by Leigh James
And I planned to make sure Clive Warren answered to a justice slightly more vengeful than the appropriate authorities.
I looked at Leo. “Can you reverse hack him? The person who did this?”
He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his T-shirt, a small smile on his lips. “I will never say yes to that question. But in this particular instance, I won’t say no either.”
I left the office that night at ten. I realized, as I punched in the security code, that it was Sunday. I briefly checked my phone as I headed to my car. There were two texts from Gabe and one from Clive.
With shaking hands, I opened Clive’s first.
I hope you had a lovely rest of your weekend, it read. If you’d like to talk about my offer further, just let me know. In town all week.
I tried to calm myself with deep breathing, but I really wanted to throw my phone to the ground and stomp on it. But before I did that, I opened the messages from Gabe.
The first one read, Did my favorite female CEO crusader remember to eat lunch today?
My stomach snarled at the mention of lunch. I’d forgotten all about it.
The second one read, Of course not. Since I’m sure you also skipped dinner, I’m bringing Indian food to your house. See you in a few. It was sent at nine thirty.
I rubbed my temples as I got into my car. Gabe was sweet, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer very well.
Of course, I hadn’t said no to him yet.
His Spyder was parked in my driveway when I pulled in. He hopped out and greeted me. “I hope this is okay. I’d just act as a delivery person and leave you to it, but I don’t believe that you’ll actually eat.”
I managed a smile. “Come in, but let’s be quick. I just got a text from Clive, and I have a pounding headache.”
Gabe glowered at the mention of Clive, but he dutifully grabbed the boxes and bags of food he’d brought. Indian food was my weakness. Had I told him that? I could smell it, even though we were outside.
“I knew this was your favorite,” he said, as if he were reading my mind.
My hackles rose. “How did you know that?”
“I called your sister and asked her what you like.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “No espionage. I swear.”
We went in and put the food on the table. Hannah ventured out in her sweats, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. “I like that you’re getting Lauren to eat, even with this sort of stress.” She patted Gabe approvingly on the arm, then turned to me, beaming. Total keeper, she mouthed and pointed at him. I almost died of embarrassment.
“Didn’t you already have dinner?” I asked her, praying she would make herself scarce.
Hannah blithely ignored me. “I’m actually starving,” said my nosy little sister.
I set out plates, and Gabe started passing around the food, which I noticed was all vegetarian. My heart melted a little as I bit into a vegetable samosa.
“When was the last time you had dinner with me at home?” Hannah asked. “Even though it is ten thirty at night?”
My blank stare was the only answer I had.
“I brought some wine, but I figured I’d get into trouble for that,” Gabe said.
“Not with me,” Hannah replied, hustling to get an opener and some glasses. “With all the crazy stuff that’s going on, I seriously need a drink.”
“So do I,” I admitted.
Gabe smiled at me, but then his brow furrowed in concern. “What did douche-face’s message say? I’m guessing not too much, so that it can’t be used against him in a court of law.”
“Exactly.” I took a grateful sip of my wine after Hannah poured it for me. “He said he hoped I had a lovely weekend. Ha-ha. And that if I wanted to talk about his offer some more, he’ll be in town all week.”
“So what’s the plan? What do you want to do? Are you going to the police or the FBI?” A mixture of anger and concern played out on Gabe’s face.
I shook my head. “I already decided not to. Not yet. I want to deal with him myself first.”
“What does that mean?” Hannah asked. Her brow was also creased with worry. “And he texted you tonight? He’s got some balls.”
I looked at them helplessly. “I can’t believe he hacked me.” To my absolute mortification, I felt my eyes fill with tears.
“It’s okay.” Hannah rubbed my hand soothingly. “Just eat some dinner. You’ve barely slept, and you haven’t eaten. You need to give yourself a break before you tackle all this.”
Gabe put his napkin down. “Remember the friend I was texting last night?”
I nodded, trying to remain calm. I didn’t want to break down in front of Gabe. I hardly knew him.
“He’s a cybersecurity expert. He’s local. He can help you. He’s helped me deal with outside threats, and I trust him.”
“I’ve got it covered, but thank you.”
“I also have a personal security team from my brother’s company. I’d love to lend them to you. It’d make me feel better.” He looked at me, his jaw clenched, stubborn as hell.
“You know I have security, Gabe. But I appreciate that you’re trying to be helpful.”
“I think you’re in danger.” His eyes pierced mine. “I have resources that you can use. They’re at your disposal. I know you can handle everything yourself, but don’t be so independent you cut off offers that could increase your safety.”
Hannah patted my hand again. “You should listen to him,” she said. “I know you don’t like to accept help, but if there’s ever been a good time for it, it’s now. I don’t like that Clive’s coming at you so hard.”
I turned back to Gabe. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but why should I trust you? You showed up right when all this trouble started. How do I know that you’re not involved somehow?” I swallowed hard. I wanted to trust him, but I felt completely off balance with everything going on. I always operated under a calm demeanor and a completely informed perspective. I had neither right then, and I worried my judgment was being clouded by his kindness and his…dimple.
His gaze held mine. “You can’t know for sure that I’m not involved—but I promise you, I’m not. You can have me background checked, and you can have my tech guy screened, and all my security screened too, until you’re satisfied.”
“But why are you helping me? What’s in it for you?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I asked you to consider partnering with Dynamica, remember? I have a vested business interest in Paragon’s survival and success. That is, of course, if you say yes to my proposal.”
“What if I say no?”
“Then I still have a personal axe to grind against Clive Warren.” The sparkle in his eyes was back, as was the dimple.
“Why’s that?”
“Because you went to dinner with him first. And I’ll never forgive him for that.”
Chapter 6
Hannah pounced on me as soon as Gabe left. “He’s quite the admirer. What the hell did you do to him, anyway?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Have you even kissed him?”
I shook my head again, too exhausted to object to her prying.
“He’s a believer.” She nodded while she brought the dishes into the kitchen. “A convert.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s a Lauren Taylor acolyte. You do this to people—your employees, your board of directors, your investors. People believe in you with this fervency. I can already tell. You haven’t even kissed this guy yet, and he’d do almost anything for you.”
“He’d do almost anything for Paragon to partner with his company,” I corrected her. “He wants to profit from my technology. It’s business.”
Hannah rolled her eyes at me as she finished cleaning up. “Whatever.”
I stood and stretched. I felt physically and emotionally beat up. “It’s not whatever. It’s that I can’t trust him.”
She came back around the corner, her hands on her hips. “Why n
ot?”
“Because he showed up right when all this started. And he wants something from me. I can’t rely on him for any sort of protection…or anything else, for that matter. I have to do it myself.”
“You always do it yourself, and you don’t trust anyone. Not ever.”
I shook my head, irritated. “That’s not true.”
She stepped toward me. “Yes, it is. You started this company six years ago and wrapped yourself up in it. It’s been your whole life since Mom and Dad died. Gabe is the first guy you’ve been out on a date with, Lauren. Ever. You’re twenty-five, for Christ’s sake. Do you understand that’s not normal?”
“I’m not normal.” She was striking a nerve in me, but it was a nerve worth protecting. “I wasn’t put on this earth to go on dates and go to wine tastings. I was put here for a reason. A purpose. Don’t you understand that I believe in that? That belief is the only thing that’s gotten me through.”
The truth of my statement suddenly weighed on me. The exhaustion was winning, as were my fears about whatever Clive was up to. Tears streamed down my face.
Hannah looked at me, her eyes wide. I never cried. Not even after our parents died. She wrapped me in a tight hug, rocking me back and forth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I hugged her back. “It’s not you.” She was the one constant in my life, and I loved her more than anyone. “It’s the fact that Paragon’s been made vulnerable. I can’t stand it. I won’t tolerate it.” I pulled back and wiped my face. Rage still coursed through me, all mixed up with the crying and the exhaustion.
Hannah brushed the hair back from my face. “You need to go to bed. But think about it—Gabe’s offer. If you’re stronger with him next to you, this might be the right time to take a chance.”
“I don’t take chances.” I smiled at her ruefully, making fun of myself.
She smiled back. “Then take a calculated risk. Seriously, just think about it.”
I did think about it, the entire next day. I made a mental list of the pros and cons of partnering with Dynamica and also of accepting Gabe’s offer of increased technology help and personal security. I thought about it as I prepared for the board of directors meeting I’d called. They needed to know about the successful trial we’d run on the prototype, which seemed as if it had taken place a million years ago.
I also needed to present them with Gabe’s distribution offer. I wouldn’t tell them everything, however—I’d decided to keep the security breach to myself, at least for the time being. This directly violated my duty to disclose, and I knew it. But I needed to handle the situation before it got any more out of control. The small circle of people who knew about the breach included me, Hannah, Gabe, my tech team, and my security personnel.
And Clive. Clive knew. There was nothing I could do about that. Not yet.
I didn’t want anyone else to know what had happened. Clive had been on our board, and he could still have friends there. On top of that, I had meetings scheduled with our investors next week. Bad news and paranoia could compromise my plans to bring the patch to market, which could compromise my company, which would ruin everything.
I wasn’t about to let that happen—my fiduciary duty to disclose the breach be damned.
As I’d told Hannah yesterday, I trusted no one but myself.
I presented the trial results to the board. They were ecstatic, as expected. I explained that I would be presenting my findings to the FDA, to continue our pre-market approval process, and that I would continue clinical trials to amass a strong foundation of successful tests. Finally, I’d meet with our investors to ask for additional funds to bring the technology to market. I had the board’s enthusiastic support.
I outlined the terms of Gabe’s offer to them. They believed it was a great international partnership opportunity. They voted to approve it once our legal team vetted and approved Dynamica’s offer and financials. I agreed that it was an opportunity for Paragon to reach a global market much more quickly than we could on our own.
The vote to partner with Dynamica was unanimous.
Gabe would be thrilled, but he didn’t know I planned to keep the relationship strictly business. I felt something for him, but I didn’t have room in my life for any more excitement.
What I had planned for Clive Warren would provide enough excitement to last me a lifetime.
I called Gabe to tell him about the board’s decision.
“That’s great news, Lauren,” he said.
I could hear the smile in his voice. I could picture his dimple. I tightly scrunched my eyes closed as if that could make the mental image disappear.
“Would you like to get dinner to celebrate?” he asked.
I felt a yearning to see him. It was real, and it almost hurt, like an ache. I pushed it aside viciously, steeling myself against him. “I can’t. I have to work late.”
“I have to work late too,” Gabe said.
“Sorry. Tonight’s not good. But I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Lauren, don’t hang up yet. What about the other items we discussed?”
I knew he meant his technology guy and his offer for additional security. He was being careful choosing his words because he was probably just as paranoid as me, which made me feel even more of a yearning for him. “I’m still thinking about it. I’ll let you know. Okay?”
“Okay.” But he didn’t sound as if it were really okay with him.
“And the other stuff we’ve been discussing…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t want to mention Clive by name.
“Yes?”
“That’s between you and me, okay? Let’s keep the circle small.”
“That at least sounds like a good idea. Not having dinner with me sounds like a tragic mistake.”
“Good—at least to the first part,” I said. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
It sounded as if he started to ask exactly when later was, but I hung up on him, still shutting my eyes tight.
I decided not to work late after all. I felt as though I were hungover or something, and I’d never been hungover in my life. It must have been an emotional hangover…from a week filled with two dates, a very gorgeous billionaire seeming to pursue me, another billionaire trying to break into my company and screw me, and the fact that I’d bald-faced lied to my board.
I planned to go home and put on my pajamas. I might even have a glass of wine and eat leftover Indian food.
You’re going rogue, Lauren. Gabe’s voice was in my head, and I smiled in spite of myself. I was leaving work at six o’clock on a Monday while it was still light outside. Going rogue, indeed.
I headed toward my car when Clive Warren hopped out of his luxury sedan and waved to me from the middle of the parking lot. My heart stopped, then started pounding.
Clive. Fucking. Warren.
“Lauren.” He had the audacity to smile and look as if everything were normal.
I stalked over to him, trying to keep a neutral look on my face. At this time of day, a lot of people were leaving the building, including some members of the board. I couldn’t let on that anything was wrong between Clive and me. I wondered if he somehow knew that.
“What’re you doing here, Clive? Leave something behind?”
His eyes scanned my face, looking for any acknowledgment that I knew what he’d done. Satisfied that he’d found it, he smiled again. “I was hoping that you’d want to reconsider the offer I presented you with the other night. In light of…circumstances.”
“Which circumstances?” I could feel my blood start to run hot.
He pushed his glasses up on his nose, and I had to clench my hands into fists so I didn’t tear them off his fussy little face and stomp them into pieces on the ground.
“You should probably get in the car so we can discuss this privately. I’m sure you don’t want to involve the hired help.” Clive motioned toward my security agent, who was standing at the ready nearby.
“I don’t have time for t
his—” I started.
“Hey, Bob!” Clive cut me off out of the blue, smiling and waving across the parking lot to one of our board members, making sure he was seen with me.
“You have one minute,” I said through gritted teeth, waving at Bob also, trying to appear normal. I stalked around to the passenger side of Clive’s car before he could cause more of a scene. Once inside, I immediately texted Timmy and my driver. One minute. Am okay.
I turned to Clive as he settled behind the wheel. “So, you were waiting in my parking lot for me to come out? That’s not very professional. Not that I’m surprised in the least by that.”
“I was going to call you from here and insist that you have dinner with me since we didn’t get to finish the other night. I didn’t expect you to be leaving this early, actually.” He looked relaxed and happy, which for some reason made me feel as though I wanted to throw up.
“I don’t want to grab dinner. I have plans.” To wear my pajamas, print out pictures of you from the Internet, and burn them while I curse you. My ambitions for the evening were evolving. “You have exactly one minute before my security guard comes over. Tell me what you want.”
“I want to buy a majority stake of Paragon,” Clive said, completely deadpan.
That was so ridiculous, I actually laughed.
“I’m serious. I have your technology now. I have everything.” He licked his lips, and it made my stomach lurch. “I designed my new deliverable system with Paragon in mind. I’d been planning on working with you since I left the board. It was all I could think about in China while I was building my system.”
“Your system has flaws.”
“I know. That’s why I need your technology. I can test it with your prototype and figure out what I need to do to make it finally work. I have all sorts of plans, Lauren.”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from either screaming at him or beating him in the face. Both would feel really good, but neither would help me at the moment. “I won’t sell you my company. And I’m not going to partner with you either. It’s not my job to help you fix your technology’s flaws in order for you to profit from my years of hard work.”