Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire? (19 page)

       Sometimes,
Nina knew, the best way to stop feeling sorry for one’s self is to think about
others.  And the fact was, while she didn’t want to put a damper on their
spirits, she still needed her family, so she decided to call her mom. 

       “Mom—hi!”

       “Oh it’s
great to hear your voice, honey.  How’s Panama?”

       “It’s
beautiful, people are very nice, there’s a lot to see and do.”  Nina tried to
be perky.

       “I’m glad
you’re having a good time.  Reuben got his cast off today—it was pretty
exciting!”

       “That’s
fantastic, is he on crutches now?”

       “Yeah, and
he and his little performance artist had a double date with Rita and her
goalie, Mark.  I’m so sorry about Kennedy, I made dinner for her and Rita the
other night.  It’s terrible to feel betrayed.”

       No
kidding, Nina thought, as her throat began to tighten.  “Yeah, she called me,
is she doing okay?”

       “Time
heals all wounds, Nina, if you let it.  Look how long it took me to deal with
your Dad’s passing, but now I’m really having fun with Leonard.  You know,
you’re the one that pulled me back from the edge—you’ve always held it together,
no matter how bad things were.  And thanks to you and the engagement party and
Wilson DeVere, I’m met an incredibly wonderful man who treats me like a
princess.”

       “I’m so
happy for you Mom, I really am.”

       “It’s
like your engagement to Daniel has helped and inspired the entire family.  I
guess true love has a way of multiplying.” 

       Tears
were welling up in Nina’s eyes.  She knew that any moment she would burst into
sobs.  “I’ve got to go Mom, but give everyone big hugs from me.”

       “Sure
thing.  Love you honey.”

       “I love
you too.”

       True
love?  But she didn’t want to think about it any more.  She found her mystery
and went and read next to the waterfall.

Chapter Thirty Four

       Boris
stared out the window of the plane, the Panama Canal visible below.  It was a
blue-grey slash splitting the green countryside that had once been entirely wilderness. 
A cruise ship and several shipping vessels stacked with containers were lined
up in the locks, and he pondered for a moment the ingenuity and resolve it took
to create this vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.   The role of
the canal was simple; it provided a safer, faster, more direct way of
connecting two things.  It eased the relationship between two worlds.  He was,
perhaps, the human equivalent, he thought.

       When Daniel’s
call followed on the heels of Nina’s, Boris knew that confusion was
deliberately being created, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that
Elsa somehow had her fingers in it.  The file he had quickly assembled from
Daniel’s information on this Ariadne woman showed her to be nothing more than a
swimsuit model, exotic dancer, and petty criminal.  She had kited checks and
‘borrowed’ other people’s credit cards, and been involved in a couple of
domestic disputes—apparently as the reason, not as a participant—but extortion
was definitely out of her league.  He’d done a thorough security review of
Daniel’s online accounts, and nothing had been hacked.  That meant only someone
privy to Daniel and Nina’s deal could have given Ariadne the information, and
other than himself, Rita, Daniel and Nina, the only other person that knew was
Elsa.  The question became how to prove that to Nina while also demonstrating
that Daniel was blameless.  If he could find Ariadne, he knew he could persuade
her to tell Nina and Arturo the truth, but locating one woman in all of Panama
wasn’t going to be easy. 

       Boris
smiled to himself, as he thought about a particularly American saying he had
heard, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”  If he couldn’t find the real
Ariadne, well, in the world of fake fiancés, bogus engagements, and life-altering
swindles, why not a counterfeit one?  It was time, Boris thought, to extort a
confession from the brains behind the operation.  He had to do it carefully,
though, because Daniel cared about Elsa, and also because if there was one
thing Boris understood, it was the heartbreak of losing someone you loved.

Chapter Thirty Five

       The next
morning Nina got her backpacking gear and a simple map from the resort
activities’ office, and they arranged for a ride to drop her off at the
trailhead.  The restaurant had packed some food for her that would travel, and
she made sure to take plenty of water.  She had a string hammock and mosquito
netting, a light sleeping bag, some fresh socks, insect repellant, a flashlight
and a book.  The mildness of the weather meant that not much was required for a
simple overnight trip.  Nina slipped away from the resort quietly, not even
letting Arturo know that she was going. 

       As she
hiked up the trail, Nina realized how long it had been since she’d really spent
any time alone, and how the whole situation she was in was originally predicated
on the fact that she had wanted to keep the solitary refuge of her apartment.  But
the thing that pushed her over the brink was everyone else’s needs—and now, she
had no idea what it was that she really wanted.  Was it independence and a
meaningful career or just some relief from taking care of everyone else?  She
didn’t know anymore if romance could even be equated with fidelity and true love. 
Midnight had struck for Cinderella, and this prince was a dud.

       She had the
contract with Daniel that said she could walk away with two hundred thousand,
although if he wanted out it, she was sure he had lawyers that could screw her,
but she didn’t think he would be vindictive in that way.  The immediate crises for
her and her family had been forestalled, and for that she was grateful, and she
could go back to being a project coordinator for the DeVere Foundation—but she
didn’t how could she possibly work for Elsa again, knowing that Elsa had been
complicit in Daniel cheating on her.  Still, it begged the question of whether
it was even possible to cheat on a fiancé with whom one had a contract. 

       The job
offer from Arturo was attractive, but it wasn’t without its own complications. 
It would mean giving up her homeland, and seeing a lot less of her family. 
Once again she would be buried in work, and it would take time to make new
friends her own age here, and she didn’t think it would be very easy out in the
middle of the rainforest to ever find a compatible guy. 

       With the
money she also thought maybe she could start her own business, some kind of
green or sustainable initiative, but she knew in her heart, she probably wasn’t
much of an entrepreneur and although it seemed like a lot of money to her, the
reality was that it probably wouldn't stretch that far.  The last option was finding
a new job with another foundation or NGO, and using the money to start over
some place else, but that would also mean leaving her family, having to make
new friends, and again having work eat up her personal life.

       With
every step up the trail, Nina went back and forth between the pros and cons of
all the options she could imagine, but none of them seemed ideal.  Finally,
Nina admitted to herself that the reason nothing measured up was because the
only thing she truly wanted right now was Daniel DeVere.

Chapter Thirty Six

       “You
really need to eat something, dear,” Elsa cajoled Daniel.  “I know this
security breach is on your mind, but that’s no reason to get depressed.”

       “Security
breach?  I’m not depressed over a security breach, Elsa, I’m depressed because I
have no idea how I’m ever going to make this right with Nina.”  Daniel looked
at the food on his plate, and pushed it away.

       “Two
hundred thousand dollars will go a long way to making it right, I’m sure.” 
Elsa took another bite of plantains, “Really Daniel, this food is delicious.”

       Daniel
was beyond exasperation.  “Why do you keep ignoring how much Nina means to me? 
You know, Elsa, I’m beginning to think that you are simply not a very nice
person—considering all of this was your idea in the first place.  I was a fool
for listening to your advice.”

       Elsa put
her fork down, and dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her napkin, trying to
think what she should say.   Her voice faltered, “I’m sorry Daniel.  I never
thought that you would ever fall for a common girl from Lowell.”

       “What’s
wrong with Lowell?  It’s home to thousands of decent, hard working people. Why
do you always make it sound like everyone in Lowell should be in quarantine? 
There is nothing wrong with Lowell or with Nina, and she certainly hasn’t done
anything malicious.”

Daniel threw his
napkin on the table, “You know, Elsa, I really don’t want to see you right
now.”

As he stood up
from the table he added with a glare, “Maybe you should think about booking the
next available flight to Boston.  I’m sure there is someone at the Foundation
you can kick around.”

       Elsa’s
chest felt like a bony hand was clutching at her heart.  ‘Daniel, please…” but
her smartphone decided to play “Send in the Clowns” at that moment.

       “Not very
funny, Elsa.”  Daniel stormed out of the restaurant.

       Automatically,
Elsa clicked on the incoming e-mail, despite it being from an address she’d
never seen.  She wasn’t sure how things could get much worse, but as she read
the e-mail, she realized that indeed, they were spiraling downward and
everything was going to come crashing down on her.

         She
reread the e-mail; it was clear that she’d overstepped with Ariadne.  The
little bitch wasn’t satisfied with her five grand.  Now Ariadne was threatening
that she would tell Daniel that Elsa had hired her to set him up if Elsa didn’t
pony up more money.  Elsa’s hands felt clammy; there was no way Daniel could
know that she was responsible for breaking up his relationship with Nina—
and
blowing the deal.  He was mad enough at her already.  She didn’t know how to
handle extortion, but there was someone in the DeVere world that did—and that
person was Boris.

       When she
got back to her hotel room, she took a deep breath and dialed him.

       “Boris…Hello,
yes, it’s Elsa.  I need your advice about something as a security expert.”

       Boris
could hear Elsa’s thinly veiled panic bouncing off the cell tower and seeping
into his phone.

       “Of
course, Elsa.  How might I help?”                                  

       “Speaking
hypothetically—of course—what would you do if someone close to the DeVere’s was
being extorted for confidential information regarding them?  It’s a question
that has come up as the Foundation is setting security policy.  You know, we
operate in some dangerous places.”

       Pretending
to be puzzled, Boris asked, “Wouldn’t you be more concerned about a staff
member being kidnapped and held for ransom?”

       “That—that
policy is already in place,” Elsa stumbled, “It’s almost universal NGO policy
to not negotiate with kidnappers as it sets a bad precedent.”  She recovered,
trying to sound more authoritative.  “Extortion is a little trickier, since it
puts more than the employee at risk.”

       “I’m not
sure I understand,” Boris strung her along, “I mean, what kind of sensitive
information would a foundation employee be privy to, other than yourself?”

       Elsa’s
voice sharpened, “I don’t know Boris, this is all hypothetical!  Something the
DeVere’s wouldn’t want the public to know.”

       “Something…personally
compromising then, like…an illegitimate child?”  There was complete silence on
the other end of the phone.

       “Really
Boris…” Elsa floundered.  “Can we…keep this is the realm of plausibility?”

       “Can we
Elsa?  You’re the one that’s asking about extortion, not me.”  It was the first
time that Boris had ever seen Elsa rattled.  “Is there anything you want to
tell me?  You know, of course, that whatever we discuss is totally
confidential.”

       “No!”
Elsa said it a little too tersely.  “Never mind Boris, I’m sorry I bothered
you.”

Elsa clicked off
her phone and broke into a sweat.  She went to the mini-bar and pulled out a Scotch,
pouring it into a glass.  She nervously gulped at it as she paced the room. 
What was she going to do about Ariadne?  Her resources were limited, and larger
amounts of money would have to come from the Foundation, but even Elsa couldn’t
imagine embezzling from the non-profit organization to which she had devoted
her life.   

       “Send in
the Clowns” started playing and Elsa desperately hoped that it was Daniel
wanting to reconcile, but it was another message from Ariadne.

       “I’m trying
to decide how much and how often you should give me money. I think I’ll sleep
on it, and why don’t you do the same?  You can always make me an offer I can’t
refuse,” it read.

       Elsa
slumped into the upholstered reading chair in the corner of the room.  She sat
there, under the harsh glare of a floor lamp, gulping Scotch like she was going
to be interrogated at any moment.   And then, Elsa began to cry.

Chapter Thirty Seven

       The
morning dawned lovely and clear.  Nina sat on a huge rock, her arms wrapped
around her knees as the valley lit up below her.  The pinkish light of early
morning gave everything a pastel hue as the world began to wake up.   Tanagers
and goldfinches flashed blue and yellow, and a flock of macaws chattered
overhead.  A yellow-breasted kingbird curiously studied her, and she glimpsed a
pair of silky-fly catchers perched on some twigs nearby.  She glimpsed the
sweet face of a spider monkey peering at her from the trees, and she felt like
this all made sense.  These things were worth protecting, and doing it in a way
that wouldn’t make life harder for the people around.  Eco-resort Calderon
certainly had its place.