Chapter 8 No.8

She opened it to find a wall of red roses. Two hundred of them.

"Delivery for Ms. Acosta," a muffled voice said from behind the flowers.

"I didn't order these. Throw them in the trash," Katarina said, reaching to close the door.

A foot jammed into the gap.

"Ow! Kat, wait!" Auston Mcmahon squeezed through the flowers and the door. He was wearing a casual suit that tried too hard.

"Auston," Katarina sighed. "You are persistent. Like a fungus."

"I brought you these," he said, breathless. "Ecuadorian roses. Listen, about last night... Francis is crazy. But I'm not. I still have feelings for you."

Kaylee poked her head out of the bedroom. "Mommy, is that the Bug Spray Man?"

"Yes, baby. Go back to your game."

Katarina looked at Auston. She was about to kick him out, but then she remembered something. Auston was currently trying to broker a deal with Charlton Walton, her mother's nemesis.

She forced a smile. It hurt her face.

"Come in, Auston. Five minutes."

Auston beamed. He strutted in like he owned the place.

"So," Katarina said, pouring him a glass of tap water. "You seem confident these days. Business must be good."

Auston laughed, taking the water. "Good? It's phenomenal. I've got Charlton Walton in my pocket. We're about to close a deal that will shake the FDA to its core. I have connections, Kat. Real power."

Katarina's eyes sharpened. She tapped her phone screen twice under the table, signaling Solo to activate the room's listening sniffer.

"Walton?" she asked innocently. "I heard his new drug, Serenity, was stuck in approval hell."

"That's what the public thinks," Auston bragged, leaning in. "But let's just say I know a guy on the board who owes me a favor. Next week, Serenity gets the green light. The side effects? Buried."

Katarina didn't need him to say more. Her phone vibrated. Solo had just used Auston's presence to ping his phone and download the attached documents from his email outbox. The raw data on cardiac failure was there. Auston was a fool, walking around with a digital smoking gun.

"Interesting," she said. "You're playing a dangerous game, Auston."

"High risk, high reward," he winked.

"Thanks, Auston," Katarina said. She walked to the door and opened it wide. "Now get out."

Auston blinked. "What? But... the roses..."

"Are dying. Like this conversation. Goodbye."

She pushed him out.

As Auston stumbled into the hallway, Dimitri walked by. He saw Auston leaving Katarina's room. He saw the roses.

Dimitri's jaw clenched.

Of course, he thought. She plays the victim, then entertains her ex-fiancé the next morning. She's playing all sides.

He stormed into his suite.

"Lars," he barked. "Send the email to Dr. Anti. Offer double. Tell him my grandmother is fading."

Next door, Katarina's secure laptop pinged.

Subject: Urgent Request. Patient: Helena Shaffer. Offer: $100 Million.

Katarina read it. She looked at the wall shared with Dimitri.

She typed a reply.

To: D. Shaffer

From: Anti

Subject: Re: Urgent Request

Mr. Shaffer,

I do not treat patients based on their bank accounts. I treat them based on need. And currently, my schedule is full. Also, stop trying to trace my IP. It's amateurish.

- A

Dimitri read the email. He slammed his fist on the desk. "Amateurish?!"

Meanwhile, Kaylee was bored. She pulled out her tablet. She opened a Bluetooth scanner app.

Scanning nearby devices...

Found: Silent_Boy_iPad

Kaylee grinned. She sent a pairing request.

Message: I'm the Donut Girl.

In the next room, Draven's iPad lit up. He looked at the screen. A picture of a donut appeared.

He pressed Accept.

Draven:

Kaylee: My mom hates your dad.

Draven: (Dad face)

Kaylee: We should fix that.

Draven:

---