Chapter Two

"What in God's name do you mean by Betty committed suicide?" Damon asked and stood up immediately.

"I don't know, but we have to go," Lucas said and stood up as well. Damon hurriedly opened his wallet and dropped the money on the table and both of them walked out of the coffee shop.

Damon arrived at the office, just in time to see Betty's body being wheeled out of the office.

"What the fuck happened?" Damon asked and Lou stared at him.

"We've got another problem, Mr Damon," Lou said and Damon and Lucas stared at her.

Lou plays a voice note and Damon shuts his eyes in frustration. Betty had recorded their conversation, posted it online and committed suicide.

This was going to be a problem for Brenton Lavida. Especially with the contract from the  Chinese company that was supposed to happen tomorrow.

"What do we do, Damon? The police are going to call you in for questioning." Lucas said and Damon sighed.

"I can't refuse their summons, it would only make me look more guilty. I wasn't the one that pushed Betty to her death, neither did I aid or gaslight her, I can't be punished for simply telling her that I do not want to be in a relationship with her." Damon said and Lucas nodded.

"Oh course that is understandable, but have you thought about what this scandal would do to the company's image?" Lucas asked and Damon collapsed in his reclining chair in absolute frustration.

"Mr Damon, the police are here. They'd like to have a word with you." Lou said and Damon sighed.

"Let them in," Damon said and Lou nodded.

Damon sat on his reclining chair and stared at both detectives who sat across him.

"Good afternoon, Mr Damon. I understand you've had a very rough day, but this is a protocol that we must follow." One of the detectives nodded.

"Understood. Go ahead and ask what you'd like to know?" Damon said.

The detectives looked at each other nervously and one of them brought out a book and pen.

"Well, first of all, I'd like to extend my condolences for the death of your friend." The female detective said and Damon glared at her.

"Betty and I didn't have that kind of relationship." He said, trying hard to control the rudeness that seemed obvious.

"What kind of relationship did you have with the deceased?" The male detective asked.

"It was a one-night stand we had some months ago," Damon said and the detective nodded and jotted it down.

"Did she blackmail you?" The female detective asked and Damon shook his head.

"She did show up at my office today unannounced and asked if we could make our relationship something a bit more serious. I clearly declined, and said that i was with her only for that night and she didn't say anything or argue at all." Damon said.

"Did she look depressed, or sad after you made your point clear?" The male Detective asked.

"No, she didn't look like she was sad. She mentioned something about seeing ourselves again and she walked out of my office. She definitely didn't look like she had planned to fall from the top of a building." Damon said and both detectives nodded.

"Well, I heard you haven't been in the building for about an hour? Where were you?" The female detective said and Lucas stood up.

"I'll answer that for you. Damon and I stepped out to get coffee." Lucas said.

"Why did he have to step out to get coffee? He could have just had his secretary get it for him." The female detective and Lucas scoffed.

"Are you new to Brooklyn?" Lucas asked and the female detective nodded.

"Understandable. Well, everyone knows that Damon always gets his coffee himself after a secretary of his poisoned him using coffee. It's some sort of safety measure since he can't do without his daily dose of coffee." Lucas said and the female detective gasped.

"Well, Mr Damon. I appreciate you for taking the time to answer our questions even though you're going through a traumatic period. We'll come to see you again if we have any more questions, is that okay with you?" The male detective said and Damon nodded.

"Sure. Anytime." Damon said and stood up to shake both the detectives, who walked out of the office after exchanging handshakes with Damon. Damon collapsed in his chair and stuck his hand in his hair.

"We are fucked, Damon. Big time." Lucas said with a sigh and Damon sighed.

"Lucas, something about Betty's death doesn't feel right. She had leverage over me since she recorded the voice note. Why release the voice note and go ahead to kill herself?" Damon asked and Lucas sighed.

"Maybe she wanted to destroy you and everything you stand for since she wasn't given the chance to be a gold digger. I know it's wrong to say bad things  about the dead, but it is what it is." Lucas said and Damon sighed.

"Have our stock prices fallen? Major scandals like this tend to ruin a company's image." Damon said and Lou entered the office with an iPad in her hand.

"Fortunately, no. Our stock prices are currently at the same price in the stock market.  But with the articles the press has been releasing and making the whole situation look like you're a murder suspect, it could be hitting the rocks soon." Lou said and Damon groaned in frustration.

"Has the Realton estate pulled out from the contract?" Damon asked and Lou shook her head.

"No, it seems like the contract would still push forward. However, we might need to have an emergency board meeting soon, to clarify and pacify the shareholders. Otherwise, it would be a major disaster." Lou said and Lucas groaned.

''Sis, you don't have to rub it in his face," Lucas said and Lou rolled her eyes.

"Listen, Damon, Lucas. We need to fix things fast, or else it could affect the company in a bad way. This is one of the reasons why I always tell you guys to be careful of the kind of girls you bring home or you do random one-night stands with. Now, you've gotten yourself into this mess with the police and the press. Good going, Damon." Lou said, dropping the honorifics.

Lou and Lucas were twins and had been Damon's only friends since he was little.

"First off, we should hold an emergency press conference. Call the PR team and see if you can contact some reporters." Lucas said and Lou nodded.

"I'll contact Legal. During the conference, you'll have to let them know that you're innocent of all the charges. And if any media house pushes outrageous stories, your legal team would take appropriate measures." Lucas said and Damon sighed.

"I can't hold a press conference not in this messy mental situation I'm in. I don't know, my gut feeling tells me something isn't right about this whole situation." Damon said and Lou looked at him with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Lou asked.

"Lou, you saw Betty when she walked out of my office. Did she look like someone so sad, sad enough to jump from the roof of a twenty-four-story building?" Damon asked and Lou held her chin, trying to see if she could remember something.

"No. She looked like she had just won the lottery. She was all smiles and she kept on chatting on her phone. Like she was chatting with someone. And I definitely saw her enter into the elevator to go to the first floor." Lou said and Damon sat up.

"Did you notice anything or anyone strange in the elevator when she entered?" Damon asked and Lou shook her head.

"No not really. A man was wearing a hood and nose mask, but we have people who come in here wearing that kind of stuff." Lou said and Damon sighed.

"There's only one way to find out if there really was foul play," Damon said and looked at his best friends.

"The CCTV."