Chapter 2 - FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND A LIE
Catherine Voss was waiting in the hotel loading area when Ravi's guards found her.
She had removed her red heels and was speaking angrily into her phone. The moment she saw the men approaching, she tried to smile.
“Is Ravi asking for me?”
“He is.”
“Good. I was just leaving.”
“You're coming with us.”
Her smile disappeared. “I don't think you understand who my father is.”
One of the guards opened the rear door of a black sedan. “We understand perfectly.”
Catherine entered the car, furious but careful not to make a scene. She had spent years learning that public embarrassment was dangerous. It had destroyed her once already. She would not let it happen again.
When she entered the private lounge, she saw Diane sitting beside Ravi.
For a fraction of a second, Catherine's face revealed surprise. Then she laughed.
“Oh, this is wonderful. Did she tell you how much she wanted the money?”
Diane stood. “You said he was nobody important.”
Catherine shrugged. “I said he was rich. I didn't say he was harmless.”
Ravi's gaze remained on her. “Explain.”
Catherine crossed her arms. “It was a joke. A little entertainment. She kissed you. You got angry. Everyone got a story to tell tomorrow.”
“You offered her ten thousand dollars.”
“She agreed.”
“She did not know who I was.”
“That's hardly my fault.”
Diane felt anger rise through her fear. “You knew exactly who he was. You knew what he might do.”
Catherine looked at her with contempt. “Don't pretend you were innocent. You took the money.”
Diane flinched because the accusation was true.
Ravi leaned forward. “Why me?”
Catherine's expression changed. “Because you humiliated me last week.”
“You asked me to take you home. I declined.”
“You called me pathetic in front of everyone.”
“You made a public offer. I gave you a public answer.”
“You made them laugh.”
“I didn't make them laugh. You did.”
Catherine's cheeks flushed.
Ravi continued, his voice quiet. “You wanted a woman you considered beneath you to embarrass me. You expected me to destroy her, and you wanted to watch.”
Catherine said nothing.
“Is that correct?”
“You don't get to act morally superior,” she snapped. “You have ruined people for less.”
“Perhaps. But I don't pay women to do my dirty work.”
Diane looked between them. She had the uncomfortable feeling that she was standing in the middle of a much older conflict.
Ravi held out his hand. “Where is the other five thousand?”
Catherine blinked. “What?”
“You promised her ten. She received five. Where is the balance?”
“I never intended to pay her.”
Diane felt her face grow hot.
Catherine smiled. “She was a waitress. I gave her five thousand dollars to do something ridiculous. She should be grateful.”
Ravi's expression turned cold. “You will pay what you promised.”
“Why? So you can reward her for kissing you?”
“So you can learn that a promise is not a toy.”
Catherine laughed. “You're protecting her now? Is that what this is?”
“I'm correcting you.”
He looked toward the guard. “Take her statement. Keep her here until her father arrives.”
Catherine stood abruptly. “You can't keep me.”
“I'm not keeping you. I'm making sure you don't leave before we discuss the second reason you came to this party.”
Her smile vanished.
Diane noticed it. “What second reason?”
Ravi did not answer. He pulled a small black device from his pocket and placed it on the table.
It was a security drive.
“Someone accessed my private office during the party,” he said. “The security system was interrupted for four minutes. The only people who knew the access schedule were my staff and the guests on the invitation list.”
Catherine's eyes moved to the device.
Diane followed the movement.
Ravi saw it too. “You know something.”
“I don't.”
“Then you won't mind answering a few questions.”
Catherine turned toward Diane. “Tell him what you did. Tell him you agreed to kiss him. Don't let him pretend you're some innocent victim.”
“I never said I was innocent,” Diane replied. “I said you lied.”
Ravi looked at her. “Did you notice anyone near the corridor when you approached me?”
Diane thought back. The ballroom. The tray. Catherine's red dress. The windows.
“There was a man near the service door,” she said slowly. “He wore a silver tie. He was holding a phone, but he wasn't taking pictures. He kept looking toward the hallway.”
Ravi's attention sharpened. “Did you see his face?”
“No. He turned away when I looked at him.”
Catherine's hands tightened around her purse.
Ravi noticed. “Who was he?”
“I don't know,” she said.
But this time, her voice sounded less certain.
Ravi stood. “Get the guest list. Find the man with the silver tie.”
Then he looked at Diane. “You're going home.”
Relief rushed through her. “Thank you.”
“But two guards will accompany you. Someone has already seen you with me, and I won't pretend that makes you safe.”
“I don't need guards.”
“You may not need them. You may need a great many other things. But tonight, you are going to have them.”
He turned to Catherine. “And you are going to tell me who else was involved.”
Catherine looked away.
Diane understood then that the money had never been the whole plan.
May you like
She had been the distraction.
And somewhere in the hotel, someone had used her kiss to steal something from Ravi Greedy.
