Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(45)
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.