Leo Bursts In — C.J. Reveals Mirror's Setup
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. clarifies financial details on the phone, showcasing her expertise under pressure.
Leo barges in, aggressively demanding why C.J. didn't inform him about Sam's situation, escalating the tension.
C.J. defends her handling of the situation, revealing the London Daily Mirror's involvement and the setup against Sam.
Leo processes the information, specifically asking about the timeline of the tabloid story, hinting at his concern for damage control.
Leo confirms the innocence of Sam's actions and exits, leaving C.J. to exhale in relief, signaling a brief moment of respite.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Not onstage; implicitly exposed, anxious, and at risk of reputational harm given the tabloid allegations.
Laurie is the subject of the scandal: C.J. identifies her as the woman in the photo and the target of the Mirror's claim; Laurie is not present but is immediately positioned as vulnerable and in need of protection.
- • Avoid public humiliation and career/personal damage
- • Have the administration defend or mitigate the false claims
- • Tabloid allegations can be manufactured for effect and must be refuted with evidence
- • Private life should not be exploited for political ends
Measured composure masking fatigue and urgency; relief that the timeline buys time mixed with acute concern for staff reputations.
C.J. is on the defensive but controlled: she ends a phone call, stands to meet Leo, and methodically recounts the investigative timeline—what Sam reported, her overnight verification, the photo's provenance, and the Mirror's alleged $50,000 payment.
- • Contain immediate political damage by providing a credible timeline and attribution
- • Protect Laurie and Sam by controlling what senior staff (Leo) knows and when the story breaks
- • Accurate, time-based disclosure can minimize harm and buy tactical options
- • She must own the investigation's details to shape the administration's response
Frustrated and alarmed—angry that he was kept out of a personnel risk—but pragmatically seeking facts to assess exposure and next steps.
Leo storms in, slams the door, and presses C.J. for why he wasn't informed earlier; he listens to her timeline, asks pointed questions about ownership and timing, and then departs still clearly agitated but temporarily reassured by the 'later today' timing.
- • Ascertain why he wasn't notified to evaluate senior-level risk and response
- • Establish the story's timeline so he can prioritize institutional damage control
- • As Chief of Staff, he must be informed of threats to staff and the administration immediately
- • Knowing the source and timing of the leak determines the appropriate countermeasures
Not present; implied to be willing and commodified—motivated by payment rather than loyalty or truth.
The Waitress Friend is named by C.J. as the transactional witness allegedly paid by the Mirror to stage a photograph and corroborate that Laurie was a call girl; she functions as the proximate source of the tabloid's manufactured evidence.
- • Provide the tabloid a convincing narrative in exchange for payment
- • Maintain anonymity while profiting from the setup
- • Monetary incentive legitimizes participation in a manufactured story
- • Tabloid outlets will protect or position a paid witness to avoid immediate scrutiny
Sam is an offstage catalyst in the conversation: Leo accuses him of calling C.J.; C.J. recounts that Sam 'met the …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
C.J. is actively using a desk telephone when Leo enters; she finishes a call, hangs up to answer Leo's questions, and uses the phone call's end as a transition from field triage to formal briefing. The handset and line anchor the scene's procedural reality.
The suspicious car is cited by C.J. as the observational cue Sam reported; it functions narratively as the inciting physical clue that legitimized the investigation and produced the chain leading to the photo.
The $50,000 payment is reported as the Mirror's method of manufacturing evidence; it functions as the critical evidentiary detail that reframes the photo from organic scandal to paid setup, altering the moral and tactical calculus.
The graduation present is referenced as context for the girl's interaction with Sam; it humanizes the girl and inoculates Sam's gesture from appearing predatory, shifting the scene's moral shading.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
C.J.'s office doorway and interior serve as the physical and symbolic frame: C.J. is on a call behind the desk when Leo barges through the door, compressing private triage into public institutional confrontation. The doorway acts as the threshold where personal judgment meets chain-of-command pressure.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"LEO: "How do you not tell me until this morning?""
"C.J.: "We didn't know anything last night.""
"C.J.: "The London Daily Mirror. They paid a waitress friend of hers $50,000 to set it up and confirm that she was a call girl.""