Kold Karats

FOUR: DARREN KOLD

In Beverly Hills, the elite were more concerned with appearances than substance. While they might pretend to be philanthropists, their true colors shone through when it came time to put their money where their mouth was. But I knew that even the most self-absorbed among them could be motivated by one thing: status. And so, I framed this event as a grandiose affair, with the charity element carefully woven into the fabric of it all. My goal was to make it seem as though only the most influential could attend, and that doing so would be a mark of prestige.

With my plan in motion, I knew that the allure of exclusivity and one-upmanship would draw the biggest names to my charity gala. And with a little persuasion, they would be unable to resist the urge to donate to a worthy cause. Of course, my true aim was not to flatter their egos, but to use their money to make a real difference. With enough of their wealth, I could truly change lives for the better. And that, to me, was the true prize.

I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of compassion for the women and children who were struggling in the community around me. The sight of expectant mothers unable to afford prenatal care, and of children without adequate food or shelter, struck a chord within me. It was clear that there was a need for assistance, and that my wealth could be put to use for the greater good. I saw it as my duty to step up and make a difference, to ease the suffering of those around me. After all, what good is wealth if it is not used to improve the lives of others?

Hence, the grandeur around me. Every detail of the event was carefully curated by my team, with the goal of projecting an image of opulence and success. The decorations were lavish, from the gilded chandeliers to the lush floral arrangements. Even the smallest details were taken into account, down to the color of the table linens and the types of stemware used. But beneath the glitz and glamor, there was a deeper purpose.

I hadn't chosen the music; soft classical music, jazz, precisely would have been my pick, not exactly R&B, but I was relishing the mood, the cool and comforting ambience.

As I stood at the mezzanine surveying the scene, I was approached by an old acquaintance, Mr. Blackstone, who was one of the executive planners of the gala.

Eyes on the crowd, I entertained his company. "The event is about to start, and the stakes are higher than ever. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you. You never know who's watching."

"Mr. Darren," he said, with a respectful tone, joining me in my vantage point, hands on the banister. "It is a pleasure to see how well the event is coming together. You work marvelously."

I turned to him, a smile on my face. "It is indeed a sight to behold." My eyes went straight to the entrance, noticing each soul that stalked in. "But I hope the attendees do not regret the true purpose of the evening."

He nodded in understanding. "Of course, sir. The charitable nature of the event will be made clear to all in due time."

My curt nod sent him striding away. He soon went down to join the rest, while I continued to perish from self-satisfaction.

In no time at all, my gaze lingered on one particular figure. She stood out from the crowd, her presence radiating a sense of poise and dignity. I could not help but admire her from afar, her beauty and grace captivating me. It was not until she turned to look in my direction that I realized why I was uncomfortable with men dancing around her as they oozed of bad-intention. Valentina was the most gorgeous woman alive, you could bet. I felt a swell of pride and adoration as she made her way to the mezzanine, joining me in my lofty perch.

"Desiring your space again, is it not so?"

"Now more than ever," I said, a laughter lacing my voice. I pecked her in the cheek and returned to staring at the crowd. "You, my dear, are a sight to behold. Though, I saw you talking to Connor earlier." When she heard the name, her face turned red and I felt like I was going to be sick. "He snores, Val, drools —if I'm allowed to snitch on him. And above all, he has the most ludicrous sense of humor."

My phone chimed from inside my suit pocket, I reached for it, only to see that Connor himself was calling me.

"The devil himself." Valentina lowered herself from her nosy stretch. "Who knows, maybe his sixth sense went running straight to him and now he knows you were badmouthing him." She quipped, giving me a sly smile. She rolled her eyes playfully and snatched the phone from my hand, answering the call with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"The hell?" I attempted to reach for her, but she was too swift for me.

"Connor, my dear! So lovely to hear from you," she cooed, her voice dripping with fake sweetness as she stepped away from me some more. "Please tell me you're not calling him to know where I am." Silence echoed for a moment as Connor replied her with whatever. "Then you must know that I'm been dreadfully entertained by my brother."

I watched her put on a performance that would have rivaled any Hollywood actor. "Hand me my phone, Valentina. Connor doesn't care if you are in a fish pond. He only wants to ask if it's time to start the funding."

Her face dropped in pretend-sadness. "Fine. I'll be with the rest to see how it goes." She handed my phone over and hurried away. As I opened my mind to give her an instruction, she said, "Yes, I'll be no less than five feet close to at least one of my bodyguards. I know, I know."

Stifling my chuckle, I put the phone to my ear as I glanced at my watch. "Have Dean unveil the Painite. Once it's done, I'll be down to make my speech."

"Sure thing, fella." He hung up and I tossed my phone back into my pocket to continue observing.

The Painite was worth thirty million. It was the only existing one, and so I would take advantage of that fact to bid it more than its actual value. It wasn't my first auction show, but it was the first to be clothing the charity gala. As the billionaires of Beverly Hills grew bored of donations, I grew smarter about trapping them in for more.

They had gathered, accompanied by their flashy wives, mistresses, and girlfriends, eager to flaunt their wealth by outbidding each other for the Painite. But I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of a competitive auction; not until they had raised a minimum of five million dollars for the community. Call me what you will - generous, civic-minded, or even altruistic - but never call me political. I had no interest in playing games or engaging in petty schemes. Perhaps a diplomat would do.

When I snapped my gaze to Connor who was finely tuxedoed as he clinked his glass for the room's attention, I smiled hard. I could see the entire room below me. The mezzanine, a few steps above the main floor, was giving me a bird's-eye view of the attendees. They were dressed in their finest, jewels sparkling, suits well-tailored, and gowns billowing. They moved together, all their focus on Connor, my consultant. Or more like my second self.

With a flair for the dramatic, Connor began his speech with a few well-crafted words, building anticipation for the moment when he would reveal the stone. The crowd watched with bated breath as he reached for the black veil that shrouded the giant glass case, pulling it back to reveal its contents. The bulletproof glass was tall and measured about five feet or so, but it seemed small in comparison to the small object it encased.

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone caught a glimpse of the enormous diamond inside, its brilliance nearly blinding in the spotlight. It was a pink stone, but men drooled over it as I'd done the moment it reached my table. Marveled by the building pandemonium, I let out a breath and adjusted my suit.

Now that the diamond had been unveiled, it was time to unveil the show.

###

GRACE FORESTER

Ever wondered how a woman of resolve, who shielded herself from the world with an armor of steel, could capture the interest of a man of equal bearing? Or how such a man might regard a woman who refused to yield to his charms? It would be safe to assume that it was a challenge, a near impossibility, for a woman of such strength and resolve to find a partner who could match her. It was the exact reason that at twenty-six, I was still single, having found no one who could break down my walls and earn my trust, as I hadn't found anyone to tolerate my guardedness and mordancy.

The only good thing about my condition was my nonchalance towards it. You can't miss what you've never known. That was utterly true. I'd never known love, not from family, nor friends nor partners, I could not desire or long for it.

But you see, once, I had been ensnared by the alluring lure of wealth, intoxicated by its promise of a life of luxury. I had basked in its scent, the sweet aroma of success, and shuddered at the thought of its absence. Taking that away from me could furnish me with desperation. In fact, it was no longer a question of possibility, as it had already delivered me to the lair of a predator.

Darren Kold Roderick. The ring this name held was mysteriously suffocating. His event was lacking of nothing, however simpering that made me sound. Charm, money, glam, elegance, greed...I saw it all, first hand. My father's company had tossed me into the world of old billionaires, yet it had not revealed this kind of attraction and youth.

Olson was just in the car outside. He'd ditched me, obviously, as I was thisclose to putting my hand around the key to his future. He wouldn't want to jinx that with his presence.

Darren was on the stage a little above ground level, gracefully delivering a speech. He was articulate and sounded rather convincing for a man who already possessed that much dominance in the way he walked and gawked.

Once I moved a foot further, there was no developing cold feet. To my left was a group of seated men and their escorts, and to my right were the mingling lot. If I wanted to survive the night, I had to find someone or something to busy myself with. And there it was; the man who'd collected my money to whisper information about Darren's event into my ear.

Was his name not Dean? I thought so. He was standing behind a well spruced up man who looked to always be in Darren's company when work was involved. I'd seen him a few times during the week, either entering Darren's car or whispering into his ear. Their hush-hush was certainly irritating for men their status.

"Hey, Dean," I greeted, all giddily and welcomingly. If only I maintained this persona everyday, I just might have had a good interpersonal relationship with my colleagues and family. "It's so nice to see you."

Dean delivered a signal with his eyes that I understood immediately. Play with me. "Oh, hey, Cassandra. I didn't know you would come."

"Who wouldn't want to come witness charity?" Me. I didn't care for any of that. "It's a warm sight to behold." I smiled and leaned in for a side hug.

The other man beside him locked eyes with me, hinting something awry. I looked away at once because I knew Dean was acting because of him.

"Meet my friend, Connor," Dean introduced with a smile, and Connor flashed me one himself, outstretching a hand. "Connor, meet Cassandra, we went to high school together and stumbled into each other yesterday—"

"So you decided to invite her..." Connor's hand tightened around my fragile fingers, dark eyes hard on mine in the most polite and scrutinizing manner. "It's nice to meet someone from Dean's past, finally. I was starting to think him a vampire who has outgrown all his peers." His smile didn't reach his eyes, but I laughed at his witty words. "Are you interested in donating or spectating?"

"I uh, The thing is...uhm..." Words betrayed me. What if I said yes and he followed through with it to see that I actually credited, what if I said no and he discovered my ruse?

"Do not put a woman on the spot, Connor," Dean said and rescued me from the weird spotlight. "What would you know about women, Connor? Ignore him, Cassie."

I stylishly collected my palm from Connor and smiled sheepishly. "Very funny." So cordial for him to have blended right into calling me Cassie. It was all part of the plan to not drop my real name for anyone I'd meet here, as an even bigger lie stood between me and Darren.

So, for today, my name was Cassandra Beltran.

Much to my relief, we all fell into a line to watch Darren go on with his speech, ignoring the awkwardness of the moment.

While Dean was mysterious and quick to the defense, Connor didn't look pleased to see me, or I wasn't charming enough for him. Either ways, I wanted to keep off. He might've been la crème de la crème with those peremptory eyes and high-and-mighty stance, he might've offered the height and build I desired in men, he wasn't up for grabs, no. Not with that level of distrust lingering in his stare. So I chose to sticking with Dean for the night.

I wasn't paying attention to Darren until an uproar erupted from the hall out of nowhere. He'd said something that disrupted the peace.

"What's going on?" I inquired of Dean, who appeared to be fully engrossed in Connor's speech, and received no legitimate response.

"This was expected," said Connor. "Kold and I spent all day today anticipating the hubbub, it's why he isn't even flinching. Normally he should have veered off focus at the slightest protest."

Connor seemed passionate about how he defended Darren. If they were friends, he certainly was a good one.

"You think their anger will die down?" Dean croaked.

"They'll find a way to raise the funds, that much is certain. They'll have the money within minutes, and we'll be right back where we started."

Dean looked half-upset somewhat. "How hard is it for these men to actually genuinely donate?" His eyes dulled with irritation.

"It doesn't have t**s and straight legs, how could they?"

I had been paying close attention to the back and forth between them until Connor's statement made me chuckle, and then I put my eyes on Darren who descended the three set of stairs to join the crowd. He didn't bother anyone who sought out to him a glance. He was that arrogant. I knew it. From his editorial page in the papers, to the glorifying way the papers spoke of him, I guessed I should have seen that coming. Arrogance and nonchalance.

Two minutes at most, and some waitstaff were distributed into the now seated crowd with no intention of leaving, giving interested donors numbered paddles. How forceful. Darren was relentless, and it made me doubt my con would work on him. He just might be able to see through my blood-red lips, shimmering gown and sheepish smile.

Right before the donation event began, Dean gave me a quick nod and offered his arm for us to link elbows. He said goodbye to Connor in the most dismissive manner I'd ever seen, and then took me to the stairs that led to the mezzanine. That's where Darren had been standing since he walked out on the commotion he himself had caused.

"I should show you to him now." Dean chuckled. "You didn't pay five hundred dollars to stand near the door and catch glimpses of the executive organizers."

"True." My confidence diminished to point zero and I shut my eyes to gather myself together. "Show me to him. I'd like to know a few things about his charitable contributions."

We started up the stairs.

"Brace up. Kold has had the most uncountable first bad impression in the history of impressions." We climbed the last step and I was met with his back view, just as intimidating as the front, only that those intense eyes weren't warding me off. "It'll take more than sheepish smiles to get his attention."

"Your assumption of me are as empty as the threat of a dead man, Dean," Darren said without looking. "Who has been unfortunate to fall under your false charm tonight, huh?"

Slowly, deliberately, Darren straightened himself and turned to around to face us. He did not look at Dean, or at my hand clutched in Dean's. His gaze went straight and fixed on mine, as though he had known exactly where I would be standing, and where my eyes would be focused, even before he turned. And in that moment, all the words I had prepared to say vanished, dissolving deep within my chest. In their place was only silence, and a single thought: I was f****d tonight.