Chapter 5

The next morning, as Elena barely stepped out of the car on her way to the NYC office, a beautiful woman in an equally stunning designer dress stood in front of her, blocking her way.
Elena frowned, her four guards mere microseconds away from pushing the woman aside, when Elena’s gaze fell on the woman’s face, and a smile, full of surprise, cracked across her lips.
“Danika?” Elena chuckled, silently gesturing her guards to stand back as a familiar face smiled brightly at her.
“You slut!” Danika grinned, throwing her arms around her best friend. “You’re actually back, and the first thing you do is head for work? What kind of joke is that? Get on that phone and cancel all your plans. Today, you’re all mine. We are getting shit-faced drunk, and you’re telling me EVERYTHING. Is that understood?”
Elena hugged her friend before pulling away. “Don’t you think it’s too early to get drunk?”
Danika laughed heartily, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Not early enough to not have a good time now, is it?”
Elena couldn’t help but smile at Danika’s infectious energy. “Alright, alright,” she relented, shaking her head with amusement. “But let’s at least grab some breakfast before diving into the drinks. I don’t want to be nursing a hangover before noon.”
Danika’s grin widened. “Deal! Breakfast it is, but only if you promise to spill all the juicy details about your time away. I need to know everything!”
Elena chuckled, feeling a sense of warmth flood her being. It was good to be back with her friend, to share in each other’s company and laughter. “You’ve got yourself a deal,” she replied, linking her arm with Danika’s as they slid back into her car and headed to the place Danika had in mind.
—————
An hour later, Elena found herself sitting with Danika in a luxurious Manhattan bar. The two friends had been laughing for the last five minutes at Elena’s outrageous experience in one of the restaurants she visited with her company in Paris.
“Then,” Elena was almost out of breath, the hilarity of her story almost bringing her to tears, “The waiter told him, ‘It’s on me, baby. You were absolutely amazing out there.’”
“Holy shit,” Danika chuckled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “And to think he actually did a striptease to Beyoncé. I would pay good money to see that.”
Elena was sure the other guests at the bar were sending their side-eyes to the pair. But both friends couldn’t care less, busy enjoying each other’s presence.
“So, why did it take you so long to come back?” Danika asked, her tone softening as she sensed a deeper story behind Elena’s return.
“Company business, mostly,” Elena began, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. “But truth be told, I needed some time away. After everything that happened…I just wanted to escape for a while.”
“I know,” Danika placed her tumbler back on the table and leaned forward, her dark blue eyes full of understanding. “I visited Josh a few times when you weren’t here. I just…I just couldn’t see him like that, you know? He used to be so robust, so full of life, and now… It’s like his life is just, paused or something.”
Elena’s body clenched a little, feeling the familiar pain burning in her chest. “Everyone says it was an unfortunate accident, but I refuse to believe that,” Elena finished her drink in one go and slammed the glass back on the counter.
“Are you thinking there’s someone behind all of this?” Danika raised her eyebrows.
“I am almost certain there’s someone,” Elena lowered her voice, making sure their conversation stayed private, “And that’s the real reason why I’m back in the States. I won’t leave my brother, especially when he can’t defend himself, alone until he wakes up.”
“Are you serious about this? How long have you been suspecting this whole thing?”
“I didn’t know anything at first,” Elena shrugged, nodding her head when their personal server asked if she would like another round. “But after Shelly’s funeral, Mr. Jones mentioned something about the threats Josh had received in the months leading up to the accident. He said that he overheard their conversations, and they were not good. Something about a property Josh invested his money in, and it was causing some serious ruckus among some of the other interested parties. Anyway, after that, I did a bit of digging. I hired a detective to get to the bottom of the accident.”
“So, what did he find?”
Elena sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Not much concrete evidence, unfortunately. It seems like whoever is behind this knows how to cover their tracks well. But there were some hints, whispers of conflicts of interest and shady dealings surrounding the property Josh was involved in. It’s all very murky.”
“And you think this is connected to Josh’s accident?”
Elena nodded grimly. “I have a gut feeling, Danika. Call it intuition or whatever, but I can’t shake the feeling that Josh’s accident wasn’t just a random occurrence. Someone wanted him out of the picture, and I won’t rest until I find out who.”
Danika reached across the table, squeezing Elena’s hand in solidarity. “We’ll figure this out together, Elena. I promise.”
Elena nodded, believing her friend’s words. “So, I heard from the media about a new rich family that has recently moved in recently. Do you know anything about it?”
“Yeah,” Danika leaned closer to hear. “The Walsh family. They are making quite the name for themselves these days. I heard their president is some hot guy.”
Elena scoffed. “Typical Danika.”
Danika grinned. “Can’t help it, sorry.”
“Then maybe you should ask him on a date,” Elena joked, shaking her head. “Nevermind. What I’m saying is that he might know something about the people behind the accident. I have heard he has eyes and ears everywhere."
Danika’s grin widened mischievously. “Hmm, not a bad idea. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun while digging for information, right?”
Elena rolled her eyes playfully. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
“Guilty as charged,” Danika replied with a wink.
“Well, if you’re serious about it, I can arrange for you to meet him,” Elena offered, her mind already formulating a plan. She knew how she could gather all the powerful people in the city at one place. Mr Walsh would not be able to resist. No man of power could.
Danika’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’m in! Let’s do it.”