Karma 37

Katerina Pov

“Katerina?”

I raise and look around to see if this another joke from the Throne family. Ever since i accepted that offer from Cassandra my life has just gone down in a spiral. I don’t know what is going on, what will happen. I can even tell apart what is real or not.

“Relax, I came alone,” the voice reassures me. But my nerves remain on high alert.

“I am on your side,” he insists, but his words do little to ease my anxiety.

“Whatever you and Cassandra want from me, I’m done,” I declare, grabbing my trench coat and draping it over my shoulder, followed by my bag. I make a move to push past him, but suddenly, he grips my wrist firmly.

“She wants you dead,” he declares, sending a bone-chilling shiver down my spine, shattering my fragile façade of composure.

As the shock settles in, a torrent of thoughts crashes upon me like relentless waves on a shore. ‘She wants you dead.’

What could I possibly have done to deserve such a fate?

I glance around the dimly lit café, calculating if I can make a quick escape before he attacks, or if he does, how I can call for help.

“W…h…why?” I stammer, my voice barely audible.

“Let’s talk over a nice cup of coffee,” he suggests, and to my own surprise, I find myself complying. He may be a slender man in poor health, but I dare not underestimate him. He could be concealing a weapon.

He sits down beside me, effectively blocking any escape route.

“Cassandra isn’t who you think she is. She uses people,” he begins.

My hand discreetly searches the pockets of my trench coat for anything that could be used as a weapon.

“How can I trust you? I saw you with her at the club,” I say, my eyes locked on his.

“That bitch sent me to prison,” he reveals.

“You deserved it. You raped her,” I state.

He chuckles darkly, a bitter edge to his voice. “I did nothing of the sort. She lied to get me out of the picture, and since then, she’s capitalized on her ‘plight’ to run her NGOs, supposedly helping girls with a similar fate.”

My mind races, trying to reconcile the woman I thought I knew with this sinister revelation. “But why involve me? I’m just an ordinary woman, trying to make a living. How could I possibly threaten her?”

He leans in closer, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. “Cassandra is a master manipulator. She saw you as a pawn, someone she could use to further her agenda. She needed someone innocent, someone who could be easily manipulated and disposed of if necessary.”

Still unable to comprehend why she would want me dead. “I don’t understand why she wants me dead,” I confess.

“Collateral damage,” he answers with a cold, calculating tone. “You were just a pawn in her game. Do you think she hired you to seduce her husband?” he asks.

I stare at him, utterly bewildered.

“She wanted her husband dead, and she wanted you to take the fall for it,” he explains, and just when I thought this day couldn’t become any more shocking, it proves me wrong once again.

“Why?” I manage to croak out, my mind struggling to process the enormity of it all.

“It’s all about the money,” he shrugs. “Cassandra knew her husband was about to divorce her, and she couldn’t bear to lose her grip on his wealth.”

“And now she wants me dead?” I ask and he nods.

“She wants me to kill you and Christian Thorne to go down for it. Either way she wants Thorne gone.” He says as a cup of hot coffees is placed before him. The waitress glances at us as she gets a wind of our conversation.

“Why are you telling me all these, you could just kill me and get over with it.” i ask.

“She has hurt a lot of people and i don’t want to go to prison. i want to be with my daughter,”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I am going to kill you.”

Christian Thorne pov

I’ve been battling severe migraines for several days, and as I sit upright in bed, I shut and open my eyes to clear the haze. To my surprise, I spot Luna standing at the edge of my bed.

“Luna,” I say, rubbing my temples in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing pain in my head. “What are you doing here?”

She doesn’t respond immediately, her expression unusually somber. Instead, Luna takes a hesitant step closer, her eyes locked onto mine.

“You have been out for a while. ” She comments.

“I have not been feeling well,” I state.

“Did Katerina leave?” She asks.

I nod, “Yeah, she had to be somewhere.” I lie.

“I was just beginning to like her,” She says.

Me too.

My phone rings and speak of the devil. “I have to pick this call, honey could you give me the room?” I ask.

‘I need to see you,’ Katerina says.

Since her arrest at my office i haven’t had contact with her. I wanted Cassandra to see that i want nothing to do with Katerina, just to know what she had in plan. With the help Cara we already know that Katerina didn’t interfere with Oliver’s car.

‘I can’t.’ I say.

‘I didn’t do any of those things. I am being framed so are you.’ She says.

The last part of catches my attention.

‘Where are you?” I ask.