“He was surprisingly upset that Jim’s team has done so much work and the FBI has done nothing.”
“No kidding! Who can blame him? The FBI looked like idiots last night, and so did he.”
I smile. “It makes me feel better that he apologized. He told me he’s reported the gaffe to the head of the San Francisco FBI office and to the DOJ.”
“As he should. You’re a huge employer in this town, and it’s important that people recognize that. It’s also important to note that you don’t just do high-end jobs; you provide blue-collar work, and you provide white collar work. Plus, you pay well and offer great benefits to everyone who works for you. You’ve had the opportunity to take your manufacturing offshore. You could’ve done this a lot cheaper, but you don’t. There’s a reason you’re consistently listed as one of the best places to work. You do a lot for San Francisco, and you also put money back into the area through the nonprofit work your company does. You’re important to this community.”
“But we won’t be if we go under.” I choke back the tears.
“Stop talking that way. This is going to turn around. It’s going to be rough for a while, I get it, but you’re going to survive this. I know you, CeCe. This is not going to stop you.”
A tear falls, and I quickly wipe it away, knowing she’s right. I’m just grateful to hear it from her. “Thank you.”
“Hey, sister, I’ve got your back—always.”
“I really needed to hear that today. Thanks again.”
She artfully changes the subject; otherwise, she knows I’ll be a giant puddle. “What does he want to talk to you about?”
“If you can believe this, he wants to talk about a plan to flush out the person who’s behind the sabotage.”
“Who do you think it could be?”
“It can’t be any of the people they’ve narrowed it down to. Look at Evelyn. There’s no way. She’s worked her way up through the company. She’s been with me for over ten years. She’s had the job for the last four years. I find it incredibly difficult to believe she would do anything to sabotage the company when a major part of her compensation is based on profit-sharing. Besides, she lives and breathes Metro Composition.”
“Okay, I can’t disagree with that logic. What about Christy?”
“Christy? There’s no way it could be her. Christy worked for my mother and has been with us for years. She knows where all of the bodies are buried. She knows all the drama that came when Trey and I inherited our trusts, all of my account numbers, my dating history, how to get rid of all of the creepy guys that come out of the woodwork each time I’m in the tabloids. There’s no way it could be her. If anyone’s going to take a bullet for me, she’s jumping in first and pushing the rest of you out of the way.”
“You’re funny, but I don’t disagree with that.”
“And I would say the same for Evelyn’s admin, Scarlet. She’d take a bullet not only for me but also for Evelyn. She’s amazing, and if anything ever happened to Christy, she’s who I would talk into moving over, but only if Evelyn would let her. She’s very protective of her.”
“You really are funny now if you think Evelyn would ever let her come work for you.”
“I know. I’d be stuck. Then there’s Jordan, the project manager. I don’t believe Jordan would ever do anything to hurt herself in such a large way. If she were ever caught, it would preclude her from taking a job at any of the big fashion houses. This was a big step for her. When she’s done with launching a full line like this, she could walk into L’Oréal, Maybelline, or Estée Lauder and get a huge six-figure salary. No way I buy that she would jeopardize her future like this.”
“Again, I agree. So, what about Becca?
“I find it hard to believe she would do this either. She’s not enjoying anything going on with this mess. She doesn’t like crisis management, said it’s too ‘reactionary.’ She wants to create something, not look like a hero. She’s hating life right now. She’s grateful to have Accurate Communications managing some of this, but for the most part, the day-to-day falls back on her. Trust me when I say she would much, much, much prefer to be working on new lines, Fashion Week, and things that are fun and exciting. I’m more worried about her leaving the company for something less stressful.”
“Okay, so you know the only other person that’s been involved from this since the beginning is you.”
“I know, and it’s a given it’s not me. You know better than anyone that my mother drives me crazy, and there are plenty of times I consider selling it all back to her and walking away, but I really do love this business and what I do. It’s a great reason to get up every morning.”
“And you’re good at this. So where does that leave you?”
“I don’t know. And that’s the scariest part of this whole thing. To have somebody behind this and we don’t know who is what keeps me up at night.”
“Well, hopefully you and Walker come up with something that will help you find your problem child.”
I hear Liam crying in the background. “You go take care of that sweet little boy. Let’s get together for lunch later this week.”
“Love it, and I’ll leave him with somebody. Joining you for a grown-up lunch is my perfect excuse to take a shower and become presentable.”
Baywater Café is not the typical see-and-be-seen restaurant. It’s high end and more for the discreet luncher. The traffic is tight, but I make it on time and am the first to arrive.
“Miss Arnault, may I show you to the room where you’ll be joining Mr. Clifton?”
“Thank you.”
I follow him to the back room. It’s a little-known secret that this room exists. Rumor has it, it was originally designed for a man and his mistress to meet discreetly, but it’s since become the place for private business meals. It overlooks the Bay Bridge and the water. I bet they get plenty of activity on baseball game days since the Giants play really close.
I stand at the window and watch the traffic on the bridge. So many people going in so many different directions, each with their own challenges. Maybe running away to a deserted island in the Pacific would be perfect. A cute cabana boy to entertain me—although I’m sure Mason has wrecked me for all men. We haven’t been “together” long, but I sure do miss him in my bed when he isn’t there. My trip to New York proved that, and he’s said it was the same for him.
I feel the door open, releasing the pressure in the room. Walker strides over with his arms wide. “Caroline!”
I walk into his arms and give him a nice gentle hug, making sure it’s more professional than personal. “Walker, thank you for inviting me to lunch.”
“Sit down.” He waves to the table set for two beside him. At least it’s not a romantic setting, more business related.
As soon as we take our seats, a waiter appears. “Would you like some wine with your lunch?”
“No, thank you. Just unsweetened iced tea for me, please.”
“I’ll have the same,” Walker tells the waiter, and he leaves as quietly as he appeared.
“You look positively radiant today, Caroline,” Walker says. “No one would think you were dealing with what you’re going through. You’re certainly cool under pressure.”
“Don’t be fooled, it’s definitely an act.”
He chuckles. “I’d never guess. So, tell me how things are going right now. Give me a real understanding of what’s going on and bring me up to date. I got the overview from the FBI team on Friday, but somehow I have a feeling that, given our meeting last night, they may have left a few things out.”
“Sure. That’s not a problem.” I walk him through everything following the last lunch we had.
“Holy shit! That’s huge. So not only did someone steal your line, but now they’re plastering the internet with fake photos of animal testing? Why does anybody test on animals anymore? Knowing you’ve spent close to a quarter of a million dollars fighting this with a crisis management team is astounding.”
&n
bsp; “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. The money just sits in bank accounts. I’m just grateful I have it to spend.”
“What are your next steps?” Walker asks.
“We’ve determined that we’re going to lose out on our fall season, and I’ve already lost my three contracts for Fashion Week. I have one remaining, but it’s most likely to be lost.”
“Who’s it with?”
“Art Peck over at Gap.”
“I know Art pretty well. I’m happy to reach out to him if you think that would help.”
“Right now we’re just waiting, but I reserve the right to take you up on that.”
“Whatever you need. This all sounds pretty devastating,” Walker sympathizes.
I nod in agreement. I don’t want to tell him too much, because chances are it’ll make it to the newspaper and local gossip sites, but I’m okay with sharing how much this has affected us and my determination to not let it sink me. “When I look at my P&L statements, I can assure you it is beyond devastating.” I know we’re alone, but for dramatic effect, I say in a very low breath, “Walker, the negative numbers on the P&L over this are astounding. Most people would shut their doors over this, but I’m not most people. I am personally going to pull out of my personal accounts to make sure every one of my employees keeps their jobs, can pay their bills, and keep their commitments. I won’t lay people off, and I’m determined not to let this monster win.”
He sits back hard in his chair. “Wow! That’s pretty impressive. You’re right, most people would just shut down, throw their hands up, and walk away.”
“Yes, most people would, but I’m not most people, and they’ve pissed me off.”
“Good. Now let’s talk about our plan to catch them. I’ve spoken with the heads of Cybercrimes and White-Collar, and we have an idea for you to consider.”
“Okay. Lay it on me.” I sit back and drink my iced tea, prepared to listen carefully to their idea.
“We think that if you make movements as if you’re going to launch the line you worked on, we might be able to ferret out the person behind this.”
“I only worry that it’ll bring the animal rights activists out.”
“It would only bring them out if you really were going to do this. If your team is as innocent as they say, then this will go nowhere.”
I raise a brow. “Fair point. How are you suggesting I move forward?”
“We think the first step is to meet with each person individually and tell each one something slightly different. With one, you’re launching the line as is with new slightly different colors. With another, you’re changing the names of your colors. With another, you’re going to launch with different packaging and the same names. With another, it’s different packaging and different names. And with the last, you’re just launching as is, believing your fans will disregard the fakes.”
“A lot of these things tend to be decided by a group of people—different groups of people for each step.”
“We understand that, but after what you’ve told me, if you position it as though you need to make sure you’re saving your company and the impending losses, and you’re making an executive decision, then it should work.”
I sit and think about it. It’s a little out of character for me to make a unilateral decision, but I can see how it could possibly work. “Do you think that’s enough for you to figure it out?”
“Possibly. We’d also put tracking software on each person’s cell phone, plus their home and personal computers. When I talked to Jim, he said based on their sweep of the office computers, no one had done it from a computer in-house.”
“That’s another reason I’m convinced that it’s not coming from in-house.” I sit back, and the thought occurs to me. “You know, Tim Carpenter at Cosmetics, Inc., has been making noise to buy Metro for some years. I’ve always resisted the big conglomerate, figuring we’re more agile to buck trends and therefore create them, but also, I don’t want to work for anyone. I like being in control of my own destiny.”
“We’ll add him to our list and check him out. I can’t imagine that if someone wanted to buy you that they’d sabotage your business.”
“I know. But it is a way to get a bargain.”
“It’s something we should at least rule out.”
“Thank you. Back to my team. What would be the next step?”
“Cybercrimes has the ability to create emails that look like they’re going to others when they aren’t. We’ll work through a series of emails that the team will be cc’d on, then watch where they get forwarded and how, which will give us more information. If we don’t find anything, you can tell everyone that you’ve changed your mind without telling them what you’re doing.”
“That might work.” I don’t want to commit to anything quite yet.
The waiter comes up and places a small salad in front of us. “I didn’t want to interrupt, but today the chef is serving a light Caesar salad, the main course is our cioppino, and dessert is a simple lemon meringue cookie.” I’m shocked since we didn’t order and look up at Walker. He shrugs.
“When you reserve the single dining room, you get the chef’s special. Is it okay?”
“It’s perfect. I love everything they’re serving, and I particularly love cioppino.” I laugh. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t have much breakfast.”
We go back and forth over the proposed idea, discussing the possibility of my doing this. Walker is definitely a politician, and he eventually sells me on it. He’s still convinced that it’s a member of my team, but I don’t think so. The fire oozes up in my belly, and I want to prove to him and the rest of the team that not one of the five is guilty. I trust them all completely, and none of them would betray me.
“Caroline, I know you think we’re wrong. I want to be proven wrong. Tim Carpenter at the cosmetics company is an option, but if nothing else, we’re ruling them out.”
“Thanks, Walker. I’ll do it.”
When lunch is over, I’ve decided I like Walker. He may be a consummate politician, but he really does want the city I love to prosper and do well.
He gives me a warm embrace. “I’ll have someone contact you on your cell about how you’re going to get started.”
I nod. “We’ll talk soon.”
As I drive home, I think about what lying to my team to prove they aren’t involved is going to do to the culture of my company. In the end, I feel like this is my best chance of figuring out what’s happened so I can keep my company alive.
Chapter thirteen
Mason
My meeting with Cameron is wrapping up. “When are you leaving for New York?” he asks.
“I take the red-eye out tonight.”
“Are you flying commercially?”
“No, I have a NetJet along with Jim’s man who’s going with me.”
“Any word on Annabelle?”
“Not really,” I reply. “I’m hoping we can track her. Right now, I’m concentrating on Titan Software going public.”
“I think we’re all excited. My understanding is that Adam and Eve have been quiet.”
“Yes, but they’ve prepared us for something big. I assume you’ll be at the development site tomorrow, watching the typical happenings and making sure we don’t have another SketchIt or Pineapple Technologies. Cora Perry and her team will be on site throughout the day, too.”
“We’re bringing all the big guns out on this one.”
“Good. With their threat of something big, I want everyone to be on the lookout.”
“Agreed. What are we going to do once we catch Adam and Eve?”
“After we celebrate and go through the long ordeal of a trial, we’ll probably be retired.”
Cameron snorts. “I hope that isn’t the case, but I know the road is long and winding.” He stands and heads toward my door. “Have a good night. Fly safe, and we’ll look for you when the bell rings in the morning and celebrate the start of Titan Software going public. And don�
��t do anything stupid while you’re gone. Believe it or not, we do prefer having you here.”
SHN always spends a half day celebrating a company going public. The stock market closes at two o’clock on the West Coast, so we usually have the television on all morning and watch the early stock price changes. Dillon typically arrives by six to watch the opening bell ring, which is why I go. Typically the launch team of that client joins him, but it depends if they’re close to a second launch. Most go about their day as usual. Dillon has typically determined that we’ll sell a small portion of our stock when it reaches a particular price. This allows us to get the money we’ve invested back out. Once the final bell rings, the entire team will stop to celebrate with champagne and drinks. Titan Software will be a good win for us. It’ll be strong, not something that will swing the market one way or the other, but we’ll make good money.
Gathering up my things so I can get to the airport, I pick up my phone and get a glance at a candid photo I took of CeCe. I’ve never done that before. In the picture, she has a cup of coffee in her hands and is looking away. The lighting is soft, and she looks angelic. I actually took the picture about a year ago on accident and never erased it. She’s so beautiful. I stare at it wistfully and wish I could get her to come with me to New York, but I just don’t feel it’s safe.
My phone rings, the caller ID showing it’s Jim.
“Hey, Mason. You got a minute?” he asks when I answer.
“Sure. We’re ready for Titan to go public tomorrow.”
“You have Jack Reece going with you, correct?”
“Yes. We spoke this morning, and he’s all set. We’re flying out tonight on a red-eye private plane heading for JFK.”
“Nothing like cutting it pretty close.” Jim snickers.
“I can’t really say this where it doesn’t sound too contrite, but I’m getting used to this. It isn’t worth going in early. The jetlag won’t let me sleep much the night before anyway. Plus, it’s just the easiest way to approach this. There’s so much going on since I’ve been back that I constantly feel like I’m playing catch-up.”
Fascination: (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #9): A Friends to Lovers Romance Page 13