' neck, effectively pushing him back into the seat.

"Fuck you," Jasper sneered, fingers tightening around his brother's pulse. "That's different and you know it."

"Enough!" Karla raised her voice as the car came to a sudden halt. A crowd of people crossed the street before them, oblivious to the scene that was unfolding in the car.

"That's enough Jasper, let him go," Karla said lowly, her eyes burning holes into the side of Jasper's head.

Reluctantly, Jasper released his brother from his grip, earning a choked cough from Lucas, who quickly pushed him away. Jasper figured if he had to pick between facing facing his mother's anger and subordination, he'd choose the latter every time. Across from them, Leslie simply watched the scene play out before her in amusement.

She never had much concern for the displays of Jasper's violence, they'd learned to accept it by now. Still, in the back of her head she wondered if Jasper would ever take it too far one day, his short temper (courtesy of their mother) would be the death of them.

"Control your son," Lucas sneered, heart still trying to find its pace after the lack of oxygen. Still, Jasper sat beside him with a bored expression. Indifference was his favorite display of emotion.

"Both of you stop," Karla repeated. "This event, of all places is not the time to act out. Especially with Bryce attending. We need to present a united front."

Bryce Levingston and his family were a nightmare all on their own. He'd made his name well known among the political crowd, first serving as a mayor, he'd made his politics very clear. He'd been able to propel his political career that he was now running against Karla White in the upcoming senate elections.

His far-right policies were a stark contrast to Karla's, whose progressiveness, forward-thinking, and charm secured her a seat in the senate 6 years ago. She thought she had finally rose above men like Bryce, who were so pathetically threatened by powerful women. Evidently not, as she would soon fight to secure her seat at the table, along with her future.

8 months were all they had to win over the people of New-York. Karla knew she could win, but she would need to not be worried about her kids killing each other if she were to succeed in doing so.

"We all know how Bryce and his supporters can get," Karla added. "I don't want to have to worry about you guys tonight, too."

"Can you behave?"

Lucas nodded eventually, Leslie reapplied her lip gloss, and Jasper rolled his eyes. Karla knew better than to expect a verbal response from him.

"Thank you." She said anyway. They turned one more corner before pulling up in front of the a small red carpet designated for photos. Photographers filled in the gaps, and the car pulled to a stop.

"We're here, Miss White." said their driver, Nick, through the partition.

Karla nodded, flattening out her suit before putting on that impeccable politician smile she had perfected in the last couple of years.

The siblings shifted in their seats, checking for any small imperfections they may have missed on the car ride over. Once they were satisfied a man opened the door, but they were still shielded from the public's awaiting hungry gaze.

"Shall we?"

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