Entangled Destinies - The Revenge Pact

At twelve thirty on a gray and rainy day, Kate Vance slipped inside an elegant little bistro near her office in Kendall Square, and almost slipped back out when she saw her mother Eleanor seated at a table. If it had not been for her godmother Vivian Thorne waving at her with a big grin, she might still have left. Pasting on a smile in response, Kate marched toward both women. Petite blondes with slim bones and beautiful faces, Eleanor and Vivian could have passed for sisters. There was nothing alike about their personalities, but somehow they managed to be best friends. Eleanor sipped her coffee, while Vivian got up and gave Kate hugs and an air kiss. Kate squeezed hard before letting go and taking a seat. "How did your doctor's appointment go?" Vivian asked. "I hope you are not sick?" "Just a routine follow up to something simple." Stress and a lack of sleep, the usual election year problems. "But thanks, Vivian." "Oh, splendid," Eleanor said distractedly. Her voice was as coolly polished as usual, the perfect voice for a politician's wife. "Have you had lunch?" Vivian asked. "I grabbed a bite near the clinic," Kate lied. She did not want to eat with her mother. "And I have got a meeting soon. Missing the morning tends to make my afternoons busy." "Then I will get straight to the point," Eleanor said. "Eleanor," Vivian said, putting a hand on her friend's wrist. "Come on." "Please. This is important." Ignoring Vivian's sigh, Eleanor turned to Kate. "You remember Mason Reed?" Kate's gut twisted at the mention of her ex. "Yes." "It would be nice if you could, well, reconcile with him." She choked. "Reconcile with him? He is married." He had proposed to another woman within a month of breaking up with Kate. Jerk. "I am not saying you should date him. Home wrecking would not be helpful to your father's campaign. But you can be friends, can not you?" "Definitely not!" she said, her hands tightening into fists. "He is from an influential family, Kate dear, and they all cast a vote. I want his family's unconditional support, not to mention his new in laws." She closed her eyes. "I am not schmoozing him for votes." "No dear. It is not for votes. It is for your father." Kate gritted her teeth. "Yes, well, I have a busy career, and Mason and I did not exactly part on great terms." Not to mention how humiliating it would be to weasel votes and endorsements from her ex, much less the woman he had married. And it was not even necessary, her father had plenty of both already. "It is an election year, and you know your duties. Worried about your career?" Eleanor ticked the points off on her fingers. "You work for a defense contractor. Your father is a United States senator. And his reelection matters. Why do not you think on that?" "I do think about that. A lot." She never forgot the fact that she could not do whatever she wanted because she had to be perfect, in case her bad behavior hurt her father's political aspirations. "Excuse me. I need to get going if I am to make my meeting." Dragging in a shuddering breath, she got up and walked out. As she emerged from the bistro, a gentle hand gripped her elbow. She turned and saw Vivian. "I am sorry, dear," the older woman said. "I had no idea Eleanor was going to spring that on you." Vivian sighed, her eyebrows tight with irritation. "Do not let your mother railroad you into something you do not want to do. I never liked Mason anyway. Honestly, if your father can not win because of a handful of votes, maybe he should think about retiring." Kate smiled. "Thank you." "Now you go have a good day, all right?" Vivian patted her hand and returned to the bistro. Kate drove to her office. Deep breaths, she thought. Calm. It did not really work, but she reined herself in. Her coworkers did not deserve her bad temper. Fifteen minutes later, Kate stepped out onto the muted beige carpet on the fifteenth floor of a tall office building. Normally the sunlight gave the office a hazy radiance through frosted glass walls. But not today. Everything looked drab and gray from the rain. How fitting. As she made her way to her office, she had the feeling that people were staring at her like she was on her way to the guillotine. Then the mail guy actually said, "Sorry, Kate. Better luck next time," and hustled down the corridor before she could respond. What was that about? She glanced around, but could not make eye contact with anyone. Was she being let go? But why? She was one of the best analysts at Sterling Defense Systems, and the company was doing great financially. As she entered her office, her assistant, Delaney Shaw, scurried toward her. Delaney's dull colored pantsuit did nothing for her eyes, hidden behind a pair of thick glasses, or her limp brown hair. Most high school outcasts grew out of their social awkwardness and improved their sense of fashion by the time they finished college. Delaney had not. Which was unfortunate, because she had great skin and a nice smile, not to mention a good head on her shoulders. "Oh my god," Delaney said. "You have to go now." "Where?" "Richard's office." "Oh, that. I know. I called the meeting." Kate set up her computer. "It is not for another ten minutes." "No no no, he is fired. Gray Sterling himself is here. And he has been wanting to see you since eight thirty." Kate stood still for a moment as her mind blanked. Everything made sense now. She forced a bland smile, the kind she pasted on her face when a reporter asked a question about her father's politics. Head held high, she marched to Richard's old office. If she was getting canned, she was going to go with dignity.