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“Don’t do it, Raine. Give the money back,” Mom bursts out instantly.
“They won’t let me give them the money back. I have to do it, or they will hurt you or Maddy.”
“Oh God!” Her eyes are filled with horror. “We have to go to the police.”
“Mom, remember what Catherine told me at the beginning. They have bought the police and even the judges. We would be signing our death warrants if we do that. We cannot take on people like these. They are criminals, but they are very powerful and roam in a world we know nothing of.”
“Should we pack our bags and leave the city?”
“No. We can’t do that. That will mean Maddy will die in the next year.”
Tears fill my mother’s eyes. “What do we do then?”
“Tomorrow I will somehow arrange to go to Konstantin and I will switch the painting. Once I have done that I will pretend to him that I want to redecorate his office. I will tell him it has always been a dream of mine to try out some interior design and why not his office. I know he doesn’t care anything about décor so he will probably say yes if I push. If he says yes, I will get some workmen in and get them to move the painting to another room. An unused room. They cannot blame me if they think the redecoration was planned a long time ago and I had nothing to do with it. And I’m going to close my bank account tomorrow so they can’t deposit their dirty money into it anymore. Whatever is in it now, I’m going to donate to the homeless charity down the road.”
“What if Konstantin says no?”
“I don’t think he will say no, but if he does then I will cross that bridge when I come to it.”
“How did this happen to us?”
“It’s my fault, Mom. I was careless, but I promise I am going to make it alright. I am going to save Maddy, and I’m not going to let those people destroy Konstantin.”
“How are you going to save Maddy if you’re giving back all the money or giving it to charity?”
“Konstantin promised to pay for all Maddy’s treatment. Not only that he wants us to do it here, at the best hospital, with the best doctors at whatever the cost.”
My mother gasps. “He promised?”
“He promised.”
“You believe him?”
“I believe him,” I say softly, very firmly.
My mother grabs me into a big bear hug and begins to sob into my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Mom. Everything is going to be okay. You’ll see. I’ll make it okay.”
Raine
Konstantin is as good as his word. While I am at work I receive a text from my mother that his secretary called to say she will be making arrangements for Maddy’s treatment. I put my phone down wearing a huge smile and get back to my boring, mindless job of making sure two columns of numbers marry up.
An hour later my phone pings with a text.
Him: Want to have dinner with me tonight?
Me: Would totally love to. Where are we going?
Him: My place
Me: Great. What time?
Him: Car will come for you at 8.00pm
I feel sad as I type out the next words. I’m going to betray him. I am the Judas, biting the hand that is saving my sister’s life.
Me: I can’t wait. Xx
Him: Wear that sexy thing you bought in London.
Me: Aye, Aye, Captain.
There is no reply to that, and I stare at the wall in front of me despondently. I don’t know how I am going to persuade him to let me redecorate his office, but I must.
“Have you finished that last batch?” my supervisor asks.
“Uh... nearly.
“Upstairs needs it urgently.”
“Right. On it.” I get back to work and put my troubles away until 8.00 pm tonight.
Konstantin’s place is on West End Avenue in the Beaux Arts landmark condominium. The lobby is accessed from a quiet, tree and brownstone-lined block just around the corner from Riverside Park. I have never been to this area of the city, and it is rather beautiful, but I can’t appreciate any of it.
My stomach is tied up in knots and I feel as nervous and restless as a cat on a hot tin roof.
A smiling, middle-aged woman lets me into his home, a spectacular combination of two penthouses, a solarium penthouse and a terrace penthouse and set on two floors. My phone is put away into a similar contraption as the one he had in Berkshire.
Then I am led into the room that the floorplan I was given by Catherine called the great big room relates. Calling it a great big room was no exaggeration. It has a barrel-vaulted ceiling with a magnificent skylight that must be at least twenty-two-foot tall. There are full arched glass walls and French doors that lead to a terrace. It must look amazing during the day with sunlight pouring into it.
