Page 54 of The Billionaire's Baby Betrayal

“I can agree to that.”

“Good. Can you take this bottle and your glass of wine to the hotel bar? I have a video meeting with my investors in ten minutes, so I’ll meet you down there, and we can choose a place to eat.”

“I’m on my way, and I have every confidence that you can persuade your investors there is no reason to panic.”

“Thank you, Armand. Your support means everything to me.”

The meeting with the investors went smoother than Andrés expected. They unanimously agreed not to make any decisions until after the investigation, and he thanked them for their trust in him. He felt relieved that one thing had come out on the plus side that week.

As he was leaving to meet Armand, his phone beeped, and he saw another call from Piper had been blocked. It was the fourth call since she’d left, and she wasn’t leaving voicemails. It twisted Andrés’ insides that he couldn’t bring himself to do the decent thing and answer her calls.

* * *

Andrés and Armand were sitting in the box suite when other guests arrived. The suite was set up for ten people, but there were at least fourteen milling around eating and drinking the champagne. The suite hosts graciously welcomed Andrés to their champagne and caviar party. And all of the other guests were friendly and sought him out for advice on breeding and financial investments. Andrés was glad he had decided to be there. He felt comfortable and was happy to watch the race away from the prying eyes of the people in the grandstand.

Andrés stood at the floor-to-ceiling window and watched as the horses were brought to the starting stalls. According to the program, Bankes’ horse, Sir Valor, was number five. As he admired the horses that were running that day, he found Felix and his group one level below the suite in one of the outdoor boxes.

A member of Felix’s group was entering the box when she saw Andrés in the window. Her eyes grew larger in recognition, and a sultry smile was sent in his direction. Other members of the group began greeting her, and it wasn’t long until she was by Felix’s side and whispering in his ear. Andrés saw his body tense even with the distance between them. Bankes turned slowly, and the insincere smile he was famous for was directed at Andrés. Felix lifted his glass, and Andrés reciprocated.

Armand was standing behind Andrés and saw the exchange between them. “C’est un vrai con,” he said in disgust.

“Did you just call Felix a donkey?” said Andrés.

“Something like that,” answered his friend with an evil smile.

They laughed and took their seats as the race was about to start.

Watching through binoculars, Andrés kept his eye on Sir Valor. Halfway through the course, it was evident to him that Sir Valor would win the race and be crowned the new international thoroughbred champion. Minutes later, that’s what happened. Felix immediately turned and raised his glass high in victory, and the “gotcha” smile on his face was aimed toward Andrés.

“Strange. It’s as if the joy for him was not that his horse won a good race but that he bested you,” pointed out Armand.

“I got that message, too,” said Andrés. “Piper had to have a reason to do what she did, and I think Bankes is the key to the answer. How do you feel about crashing a victory party tonight?”

“Oh, you know I love parties.”

* * *

Andrés and Armand purposely joined Felix’s victory party late. When they entered and walked directly to the bar, whispers began and surprised faces were scattered among the guests. Felix was at the front of the room, holding tightly to the silver cup, smiling, laughing, and raising it high for the photographers. It was not unexpected that Felix Bankes would make the most of a victory, but when he saw Andrés leisurely drinking at the back of the room, Andrés thought he turned his exuberance up a notch. He was proven right when Felix boisterously made his way through the crowd to Andrés’ side and made it look and sound like he had made a grand show of support by inviting Andrés to share in his victory.

“Olivera, I’m pleased you could make it here tonight. I appreciate that you had to put on a brave face under the circumstances.”

“Speaking of which, I was hoping we could have a chat about Piper Marshall.”

An alarmed look flashed across Bankes’ face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “I don’t know what I can possibly tell you about her reasons for tampering with the blood sample and adding that steroid.”

Andrés’ expression didn’t change, but he spoke in a controlled monotone. “I don’t want to discuss what she did, but I would like to understand why she did it. You worked with her for a number of years, and I thought you could give some background. You certainly know her better than I do.”

“Well, I have a dossier on her,” said Felix with a smirk. “I had her thoroughly investigated once she showed personality flaws which made me uncomfortable. I can have it sent to you tomorrow.”

Andrés interest was piqued. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you. I would appreciate the highlights if you don’t mind.”

“Let me see… Well, the most telling highlight is she is not Piper Marshall. Her name is Caroline Ford, and she is not connected to the Kentucky Marshalls whatsoever. She’s from Wyoming and had no horse training experience when she arrived in South America after running away from home. The bottom line is that she’s an imposter and has spent years lying to friends, employers, and even lovers, for all I know. I treated her with respect and paid her generously, and she lied about who she was every day.”

Andrés shook his head. “Unbelievable. I don’t know what to say!”

A man Andrés didn’t know approached and rudely planted himself between them. “Felix, there you are! I’ve been looking for you to offer my congratulations.”

“Benedict, my dear friend, I’m so happy you’re here. Let’s get you a glass of champagne.” Felix turned to Andrés. “Are we done here? I believe you can now see how Piper can’t be trusted.”

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