Chapter 1 - THE TEN-THOUSAND-DOLLAR KISS
She Took the Money and Kissed Him—Then the Entire Party Went Silent When She Learned Who He Was Diane Harper had lived in survival mode for 2 years. She worked during the day, studied at night, and somehow still had to make sure her 10-year-old sister, Sadi, the only family she had left, was fed, safe, and happy. Their rent was already 3 months overdue, and every morning began with the same calculation: which bill could wait, which expense could be postponed, and how much longer she could keep going before something finally collapsed. Kissing a stranger at a party was never supposed to become part of that calculation. Then a blonde woman in a red dress put $10,000 on the table. Diane thought about how much trouble 1 kiss could possibly cause. The answer was more than she could have imagined. Especially when the man she kissed was Ravi Greedy, a man who did not forget, did not forgive, and did not allow anyone to walk away from disrespect without consequences. That morning had begun like almost every other morning in Diane's life. Her alarm went off at 5:30, and every muscle in her body protested after the double shift she had worked the day before. She dragged herself out of bed and went directly to the kitchen of the tiny apartment she shared with Sadi. Their parents had died in a car accident 2 years earlier. Since then, Sadi had become the reason Diane kept moving when exhaustion told her to stop. “Diane, are you working again tonight?” Sadi walked into the kitchen already dressed in her school uniform, her brown hair still messy and her eyes heavy with sleep. Diane forced a smile as she flipped pancakes in the pan. “Yes, sweetie, but it's a special event this time. A charity ball. It pays well.” She put the pancakes on Sadi's plate and added a little honey. “I'll be serving drinks to rich people, and then I'll come home. Nothing major.” Sadi ate quietly for several seconds before looking up with brown eyes that reminded Diane painfully of their mother. “You always work so hard. When are you going to really rest?” “When you grow up and become that famous doctor you always talk about. Then I'll rest.” Diane ruffled her hair. “Now eat. The bus doesn't wait.” Sadi took several more bites before lowering her eyes. She began fidgeting with her fork. “Diane?” “What?” “The girls at school asked why my teeth are crooked.” Her voice had fallen almost to a whisper. “They said I look like a rabbit. They laughed at me.” Diane felt something break inside her. Anger came immediately after it. She crouched beside Sadi, took the girl's face between her hands, and made her look directly at her. “Sweetheart, we're going to fix that. I promise. I just need to save the money for the dentist, but it will happen.” “But you already work so hard.” Sadi's small voice made Diane want to shield her from everything beyond the apartment door. “I don't want you to get more tired because of me.” “Sadie Harper, listen to me. I'll work as much as necessary because you deserve the best in this world. Now go before you miss the bus.” After Sadi left, Diane stood alone in the kitchen and looked at the bills spread across the table. The rent was 3 months overdue: $4,500. Sadi's full-day school program for the next 3 months: $2,100. The dental treatment Diane had been quoted after calling 5 clinics: $3,800. The total was $10,400. For Diane, it might as well have been $1 million. Night came before she had time to think about it. Soon she was dressed in her waitress uniform inside the ballroom of the most luxurious hotel in the city, moving between members of the city's elite with a tray of champagne glasses balanced in her hand. Women wore expensive gowns. Men wore immaculate tuxedos. Jewelry glittered beneath enormous chandeliers. Diane kept her head down and her professional smile in place. That was when she first saw Ravi Greedy. He stood alone near enormous windows overlooking the illuminated city, wearing a black tuxedo that appeared custom-made. There was something in his posture that suggested power and danger in equal measure. Diane passed him without giving him much thought. She was there to work. Still, for a fraction of a second, she felt his gaze follow her. Across the ballroom, Catherine Voss was watching both of them. She stood surrounded by equally elegant friends, wearing expensive jewelry and a carefully composed smile. Beneath that smile was something colder. “There,” Catherine said. “That waitress is perfect.” “Perfect for what?” “Revenge.” Her gaze moved toward Ravi. Exactly 1 week earlier, at another elegant social event, Catherine had approached Ravi after months of subtle attempts to attract his attention. Wearing her most seductive dress and standing within earshot of at least 10 people, including her friends, she had finally been direct. “Ravi, how about we go out after this event? Just the 2 of us, without all these boring people around?” Ravi had looked at her without interest or sympathy. “Catherine, you are not worth my time, and you never will be. Stop offering yourself like this. It's pathetic, and it's starting to get embarrassing for all of us.” The silence afterward had been devastating. Catherine's face had burned while people around them tried unsuccessfully to suppress their laughter. Even her own friends had laughed. She had left with her pride destroyed. For the next week, she had thought about revenge. “He made me look like a complete idiot in front of everyone,” Catherine said now. “He called me pathetic. Said I wasn't worth his time. All of you laughed.” Her friends lowered their eyes. Catherine no longer cared. She had a plan. “That waitress. The innocent one who can barely look people in the eyes. I'm going to make her kiss Ravi publicly without his permission.” One friend stared at her. “That's cruel, Catherine.” “He was cruel to me.” Catherine's voice hardened. “Ravi will destroy that girl when she touches him without permission. Everyone knows he doesn't tolerate that from anyone. I'm going to watch him humiliate her the same way he humiliated me.” She opened her expensive purse. “Lend me $10,000. I'll need an incentive.” Minutes later, Diane stood in front of Catherine without knowing she had become a piece in someone else's revenge. “You. Waitress. What's your name?” “Diane, ma'am. Can I get you something?” “Actually, Diane, I have a proposition.” Something in Catherine's expression immediately made Diane cautious. “$10,000 in cash if you do 1 very simple thing.” Diane's heart accelerated. $10,000. Almost exactly what she needed. “What kind of thing?” Catherine indicated the man in the black tuxedo beside the windows. “See him?” “Yes.” “I want you to walk over there and kiss him on the lips in front of everyone.” Diane stared at her. “You want me to do what?” “It's fun, and I pay well for fun.” Catherine showed her the envelope. “$10,000. You kiss him. I give you the money. You leave. Simple.” “Who is he?” “Nobody important. Just a bored rich man.” The lie came easily. “He'll think it's funny, or maybe he'll be a little angry. But for you, Diane, $10,000 is worth a stranger being temporarily angry, isn't it?” Diane knew she was being manipulated. Then she saw Sadi's face. Her crooked teeth. The unpaid rent. The school bill. The dental estimate. “You give me the money first.” “Half now. Half after.” Catherine placed $5,000 in her hand. “Go.” Diane walked toward Ravi. Every step felt wrong. Her heart pounded hard enough to hurt, and everything in her told her to turn around. Then she thought about Sadi. “Excuse me?” Ravi turned. His eyes were darker and more penetrating at close range, and Diane almost lost her nerve. “Yes?” His voice was deep, controlled, and authoritative. Diane swallowed. $10,000. Sadi's dentist. 3 months of rent. “Sorry about this.” Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and kissed him. The ballroom went silent. Ravi's entire body went rigid beneath the unexpected contact. Diane pulled away almost immediately, her face burning. “Sorry again. I really need to go.” She turned. A strong hand closed around her wrist. “You're not going anywhere.” His voice had changed. Diane felt terror move through her. “Who do you think you are to touch me without permission?” “It was a dare. I swear.” The words came too quickly. “That woman paid me.” She pointed toward Catherine. “I didn't know. I didn't mean to offend you. I needed the money, and she offered.” Ravi looked at Catherine. Something dark and comprehending moved across his face. Then he looked back at Diane. “What's your name?” “Diane Harper.” She tried to pull her wrist free. “Please. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I need the money for my sister.” “Well, Diane Harper, you just made a fatal mistake.” His voice remained frighteningly calm. “Nobody touches me without permission. Nobody. And now you're going to pay for it.” Security guards appeared almost immediately. “Escort her out. Catherine Voss too.” As Diane was taken toward the exit, panic overcame her. “What about the money? She still owes me another $5,000.” One of the guards laughed. “Forget the money. You just signed your death sentence.” Diane looked at him. “You kissed Ravi Greedy. The mob boss of this city. He doesn't forgive anyone.” Her world collapsed.
