Chapter Eight

Feeling suffocated, Lance slid the window of the Limousine he was riding in with Katrina for some fresh air to clear his racy mind; making  Katrina look at him with concern despite knowing she was the cause of his anxiety. Katrina smiled at Lance before hooking her hand around his arm and leaning on it affectionately.  

“I was thinking of our baby’s name. If it’s a girl, we should name her Katrina and a boy should be Daniel. The name will be perfect.” Katrina tried to make conversation.

“Yes but Katrina isn’t a name I would name any child; lest they become like you.” Lance blurted out rudely.

“Boo bear, you have the right to be angry with me but please forget about it. I did everything for love.” Katrina said, smiling apologetically.

“If you think you and your father will have your way with me, think twice Katrina Boyaze.” Lance thought as he forced a smile and turned his face away from Katrina, looking out the window; and despite the bad vibe,  Katrina smiled brightly and leaned on his chest; feeling contented with herself.

After a long ride, Lance and Katrina stepped out into the biting coldness outdoors and walked into the hotel where everyone was waiting for them. His soon to be in-laws warmly welcomed them; inviting them to the podium where the engagement was made official with a ring exchange. As soon as Lance was done with the charade, he took to the dance floor where he surprisingly found John dancing with a woman who looked familiar but he could not place a finger as to where he had met her.

“Lance, meet my date. I just met her here though.” John goofed around.

“Congratulations, Daniel.” The woman said; eyeing with familiarity. “….but I didn’t expect that you be marrying her instead.”

“Wait a second, you know him.” John was astounded. Not many people knew that Lance’s real name was Daniel. He was nicknamed Lance by his mother and the name kind of went on with everybody.

“I’m sorry but do we know each other?” Lance was also forced to ask.

“Amanda. We met at the club.” Amanda said, grinning enthusiastically. Lance and John exchanged glances before they pulled her aside and told her that it was not safe for her to be at the party.

“Why not? I was hired.” Amanda said.

“You must leave. John will explain everything to you.” Lance told Amanda.

“But why aren't you coming with us, Daniel?” Amanda asked, unable to hide her skepticism.

“I can’t, Amanda. I'm the host of this event but you can trust John. He is my man.” Lance explained softly, making Amanda understand.

“Come with me” John said, taking Amanda’s hand. No sooner had John and Amanda disappeared into the crowd when Katrina popped up, smiling profusely. 

“I was looking for you.” She said happily.

“Like i'm a runaway groom or something.” Lance answered her inconsiderately.

“I just wanted to be with my husband to be. Is that bad?” Katrina complained.

“We have the rest of our lives to live together. The least you can do is, give me some space before that.” Lance said , forcing a smile.

“I know you're not happy with this engagement but can you not embarrass me tonight at least?” Katrina requested.

“Yes. Since you deserve my utmost respect.” Lance’s sarcasm heightened.

“Forget about it. My parents want to see you.” Katrina said; ignoring Lance’s remarks. The two of them walked to the spot where The Chief Agent and his wife elegantly stood; receiving congratulatory remarks from his colleagues and superiors.

“Here is the man of the day!” the Chief Agent said, playfully slapping Lance’s back.

“Congratulations, Mr. Cortez. I have actually heard a lot about you.” One of them said happily.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Lance replied, shaking the men’s hands, one after the other.

“My son-in-law is a definitely the next Chief of the subdivision. He has shown prowess and commitment to his work. I am proud of him.” The chief remarked cheerfully.

“Isn’t it because he is marrying your daughter?” Someone commented, making the chief unhappy but he was not the only one who was bruised by this comment.

“My work has nothing to do with my personal life. Ask anyone, they will tell you that I work hard and despise any sort of dishonesty.” Lance said, eyeing his boss menacingly. Lance had always respected his chief but now all his respect had turned into resentment. The chief always seemed like he was not in support of his daughter’s shrewd behaviour but now he had proved to everyone that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He was probably the one who instilled such ideals in his daughter.

“Lance is right. He is far too honest.” The chief said, forcing a smile.

“You're so lucky then, Mr. Boyaze.” The man who had commented earlier said, suddenly changing his perspective of the matter.

“Please excuse me.” Lance told everyone before leaving to go and search for John. He was about to go into the opposite direction when John pulled him back.

“Have you told her everything?” Lance asked anxiously.

“Yes, she readily agreed but she demanded for money.” John replied; chuckling.

“It’s in her nature to demand for money for everything.” Lance chuckled; suddenly remembering his encounter with her. “But she's a good woman.”

“Yes. I noticed that.” John readily agreed. “She won’t fail us. So how is everything going so far?”

“Bad.” Lance answered in a disheartened tone.

“But is she really pregnant?” John asked as he recalled what Amanda had told her.

“I knew that woman was up to no good when she approached us but I didn’t want to lose my job so I let her have her way. It’s like she was stalking him for hours.“ Amanda had said to John

“I saw the results.” Lance said convincingly.

“Which hospital?” John asked curiously.

“Longevity Uphill hospital.” Lance answered doubtfully.

“That is 10km from here. Why would she go that far? It’s not like we don’t have better hospitals here.” John said after thinking hard.

“You make a good point. Something is fishy.” Lance said; his cat-like eyes lighting up.

“Don’t worry. I will find out what it is.” John said.

“So this is officially your case, John. I want you to open up a secret file for this investigation. We may manage to kill two birds with one stone. Catch Katrina and her father; and have you elevated.” Lance said cheerfully.

“Come on, man. This is just a trivia. It’s not enough to have me promoted.” John said, underestimating the case.

“It may seem that way but there's a lot more going on.” Lance replied with a chuckle.

“Like what?”

“Err, abuse of power, nepotism, abrogation of subdivision rules, defamation, and false witness. All these are crimes by Father and daughter.” Lance responded with a mischievous smirk, making John laugh heartily.

“You and I make a good team. Maybe we should be partners.” John said smilingly.

“No, John. This is your case. It’s time for you to shine and show the world that you're as good as I am or even better. You been the brain behind my moves since the time I fell into this mess.” Lance said, chuckling.

“Why are you two chit-chatting suspiciously?” James asked as he and Vivian approached them.

“Nothing.” Lance replied hastily, making James even more suspicious.

“Congratulations, Sir.” Vivian chirped as she abruptly gave Lance a hug, flustering the three men.

“Err, thank you.” Lance replied in a shocked tone.

“Since when do you two hug?” John asked, eyeing Lance weirdly.

“Since now.” Lance answered; laughing awkwardly. “I am starving now. Let’s eat something.”

“I thought you wouldn’t say that.” John said leading the way to the buffet table.

***

John pulled up outside the Longevity Uphill Hospital and got out of the car. He was about to lock his car when he spotted Katrina going into the hospital with a shawl over her and a pair of big sunglasses; dark as the night hiding away her eyes but this was not enough to conceal her identity. Sneaking up on her, john followed Katrina into the hospital where she met with a lady doctor in her office.

“I told you not to contact me, Cecilia.” John heard Katrina’s sharp voice as he eavesdropped on their conversation. “Things are tense right now. Lance is already not interested in marrying me. What if he catches us. He is a good agent, remember?”

“But I want my money as per the agreement. The chief of diagnostics is aware of the fact that someone has been issuing fakes reports. I need to prepare for the worst in case I am caught. In fact, I want to be out of here before that happens. I cannot afford to go to jail.”

“Oh come on, Cecilia. I told you that I would protect you, didn’t I? My father is the Chief Agent here. He won't let anything happen to you.” Katrina growled.

“That is easier said than done. I am sure you will di-associate yourself from me as soon as the news is leaked, Katrina. This is not the first time we are doing business, remember? I only agree to do your dirty jobs because I need the money; otherwise, I don’t trust you at all.” Cecilia sneered.

“Fine, Cecilia. I will transfer the balance nto your account tonight. Make sure you disappear for good. I don’t ever want to see you in Flora again.” Katrina finally agreed as she walked to the door.

“Now that is what I wanted to hear. You can leave now. I have to attend to my genuine patients.” Cecilia said, chuckling.

“Goodbye, Cecilia.”  Katrina said; shrugging her shoulders as she stormed out of the office, walking past John who was pretending to be a patient; reading a magazine. Soon, Katrina disappeared down the hallway, giving John ample time to interrogate Dr. Cecilia.

“John….NBCI. I am here to ask a few questions. Your cooperation will be highly beneficial to you.” John said; immediately showing her his ID as he walked into Cecilia’s office, frightening the hell out of her.

“What is this all about?”

“Issuing fake reports.” John answered confidently as he took a seat, facing Cecilia with a penetrating look in his eyes.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Cecilia replied as she turned her eyes away from him, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze.

“You do know that I know you are lying to me, right?” John asked, chuckling. “If you wish, we can take this issue to your superior.”

“What do you want?” Cecilia asked after a deep sigh which indicated that she had given in to the Agent’s demand.

“….information on Katrina’s fake pregnancy.” John said straightforwardly.

“Is this personal?” Cecilia tried to pry into the matter in an attempt to get away with her crime.

“This is a crime punishable by law, Miss…” John paused, reading her name on her name tag. “Right Dr. Cecilia Smithson. You are helping Katrina Boyaze commit a crime, don’t you know that? Besides, I am sure that this is against the hospital’s policy.”

“Look, I need the money. I always need the money. I’m in debt at the moment.” Cecilia blurted out.

“Today you need a savior more than you need money and that will only happen if you tell what is going on vividly and with detailed proof.” John coldly said as he placed a recorder on the table. Cecilia stiffened as fear crippled her body. She gawked at John confusingly as he held the gaze with a grave and cold stare. There was no escaping it. It seemed her day of reckoning had come sooner than expected.