“Your guest has arrived, Mrs. Kingdom.”
The man who stood just inside the room could be described as nothing short of divine. A Greek Adonis, from his jet black hair to the tip of his perfectly formed feet and everything in between; and that’s what she called him, Adonis. Diana knew he was perfect because she had seen him in all his natural beauty, on more than one occasion. She only surrounded herself with things of beauty, and her henchmen were no exception. However, this man was in her employ more for his looks than his ability to carry out tasks she couldn’t do herself.
That he and all her staff called her, Mrs. Kingdom was just another aspect of her life that she insisted on. It didn’t matter that she and Jackson were divorced, or that she had remarried more than once, she still remained the only Mrs. Jackson Kingdom, so she felt no compunction in using the title.
“Show her in,” Diana ordered.
“Hello, Diana.”
Diana kept her head lowered as she pretended to flick through a magazine. Finally tossing it aside, she raised her eyes and pierced her visitor with a cold gaze.
“You lost the right to call me by my given name when you failed your task. From now on, you will call me, Madam!” Diana ordered.
Farrah uttered a laugh coupled with a look of disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me!”
Diana’s rage towards the woman standing before her intensified, but it didn’t show on her beautiful face. People always underestimated her due to her small stature and refined air. This Vegas showgirl was about to find out what it meant to fail her.
“If you knew me better, you would know beyond any doubt that I never, kid. Nor would I ever use such an inarticulate word.”
Farrah blinked twice in quick succession, which told Diana that her words and their seriousness had hit home. “I see that I finally have your attention. Please do take a seat. Then you can tell me what you have decided to do by way of rectifying your failure.” Diana flicked a perfectly manicured hand in the direction of a Louis sixteenth gilded chair. All her furniture was white; that Farrah wore blue jeans was another mark against her.
“I already told you, they know my saying Jason and I were still married was a lie.”
“How do they know that, Farrah?” Diana questioned with the lift of a brow.
“Jason and his wife were gone for a while. When they came back, they didn’t look worried. Then they told me to get out. If they hadn’t found out that I was lying, they wouldn’t have acted that way.”
Diana was staggered by the woman’s stupidity. To her mind, what she had asked of Farrah had been simple. Now she regretted two things: trusting that this foolish woman could carry out the task she had been set; and that she had paid her any money before the job was completed.
“You will go to the press as we discussed. Failure to do so will result in the sorriest day of your life.” Diana never lost her temper. She had learned a long time ago that the art of intimidation wasn’t realized through the show of emotion. Rather it was confirmed by the coldness Farrah no doubt saw in her eyes. Diana didn’t expect the standoff to last for too long, and she was correct in her assumption.
“What do you want me to say?”
Taking a deep breath, Diana stretched over and leisurely withdrew a cigarette from a jade box. Attaching it to a gold holder, she flicked open a lighter, lit it and drew deeply. “Although I don’t anticipate having much more to do with you, there is one thing you must remember, I do not suffer fools gladly. You, young woman I find to be a fool.”
“You don’t get to speak to me that way!” Farrah stormed.
Diana ran a hand down her perfectly styled black hair as a delicate frown creased her brow. “What a thoroughly ridiculous thing to say. I just did speak to you in that way, and I will continue to do so until I choose for our association to come to an end.”
“How about this, rich bitch, I choose for our association to end, starting now. Go find someone else to do your dirty work!” Farrah shouted, already on her way out the room.
Diana allowed her to leave. When she finished her cigarette, she rose and pressed a button on the wall beside the huge mirror that had pride of place above the fireplace. When Adonis entered, she didn’t immediately turn to face him. Her attention was fixed on her reflection, certain she had just spotted a wrinkle. Preoccupied with her appearance, Diana spoke only two words. “Kill her.”
Chapter 26
Jake hadn’t seen MacKenzie since they returned from their impromptu dip. The look they shared when he had finally fished her out of the water had been one of amusement. They had also somehow managed to return to the house and disappear into their respective rooms without being seen.