Diamond or No Diamond

"There she is!"

"Keep it down," Olena hissed.

Internally, the white-haired girl shook her head at Veronica’s lack of discretion. Viewing herself as a master puppeteer, Olena despised conducting business in public settings. She’d much rather send a message or use an intermediary. However, for this assignment, Olena didn’t dare leave an electronic trail, so this order needed to be conveyed face-to-face. And the self-styled master schemer forgot to place her burner phone inside her clutch tonight. That slip-up she blamed on Veronica.

Veronica nearly protested when Olena led them parallel to the young woman rather than directly toward her. But then, the dark-haired teen realized that her friend didn't want anyone to know they specifically sought Daphne Garrow. Unspoken communication brought the redhead over to them.

“Why have you failed?” Olena challenged, getting straight to the point.

“Delayed, not failed,” Daphne countered.

Rolling her eyes at the Breakwater coed, Olena didn’t appear happy with that response. Daphne gaining access to the Witzler Hotel’s security room would prove time-saving to her plan.

"If money won't get you inside, try using your feminine charms."

“Don’t suggest that to me, Olesky. I know how to do my job,” Daphne hissed, causing Veronica to shudder at Olena’s likely response. “The issue is that nobody is around to bribe.”

“Then, what’s the problem? Can’t you pick a lock?” the white-haired teen questioned.

"I said nobody is around to bribe, not that no one is inside."

“Huh? Make sense, Garrow.”

“Well, as you can imagine, the commotion outside drew nearly all the hotel’s security to deal with that situation.”

“Uncle Eddie’s idiocy,” Olena grumbled under her breath.

“Strangely, before that happened, I witnessed Chastity Kupp and another woman enter the security room,” Daphne relayed.

“Wait; what?” Olena questioned, appearing thrown off balance, which was rare for the teenager. “The airheaded receptionist from Diamond Corp? Are you sure?”

“Very. She and the other woman were escorted inside by Sinclair Pierce.”

“Interesting,” Olena murmured. “Sinclair is one of the Pierces who don’t care for the Diamonds. Very interesting. Describe the other woman.”

Daphne described the brunette and the dress she wore. Nodding, Olena swiftly interrupted.

“Yes, yes, that’s Tamsin Good. She’s Graham Diamond’s personal assistant. Less interesting. I assume that her boss sent her inside to monitor the campaign announcements. If not, then it’s likely unimportant to me.”

“If that’s the case, they could be inside longer with the fight’s fallout,” Daphne speculated.

“It doesn’t matter. Accessing the security room is no longer required,” Olena revealed, causing both young women to appear startled. “Plans have changed with Whitney leaving the hotel.”

“Already? Did something happen?” the inquisitive ginger asked.

"Apparently, her father caused an incident. It's being kept under wraps for the moment. But that's not why I took this risk," Olena said, glancing around them with only her eyes. "Alfie has arrived. I want you to assist him with the setup."

“You mean you want me to keep an eye on him?” Daphne countered.

“Yes,” Olena confirmed while palming a keycard to the disgraced school reporter. “Room 608. You have until midnight to finish without any risks. Alfie’s in Room 404. Meet him there now. And make sure he doesn’t take too many artistic liberties in the placements.”

The hired hand nodded slightly before heading toward the elevator banks. Seeking to maintain the randomness of the meeting, Olena milled around while Veronica scanned Nosy Nectar. Neither they nor the departing Daphne noticed a pair of curious eyes watching them. Nor did they see that the person had slyly taken a picture of the meeting. And none of them were aware of the watcher typing a message to accompany the image.

“Okay, let’s move,” Olena ordered.

“Nothing new about the Diamonds. Nosy Nectar is posting less than I’d expect for tonight,” Veronica admitted.

“An excellent reason for not relying on what I don’t control. And I despise a lack of control,” Olena remarked needlessly and furiously. “Your attempts to penetrate that gossip site have been embarrassing.”

“It’s not my fault! Whoever runs it has a sixth sense for smoking out planted rumors,” Veronica whined. “I keep trying in hopes–”

“Enough! I don’t need this eternal discussion right now,” Olena stated. “A considerable amount of change has occurred, which has invoked multiple contingency plans.”

"But I thought you said it's fine that Whitney left."

“It is. The new Whitney plan holds off the final strike until after I’ve crushed her closest friends. So if anything, Whitney’s departure has given us more room to work with,” Olena stated. “However, that damn Bumble New Year’s party has left us shorthanded here.”

“Do you want me to summon the girls?” Veronica queried.

"Not at all!" Olena snapped, flashing her disappointed face at her lone friend. "Using the Bumble girls only works if they don't realize they're being used."

“Quilla and Cheyenne are here. Maybe we could–”

“Why don’t I ask Sienna for a favor while I'm at it?! Get your head into the game, Ronnie,” the head of the Bumble Girls said dismissively.

“Sorry,” the raven-haired teen responded meekly. “Um, what should we do?”

“Take advantage of the recent developments,” Olena began. “Uncle Eddie’s campaign announcement has caused more issues for the Strattons than I expected. Of course, he’ll never win. He fucks up everything he touches. However, a bitter campaign can be beneficial in upending Lacey’s life.”

“Is the plan for Austin still a go?”

"Absolutely. Unfortunately, I need to find a suitable seductress for the initial cheating. Put together a list of college girls home on break. Once the dam breaks, Austin will be flooded with mistresses. I think four is the minimum number before Lacey 'accidentally' discovers Austin in bed." Olena's glee caused her to overlook Veronica's uneasy expression. "Also, get me a list of tonight's matchmaking targets for Lacey. I think her hobby needs to experience failure tonight."

“I already have a person on it,” Veronica said, relieved as she took down the orders on her phone.

“Also, send out inquiries about that tidbit about Ramsey that we overheard. Destroying her reputation as a journalist is a lengthy chore. So starting soon with little breadcrumbs is essential.”

Veronica nodded, hoping that Nosy Nectar might provide a lead in that area soon.

“The Sean Tarver matter is still a question. I want as much information as possible on him. He’s key to finally striking at Whitney,” Olena insisted, although Veronica had doubts.

“What about Cat’s sex tape?” the sidekick asked, waiting until they had privacy in the hallway.

“Plans have changed. The tape and Cat’s captaincy ambitions won’t be leaked on the first day back to school. I believe letting Whitney have a few days of sympathy might work better before that bomb is dropped. Or I could **** Cat if needed,” Olena smirked as she paused at the entrance to the ballroom. “Besides, Alfie’s about to provide us with another production.”

“What have you found?” Graham asked, entering the Witzler’s Hotel Security Office. Unknown to him, he’d arrived mere moments after Daphne left.

“We located the moment that Chastity encountered Tomahiro Tenno–”

“You can call us Good and Kupp. No crime is too small to solve!” Chastity proclaimed, forcing a smile.

Graham wondered about that but didn’t have time as Tamsin diligently carried on as if never interrupted.

“--outside of the parking garage. Rewinding the footage, we tracked Mr. Tenno to the 6th floor.” While speaking, Tamsin brought up the footage of him exiting the room. “As you can see, he conducted whatever business that brought him to the States in Room 623.”

“Who booked the room?” Graham questioned.

“A Mr. Smith,” Tamsin relayed, although Chastity appeared jumpy.

“Of course. A vague name that gives us nothing.” Graham did glance at the now excited receptionist. “What’s–”

“First name! Holy Moley!”

“Yes, the first name isn’t as vague. The guest in Room 623 is listed as Carat Smith,” Tamsin finished.

“Carat? As in a diamond?” Graham repeated, rolling the name over his tongue.

“An obvious message. Whoever is in that suite expected–or at least prepared for the possibility–of discovery.”

Graham agreed with his right-hand woman.

"Have you brought up the footage of when this Carat Smith checked in?"

“Another interesting matter,” Tamsin commented, leaning down to push a button that activated an additional screen.

Graham stared and waited for footage that never began. Finally, after a long fifteen seconds, he turned toward the brunette.

“It’s been erased.”

“That means–”

“Yes, the Witzler’s security has been compromised,” Tamsin finished for her boss.

“Dalton is going to be furious. Have you told Sinclair?” Graham inquired.

“He hasn’t returned. But I thought it best not to inform him.”

Graham made a slight start at Tamsin's opinion. But then, he reluctantly nodded. Sinclair's father had long been hostile to the Diamond family. Not that he could be blamed. Graham's father burned many people during his reign atop Diamond Corp.

“I’ll let Dalton know he has a breach, but not tonight. He’s got more than enough on his plate,” Graham stated. A sick feeling washed over him at his trusted friend’s declining health. Burying it away, the younger Diamond brother carried on. “So all we got are more questions and no answers. Terrific.”

“Well…”

“Ooh! Ooh! Can I say it? Can I?” Chastity begged before Tamsin nodded. “We got a fact, Jack!”

“Huh?”

"We discovered a partial answer. One that brings up a slew of more questions," Tamsin remarked, hitting play for another screen. "We also went back to when Tommy Tenno arrived and caught a slight break."

On the screen, Graham watched as his father’s fixer entered Room 623. A split second later, a young man briefly leaned out of the door’s entrance to check the hallway before closing the door behind him. Without being asked, Tamsin took the footage back to when the man’s face turned briefly toward the camera and paused it.

"Perhaps a slip-up by Mr. Smith or his associate. However, he was smart enough to only look down the hallway toward the corner by the elevators. Unlike the stairway door to his other side, that camera is quite far away. Even with the high-quality digital camera, zooming in loses some of the image's sharpness," Tamsin explained. "I'll speculate that he checked the stairway door from inside his doorway before leaning out."

Leaning forward, Graham brought his face almost to the screen as he examined the man’s blurred face. He couldn’t quite place it, but something nagged at the back of his mind.

“Do you recognize him?” Tamsin asked.

“I can’t say. If we had a sharper picture, I could maybe tell.”

“I do! I do!” Chastity exclaimed. Yet, she didn’t look pleased with her statement.

"You do?" Graham queried. His hopes rose as Chastity never forgot a face and name. Then, however, the unexpected happened as the blonde threw her hands up to cover her face.

“Chastity insists that she knows the man. Unfortunately, the problem is that she can’t remember from where,” Tamsin revealed, causing Graham’s mouth to drop open in shock.

“But you never forget–”

“Sweet Christmas, I know!” Chastity moaned from behind her hands. “Frazzling shuzzbutt!”

Graham and Tamsin made eye contact after the wholesome receptionist came as close as she could to using foul language.

“It’s okay, Chas. Don’t get upset.”

“But, I know I’ve seen that face before. Mr. Graham. I never, ever forget a face,” Chastity cried, removing her hands from her face.

“Perhaps your brother might recognize the man,” Tamsin suggested. However, she didn’t hold out much hope. For the life of her, she couldn’t see how Chastity could tell anything from the poor image of the face. Yet, the receptionist had insisted repeatedly over the last twenty minutes that she knew the face.

“That will have to wait. Harvey left.”

“Goodness gracious, why?” Chastity questioned, immediately latching onto another subject.

Knowing that her boss’s brother would never leave a party like tonight without a serious reason, Tamson shot Graham a knowing look.

“What did he do?”

“I...I don’t want to get into that right now. Only to say that Dalton and I have been trying to clean up the mess. Well, more like limiting the damage,” Graham said, sighing.

“How bad?” Tamsin continued to pry.

“Highly explosive.”

“Galloping gremlins! Mr. Harvey has a bomb?!”

"No, no, he doesn't, Chas. It's just that he did something that required him to leave right away," Graham clarified. "Well, after he and Whitney packed somewhat."

“Great Scott! Whitney left?” Chastity shrieked, jumping to her feet. “I’m supposed to be chaperoning her!”

“Yes, she left. Bridget and Sean also went with them.”

“For Pete’s sake!” Chastity began to grab her things. “I’m also babysitting Seanie!”

“Chastity, you don’t need to worry about–”

“If I drive fast enough, I can catch them before they reach the mansion,” the chaperone/babysitter said to herself after cutting Graham off.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Graham blocked the honey blonde from opening the door.

“Harvey is going to the cabin, not the house.”

“Wonderriffic! I have more time to catch them,” Chastity stated, brightening up.

“No! You’re not to speed after them,” Graham ordered. “The weather is getting worse outside.”

“And based on how you drive…give me your keys,” Tamson ordered.

“B-But I didn’t know that my drink had **** in it. I swear! It was an accident! Dr. Bridgets knows that!” the honey blonde protested about what the others didn’t know. However, she reluctantly handed over her car keys. “Y-You’re not s-sending me to rehab, are you?”

Graham didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his predicament. I bet Bridget has a good story to tell about whatever happened. Still, he managed to hide his amusement at Chastity’s concerns and at Tamsin’s expression.

“No, we’re not going to send you to rehab. What I do want is for you to go to the ballroom and have fun. You’re no longer responsible for Whitney or Sean tonight. Got that? Good. Go dance, chat, and have a drink or two.”

“Non-alcoholic,” Tamsin added.

“Now, go and have fun!”

“Okey-dokey!” Chastity agreed, saluting Graham.

Note: I'm still trying to get back on a regular posting schedule. I wanted this chapter posted at the beginning of the week, but then I seemed to have caught a stomach bug. It's starting to go away, so hopefully, next week will be when I can finally post multiple chapters.