Ms. Travato peered at Diana from behind cats-eye glasses, her dark brown eyes penetrating, missing nothing.
“I see. So, you want to work so you don’t have to take Mr. Brenner’s money,” she said, having the right of it.
“Yes,” Diana admitted, wondering if the woman thought her mad.
Ms. Travato shrugged, offering Diana a reassuring smile. “We’ll get you set up then. I will send the employment paperwork to your suite this evening, and once you have it completed, we’ll get you started.”
Joy, unfiltered, surged through her. Diana stood, reaching over the desk to shake Ms. Travato’s hand. “Thank you. I appreciate this. So much.”
Ms. Travato waved off Diana’s words with a smirk. “Don’t thank me yet. The laundry room is hard, sweaty work.”
Diana didn’t care, she had a job. And that meant one less tie to David Brenner and his fucking investment.
Reaching the room after the meeting, Diana set about looking up the nearest fresh food market. After signing the paperwork and seeing the per hour rate, she set to work creating a budget. She was a task-driven person, and she loved budgets, it was one of the things that had kept her sane over the last few months.
Once 10PM arrived and she hadn’t heard from David, she relaxed a bit. The longer she went without seeing him the better. She couldn’t imagine what sort of stink he’d make when he discovered that his plan to keep her hidden away and beholden to him had backfired. Okay, he was paying for the room, but she chalked that up to him keeping a roof over his babies’ heads. So far, she didn’t need any baby items, so any additional money would stay in the account he’d set up for her. He’d sent her a packet of documents, including the information on the bank account he’d set up in her name. There was also the account at the hotel. She wouldn’t touch a penny of the bank account money for anything other than baby needs.
She refused to be a Rinna. She refused to be the woman David thought she was, grasping and money hungry. Thankfully, he was no longer under the impression that she had planned and plotted all of this, but he still had such a low opinion of her.
Expensive clothes…manicures… She hadn’t had a manicure in her life!
Having eaten only the apple that day, Diana’s stomach grumbled at her. She was seated in the armchair in her bedroom, facing out over the view of the city, and she didn’t want to move. The thought of going out and getting something to make didn’t appeal, and the thought of breaking her own rule about room service so soon—or at all—was appalling.
Maybe there was already some food in the kitchen.
Dragging herself into the kitchen, she checked the cupboards. They were empty save for high-end dinnerware, champagne glasses (which she wouldn’t be using), coffee mugs (she would use those for hot cocoa), and silverware.
Sighing, she eyeballed the fruit bowl. There were two oranges and a banana.
She shrugged.
Caged birds couldn’t be choosey.
Chapter 20
“Here are the financials for the last three weeks,” Derek said, handing a single sheet of paper to David who took it and nearly swallowed his own tongue.
“There aren’t any charges or withdrawals from this account,” David drawled, his displeasure rising. “Check them again. This cannot be right.”
Derek nodded and sped from the room only to return five minutes later with the same exact print out.
“This is accurate, Mr. Brenner,” he asserted, peering at David with apprehension in his already pinched features.
David scanned the sheet again. “There aren’t any charges or withdrawals,” he repeated, unsure of what he was seeing. What was wrong with the woman? She had access to four hundred thousand dollars, her monthly stipend, and it was all still just…sitting there.
He knew she was still at the hotel because the driver he’d assigned her said that she hadn’t requested him, which meant she hadn’t left the hotel. Was she sick? Had something happened to the babies and she was alone in the room? As the seconds passed, his anxiety rose until all he could think about was an unconscious goddess, lying on the floor. Alone. Without him there to help her.
Cursing, he dismissed Derek and picked up his mobile, dialing Diana.
She picked up on the fourth ring, and he tried not to let his anger at her tardiness infuse his words.
“Diana, are you well?” he asked, unable to keep the sharpness from his tone.
There was silence, then, “I’m fine, David.” She sounded…tired.
“You’re fine,” he snapped, the relief at hearing her voice immediately replaced with anger. “What have you been doing since we last met?” She hadn’t had guests, he knew that much. The front desk manager reported directly to David on the comings and goings to Diana’s suite. She hadn’t had a single visitor. She wasn’t meeting with anyone, she wasn’t spending money, she wasn’t sick—what the fuck was she doing?!
“I’ve settled in,” she answered simply, heaving a sigh. “If that’s all you want to know, can we just not right now? I’m tired and I need a nap.” There was an edge to her voice that he’d never heard before, one that made something in his chest twist.
Letting out a heavy breath, he asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong, Diana? Should I send for the car to take you to Dr. Green’s office?” Since moving her into the Incantata, Diana had returned to the care of the Manhattan OB.
She grunted. “No, David. The babies are fine.”
“Well…if you’re sure…” David hesitated, suddenly very much wanting to keep their conversation going. Over the last three weeks, it had taken all the strength and control he possessed to not visit Diana. He told himself that he knew where she was and if she needed anything, she had all those staff members to help her. She could shop to her heart’s content, using every dime of her monthly allowance—she’d be so busy spending his money she wouldn’t
