“How did you pull all that off in a matter of—“ I glance at my watch— “36 hours?”
“Money, improvisation skills, and some help,” she says and tilts her head towards Doug. “Await my invoice.”
“I’m not paying you for blowing up my company and making me an accomplice in illegally infiltrating the governmental system,” I say dryly.
“I did it to save your life,” she says with a suppressed laugh, “Glad to know you don’t think that’s worth it. Greedy billionaire.”
As I said, one day I am going to murder her.
19
KAT
PLAYLIST: MISBEHAVE – FRANCES LION
“You will be on your best behaviour,” Lilian hisses at me while we drive from the airport to her mother’s house in Beverly Hills. “There will be no foolish handholding, no kisses and affections on display. My mother will not shut up for months if she sees so much of a look, do you understand?”
I have to suck in my lips to keep myself from sniggering. We both know that I will not follow any of her rules, at least not these particular ones.
“This was a mistake,” she mutters, cursing to herself and rolling her eyes.
“I can make your parents like me,” I say. “Don’t fret about it.”
“Which might make things worse,” she says. “My mother, she’s?—“
“Don’t worry,” I say and put my hand on hers. She tries to remove it, but I grab it and stop her from doing so. “I won’t order you to kneel for me in front of everyone. I’ll keep that for later.”
Her eyes flash a murderous look at me, and Doug in the front swallows down a laugh himself. Oh, what joy it brings me to ruffle her feathers a bit more every day.
We arrive at her mother's mansion. It is exactly what I expected. Extravagant and yet the ‘Beverly Hills Mother Style’. From sports cars to Rolls-Royce, everything is lined up in the driveway. When weenter the house, Doug makes himself scarce in the background, and we are welcomed by a smiling waitress.
I grasp Lilian’s arm because the waitress stares at her way too long. Lilian is mine. She shoots a look at me for touching her and opens her mouth, but I won’t let her.
“Shut up and walk,” I tell her. “Everything else would be strangely suspicious and raise questions. Also, that waiter looked at you like she desired you.”
“Don’t you dare touch her,” Lilian threatens me.
“I won’t,” I say. “If she keeps her eyes and hands to herself.”
Lilian rolls her eyes again.
Oh, how I’d like to flap her over my lap and spank her for that. Especially in that hot dress of hers. But I can’t, because she’s still hurt.
Lilian wears a dress that is extraordinary in its simplicity. Ice-blue like a frozen sea made from a tight, thin fabric that looks like a second skin, as if she were wearing nothing.
I have chosen an elegant white jumpsuit with a tight waistband and a thin brown leather belt. I would never have picked anything white for me, but the invitation stated a no-black rule, which I personally voted to ignore, but Lilian vetoed. Little Miss Perfect.
Now, I feel exposed. White is way too bright for my taste, and it took me an hour to channel a different personality to be able to put on that crappy color. I like black. Darkness. Everything underworld. But here I am—at a high-society birthday get-together, doing what I do best, pretending to be someone I am not.
“Mother,” says Lilian, and lets go of my arm. There is hugging and kisses left and right. Lilian plays her role, but I can see how much she hates it; she also seems to be in more pain than she lets on.
“This is Katerina,” she finally says. “My…um?—”
“People close call me Kat,” I say, laughing. “I’m the secret girlfriend in the flesh and blood,” I add, walk up to her mother, and hug her. I do it because I can see from the mother’s body language that she loves hugs and longs for affection.
“You look lovely, Mrs Knightley. That costume is to die for,” I say when we loosen the hug.
A broad smile appears on Mrs Knightley’s face.
