Page 10 of Ben

Ben’s thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang, and he saw his brother Michael’s number on the phone. He sighed because he supposed now was a good time to drop a bomb on his brother and let him know what was happening in New York.

“Hi Michael, how is Ambra and being in Barbados?” He could hear the sound of crickets in the background.

“Another beautiful sunny day in Barbados with my beautiful woman. This place is incredible—the beaches, the food, and the people. We should invest in this place and convince Carter to open a resort here. I will volunteer to get it up and running.” His brother chuckled, sounding relaxed and happy, and Ben felt happy for both his brother and best friend.

He heard a pinging sound on his phone and took it away from his ear to see a picture of both him and Ambra sipping cocktails with their heads together, taking a selfie, looking like a couple in love.

Ben raised it back to his ear when he heard. “The only mar in all of this is we have to leave here soon,” Michael said, sounding disgruntled.

He heard a feminine murmur and then a sound of a kiss and a slap on flesh and a female squeal of surprise and then protesting.

“Ambra says hi and that she would talk to you, but she is about to get her mouth stuffed with something.”

He then heard an outraged Ambra give an angry retort that was muffled and heard a hard thump, and then the phone was making rustling sounds. He patiently waited until the two of them finished wrestling with each other.

He then heard Michael laugh. “Well, it will be true later, after I get off the phone with Ben, so don’t go too far.”

Ben went to his home desk in his office and took a look at his laptop that he brought home with him, so far so good. Everything was in place and working; no more withdrawals for shopping were coming out of Diamond’s bank account. The virus was now quiet, but he had no illusion it would stay that way. Whoever created it was very smart, and if he or she didn’t get themselves locked up, he wanted to hire them whenhe finally tracked them down. He’d hit the button to move the money to her account, but the sudden virus attached to it, he’d not expected. This was now the icing on the cake and had helped him in achieving his goal.

“Huh.” He responded distractedly as he finally heard his brother talking to him.

“How are things going back home?” Michael’s voice held humor in it as he repeated himself.

“Not good.” He announced and then went quiet. Ben heard Michael sigh.

“Ben, what do you mean by that? Mom and Dad, are they okay? Carter and Zahara and the twins? Leaf and Deana? Your business with Ambra?” Michael knew how to ask a lot of questions up front because Ben wasn’t a talker.

“Everyone is fine.” He explained.

“And? Ben, talk, or I will cut my trip short and come home.”

“The money from the charity auction went missing.”

He heard Michael swear. “What the hell happened?”

“Diamond took it.”

“What!?”

“Well, looking at it from the outside, it looks like Diamond helped herself to the funds from the charity.”

“I don’t believe that for one second. Who is setting her up?” Ben was not surprised by Michael’s immediate response to Diamond taking the money. He was now involved with her sister and had known her for as long as Ben did from the first day they met them at their new school.

“Yes, someone planted it in her account and put a nasty virus on it. This virus is blocking any attempt of sending the money back, and throughout the day it will purchase an expensive gift on her behalf.” He said, impressed.

“Jesus. Okay, Ambra and I will be on the−”

“Don’t.” He said abruptly, and his brother went quiet.

“I have everything handled here and have slowed the virus down until I can figure out how to get rid of it and who is behind this.”

“And?”

His twin knew him so well.

“If you come home right now, you will make this matter worse, and I need you to keep away until Diamond and I get married.”

“Ben, what the fuck is this now?” His brother hissed low, and Ben assumed Ambra was nearby.

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