“I overheard Phillip discussing it a few weeks later. Hermes was mentioned as the most likely culprit due to the painting’s less-than-legal purchase conditions.” Archer grimaced. “You know what old Percy D’Ath was like. The more illegal, the better for that old bastard.”

  Understanding had me nodding. Archer’s great-grandfather had been deep into illegal activities. So it was no shock he had a stolen Monet painting in his house.

  “Well,” Monica continued, still speaking to me directly. I liked that about her. She didn’t talk to Archer first, like so many other people did. Simply because he oozed big dick energy didn’t mean he was in charge. “Once I put two and two together, I could see Hermes's fingerprints all over this, which is why I wanted you to come here in person. The diamond has been located because a young woman tried to return it to us yesterday afternoon.”

  My lips parted in shock. “She... tried to return it? That seems...”

  “Very strange?” Monica finished with a laugh when I trailed off. “I agree. But nonetheless, she did. She claims that when she came home from work there was a gift-wrapped box on her kitchen counter. Inside... the Wittenberg Diamond. She immediately packed her kids into the car and drove here to return it.”

  Holy shit. “She brought her kids?” I don’t know why that mattered. It just did.

  Monica smiled. “Yes. I put them up in one of our corporate apartments for the night because your flight was still hours away from landing and her children are young. But I felt quite strongly that you would want to meet her yourself, once you understood her story.”

  I felt like fucking Alice tumbling down a rabbit hole. “Don’t keep me in suspense, Monica.” I said it jokingly, but there was an edge of concern in my tone that Steele must have heard. His hand found my knee and gave me a squeeze of reassurance.

  “Amahle Dlamini is her name. She comes from Refilwe, which was originally a miners’ village. Her family originally owned the land that the Brilliance mine now sits on. Your grandfather, as a very young man, purchased the land from Amahle’s great-grandparents. But when he struck the deal, he had no money of his own to buy it with. So he came to an agreement—signed contracts and everything—with Amahle’s great-grandfather to essentially rent the land for a period of time. Then twelve months later, it was formally purchased with payment in the form of several diamonds found in the new mine.” She gave me a pointed look, and a heavy sigh escaped my chest.

  “Fuck,” I whispered.

  Monica gave a small nod. “My thoughts exactly.”

  “I’m lost,” Kody admitted. “What does that have to do with the Wittenberg Diamond being stol—“ He cut himself off as understanding dawned. “Oh.”

  “Idiot,” Archer muttered, and Kody flipped him off.

  “How did the diamond end up back in Wittenberg’s metaphorical crown if it was used to purchase the land?” I asked, desperate to hear the rest of the story. The growing dread in my belly said I already knew the answer, though. Fucking hell.

  Monica cleared her throat and sipped her coffee. “Amahle’s great-grandfather had a drinking problem. Unfortunately, he also had a bragging problem and told a few too many people about the diamonds Abel had paid him with. So when his house was broken into and the diamonds stolen”—she shrugged and shook her head—“no one was surprised. It was assumed that someone he ran his mouth to under the influence had just seen an easy mark and acted on it. Now, though... it seems a little more sinister.”

  Steele gave my knee a reassuring squeeze, and I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I had a headache building, that was for fucking sure.

  “Okay.” I drew a deep breath, then exhaled heavily. “So Abel paid for the land with diamonds, one of which we are assuming was one enormous pink diamond, which then went missing... and somehow that one turned up back in the Brilliance vault as the Wittenberg Diamond? Are we sure they’re one and the same? Could there have been two?”

  “Nothing is impossible,” Monica replied with a shrug. “The one given to Ms. Dlamini’s family was uncut and unpolished. There’s no real way to know for sure, given that everyone involved in those deals are now dead. The only part that makes me believe her is Hermes's involvement.”

  I frowned. “That’s proof? He—or she—is a thief. How would they know the truth?”

  “Not proof,” Archer rumbled, “but as close to. The coincidences seem suspicious enough even without Hermes's involvement. What are the odds of two pink diamonds of over one hundred carats being found in the same mine within a short time period? Especially when one goes missing...” He quirked a brow at me. “Sounds a whole lot like old Abel decided to retrieve it and set it all up to look like a common robbery.”

  “I had one of the security teams do some digging through the archives last night,” Monica added. “The diamond given to the Dlamini family was estimated at one hundred and thirty carats. The earliest record of the Wittenberg Diamond was six months after Mr. Dlamini reported his as being stolen. The raw weight was never recorded; the first documentation was after cutting and polishing.”

  Kody gave a low whistle, shaking his head. “Abel was a dirty cheat, huh?”

  “Sure seems that way,” I agreed softly. I bit my lower lip, thinking. “So what do we do? Is there any way of knowing the truth?”

  My CEO gave a small headshake. “Technically, Ms. Dlamini has no legal claim over the diamond. There’s no concrete evidence that it’s the stone stolen from her family.”

  “But we know better,” I whispered, and Monica nodded.

  “It’s your call, Madison Kate. This is your family’s company, and ultimately, the diamond belongs to you. Ms. Dlamini isn’t trying to keep it, either. She came here to return it, terrified she would be charged with the theft.”

  Archer leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “How’d she know where to bring it?”

  Steele scoffed. “Wouldn’t be a hard guess, bro. Huge-ass diamond shows up, you’re probably going to take it to the one and only diamond mine in the area.”

  “Fair point,” Archer agreed.

  I frowned. “So, you’re saying we can take the diamond back and be done with it all,” I said, wanting to be clear on the options Monica was suggesting. “Or we can rectify the sins of my forefathers and return the diamond to Ms. Dlamini.”

  No one responded to that, and the silence was thick enough to touch.

  “Fucking hell,” I murmured.

  “Would you like to meet her before making that decision?” Monica offered.

  I nodded quickly. “I think so, yes.”

  Archer’s brows shot up, like he disagreed, but Monica was focused on me and probably didn’t see him.

  “I thought you might. Wait here; I had her come in this morning.” My CEO gracefully unfolded from her chair and left the room.

  When the door closed behind her, my guys all turned to me with varying looks of concern etched across their features.

  “This feels like a setup,” Archer growled.

  I rolled my eyes. “How? You think she’s going to come back with a grenade launcher or some shit? Not everything is a death threat, Sunshine.

  He scowled back at me. “You sure about that, Princess?”

  “Sure enough,” I snapped. “Monica isn’t setting me up. I trust her. She wouldn’t be running my damn company if I didn’t.”

  “Okay, what about this woman who found the diamond,” Steele redirected. “She could be a con artist. She could be Hermes, for all we know.”

  Kody snorted a laugh. “That seems improbable. Hermes took the diamond and was free and clear with no trace. Why come back at all? Nah, that’s stupid. This chick could have said nothing and kept it, but she didn’t.”

  “I agree.” I nodded firmly. “She had zero obligation to return it, but she didn’t even hesitate to do the right thing. Why are we?”

  None of them had a response to that, and silence reigned for a moment.

  “Unless that was what she wanted you to think,” Archer muttered eventually. “It’d be hard to sell a stolen diamond of that size without attracting attention.”

  I sighed heavily, glaring back at him. “It would. But if someone were skilled enough to break into the Brilliance vault, don’t you think they’d already have the contacts necessary to make that sale? There would be absolutely no need to come back here and offer to hand it back on the off chance that you were allowed to keep it. That’s moronic, Sunshine.”

  “I’m with MK on this,” Kody announced. “Besides, from what you just said about Hermes, their whole gig is returning stolen items to their rightful owners. Which, by that logic, clears this woman of suspicion.”

  “I’m sure Hermes does plenty of theft for personal gain too,” Steele commented, thoughtful, “but I’m inclined to agree on this one. But are you seriously thinking about just giving away the Wittenberg Diamond?” He gave me a look like I’d grown a tail.

  I tipped my head to the side, meeting his eyes. “No.” He let out a heavy breath, and I amended my statement. “I can’t give away something that was never supposed to be mine in the first place. And it sure as shit sounds like the Wittenberg Diamond was never mine. So, no... I’m thinking about returning stolen property.”

  Steele’s brows went high, but he gave a slow nod. It was only natural, I guess, to question someone’s sanity when they were so casual about giving up such a valuable jewel. But to put it bluntly, I didn’t need the money. My company didn’t need the money. But good karma? Well... that was something we could all use a little more of.

  The door opened then, cutting off any further conversation, and Monica entered with a young woman following behind. She looked younger than me and was heavily pregnant. A toddler sat on her hip, cuddling into her side, and another child held onto her brightly patterned skirt as they entered the boardroom.

  Monica invited them to sit down, and the woman gave her a grateful smile as she arranged herself with the toddler still balanced on her lap. The older child climbed up into the seat beside her and peered across at Kody with huge eyes.

  “Amahle this is Madison Kate Wittenberg.” Monica introduced us in a warm, calming tone. “She only recently inherited the company.” The implication behind that statement suggested Monica was telling Amahle that, although I shared Abel’s surname, I wasn’t him.

  “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” the woman greeted me with a nervous smile. “I understand you traveled a long way; I hope the flight was pleasant.”

  I smiled back at her. “It was, thank you.” Unable to ignore the way the toddler stared at me, I shifted my attention to the small person. “Hello.”

  The little girl flashed a smile, then buried her face in her mother’s dress. Amahle chuckled and rubbed the toddler’s back. “This is Retha,” she told me, “and Esmarie.” She indicated to the older girl, who was now making faces at Kody. A quick glance told me he was making them back at her. Fucking Kody was so good with kids.

  “Monica told me that you found the Wittenberg Diamond in your home yesterday?” I started, keeping my voice and my expression as friendly and nonthreatening as possible. I could see the lines of tension around her eyes, and her hand trembled slightly as she patted Retha’s back. She was scared.

  Amahle gave a jerking nod. “Yes, ma’am. When I saw what it was, I knew it had come from here.”

  “Why didn’t you call the police?” Archer asked, his voice a low rumble that caused Amahle’s eyes to widen.

  Still, she held firm and tilted her chin up. “Because the police are not all good men, and there was a high chance the diamond would never be returned to you. I acted on instinct and came straight here. I didn’t even tell anyone where I was going.”

  I hated that so much of law enforcement all around the world was blackened with corruption. But it didn’t surprise me, considering my own uncle had been a member of the Shadow Grove Police Department while he’d stalked my mother and then me.

  “You live alone?” I asked, simply out of curiosity.

  Amahle’s attention shifted back to me, and she nodded. “Yes, my husband, unfortunately, passed four months ago. I have no siblings, and my parents died years ago. I’m the last of my family, and the only one who knew of the deal between my great-grandfather and Abel Wittenberg.”

  My chest tightened with sympathy for her. She was all alone and seemed to be expecting a new baby any day. Fucking hell, life was unfair sometimes.

  “How did he die?” Steele asked quietly. “If, sorry, if that’s not rude to ask.”

  Amahle gave him a weak smile, offering none of the defensiveness she’d shown Archer. Steele had that effect on people, despite the piercings and tattoos. “Not rude,” she replied. “It was cancer. We knew it was coming and did what we could to prepare for it.”

  From the head of the table, Monica cleared her throat softly, then placed a black box on the table. Without a word, she opened the hinged lid and revealed the enormous pink diamond nestled within.

  “Shit, that’s pretty,” Kody murmured.

  “That’s a bad word,” little Esmarie informed him with a superior expression.

  Kody flushed and wrinkled his nose. “You’re absolutely right. I apologize.” He shot a regretful look at Amahle, but she just smiled and reached out to pat her older daughter’s hair.

  “As pretty as it is,” she told us, “I have no use for a stolen diamond. I think, respectfully ma’am, you might want to improve your security in the future?”

  She said it kindly, joking, and I returned her smile.

  “I think you’re right,” I agreed.

  “Mama, I’m hungry,” Retha complained, raising her head from Amahle’s dress. “I want cookies.”

  “Hush, hartlam,” her mother murmured, “soon.” She looked over at Monica and me. “Are we... done? I need to get my girls home.”

  Monica looked over at me, brows raised in question. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Amahle to keep the diamond, but her own words echoed in my mind. She had no use for a diamond like this. No one did... really.

  So I gave a nod. “Of course. Thank you, Amahle, so much. It’s rare to find someone with such integrity these days.”

  She just huffed a laugh as she gathered her children up and stood to leave. “Nonsense, Miss. You just spend too much time with rich folks. They’re all a little bit tarnished.” To Monica she dipped her head. “Thank you for the lovely hotel last night and the food. It was quite exciting, wasn’t it, girls?”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Esmarie chirped. “I liked the bubble bath.”

  Monica laughed and murmured that she would see them out. As they left the room, Monica arched a curious look at me over her shoulder but continued out anyway.

  “What made you change your mind, Hellcat?” Steele asked when they were gone.

  I stood up from my chair and reached over to pick up the velvet box containing the Wittenberg Diamond. It really was gorgeous and almost the exact shade of pink that my hair used to be.

  “I didn’t,” I said softly, turning the box from side to side and watching the way the light danced over the stone.

  The door clicked as Monica re-entered, and I glanced up to meet her eyes. “Even without evidence beyond her story, I just feel like it’s the truth. This diamond belongs to Ms. Dlamini and her little girls. But she was right when she said she had no use for it.”

  My CEO tilted her head to the side, questioning.

  I looked back down at the diamond. It was mind-blowing to think so much money could be contained in a pretty pink rock smaller than my fist.

  “Please arrange the value of the Wittenberg Diamond be paid out to Ms. Dlamini. She may not have any use for a diamond, but it’s her property. So I’d like to buy it from her. Then, I think it would be in our best interest to have someone thoroughly investigate the circumstances around Wittenberg’s ownership of the mine. Check the contracts, do all the digging necessary to find out how the fuck that diamond ended up back in our vault. There’s every chance it was stolen by a random thief and sold. Then Abel could have bought it legally on the diamond market. But… if my grandfather stole it, then I want to know. If he did, if he even knew anything about it, then I want you to transfer a percentage of the Brilliance shares to Ms. Dlamini.”

  Monica beamed, her smile lighting up her face. “Absolutely, Ms. Wittenberg. I’ll see it taken care of.”

  Kody sniffed dramatically, dabbing at his eyes with the edge of his T-shirt. “Is someone cutting onions in here?” he asked, blinking rapidly.

  Steele smacked him in the back of the head. “Shut up, dickhead.”

  14

  Steele

  Hellcat ended up spending the next few days in the office with Monica. Seeing as we were all still unwelcome in Shadow Grove—none of us wanted to risk Hades’s wrath—it was the perfect time for MK to get a feel for everything her CEO did on a daily basis.

  Having her so busy with work suited me just fine, though. When we’d mentioned hanging around for a while, Monica had suggested we visit the Wittenberg-owned private game reserve near Kruger—apparently one of the company’s many, many fringe benefits. It played perfectly into my plans, though, and I spent the rest of the week working with Monica’s executive assistant to put everything in place.

  It required a few calls to Bree to get some details right, but in my defense, I didn’t have my mom around to help me out with those decisions.

  All in all, I was pretty pleased with myself when our car pulled up at the game reserve a week later. And a little nervous.

  “Is this really necessary?” MK asked with a laugh as I tied a blindfold over her eyes before we got out of the vehicle.

  “Probably not,” I admitted, “but it’s more fun. You trust me, right?”

  Her lush lips curved in a grin. “With my whole life, Max Steele. But if this turns out to be a sex thing—”

  Archer, pulling our luggage from the trunk, snorted a laugh. “If it’s a sex thing, you’d be into it. Don’t even play, Kate.”

  She chuckled but didn’t deny it. Our girl was such a vixen; it was awesome. I loved how confident she was in her own sexuality, totally unafraid to ask for what she wanted in bed… or anywhere else, for that matter.

 

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