Chapter 5 - CATHERINE'S SECOND BETRAYAL
Catherine Voss had not slept.
Her father had arrived at the hotel after midnight and spent twenty minutes telling her how foolish she had been. He had not asked whether Ravi had threatened her. He had asked whether anyone had seen her.
That was the difference between her father and other parents.
He cared about consequences, not feelings.
“You will stay away from Ravi,” he had said.
Catherine had laughed bitterly. “You're the one who told me to get close to him.”
“I told you to build a relationship. I did not tell you to make a spectacle of yourself.”
“He embarrassed me.”
“And now you have embarrassed me.”
She had left his office before he could say more.
But the problem was no longer only Ravi.
Elliot Crane had disappeared after the party. The black case had not reached Catherine, and the man who had promised to deliver it was not answering his phone.
She called him again.
Voicemail.
Then a message appeared.
Stop calling. They know.
Catherine stared at the screen.
A knock sounded at her apartment door.
She looked through the peephole. Two men stood outside.
She did not open it.
Her phone rang again. This time, the number was private.
“Who is this?”
A man's voice answered. “You need to find out what Diane Harper saw.”
“I don't know what she saw.”
“Then make sure she doesn't talk.”
Catherine's mouth went dry. “Who are you?”
The line went dead.
For the first time, she wondered whether her little revenge game had become something much bigger.
***
At the same time, Diane was trying to get through an ordinary day.
She had returned to work at the hotel, but her manager had reduced her shifts after the incident. The staff whispered when she passed. One woman asked whether Ravi had given her money. Another wanted to know whether she was his new girlfriend.
Diane ignored them.
At lunch, Sadi called.
“Diane, can I go to the library after school?”
“Only if Mrs. Alvarez walks with you.”
“Okay. Also, my teacher said we have a dental screening next week.”
Diane closed her eyes. “That's good, sweetheart.”
“Does that mean I can get braces?”
“Not yet. But we'll talk about it.”
She ended the call and looked at her empty wallet.
A message arrived from an unknown number.
You should not have kissed Ravi Greedy. Stay away from him.
Diane read it twice.
Then another message appeared.
You don't know what you got involved in.
She showed the messages to Marcus, whose number Ravi had given her.
He called immediately.
“Don't reply. Send me the screenshots.”
“Who is this?”
“We're checking.”
“I don't want this. I just want to work and take care of my sister.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don't.”
Marcus was quiet.
Then he said, “You're right. I don't. But I can make sure no one comes near your sister.”
Diane sent the screenshots.
***
That evening, Ravi came to the apartment building.
He did not come upstairs. He waited beside the entrance while Marcus spoke to the building manager.
Diane came down when she received his message.
“What happened?”
He showed her the screenshots.
“Someone is trying to frighten you into silence.”
“About the party?”
“Yes.”
“I didn't see anything.”
“They may not believe that.”
“Can you make this stop?”
“I can try.”
“I don't want anyone hurt.”
Ravi's face was unreadable. “Neither do I.”
She looked at him skeptically. “You're a mob boss.”
“That's what people call me.”
“Is it wrong?”
He did not answer immediately.
“I have made choices I cannot defend. I won't ask you to pretend otherwise.”
It was the first honest thing he had said about his reputation.
Diane looked down. “Then why are you helping me?”
“Because you were used. Because someone is threatening a child. And because I don't want your life destroyed by a plan you didn't understand.”
She studied him. “That's not an answer about why you care.”
“No,” he said. “It isn't.”
A car passed slowly along the street. Ravi's security team watched it until it disappeared.
He turned to Diane. “I need you to tell me if anyone approaches Sadi.”
“I will.”
“And if you receive another message, don't answer.”
She nodded.
Then she asked, “What about Catherine?”
Ravi's eyes hardened. “She is frightened now. She should be.”
“Don't hurt her.”
“I haven't decided what to do with her.”
“Then decide not to hurt her.”
He looked at Diane for a long moment.
“You ask a great deal of a man you barely know.”
May you like
“I'm asking you not to become the thing everyone says you are.”
For once, Ravi had no immediate answer.
