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"Oh—oh!" Jeremy smacks the table. "I know just the one!"
I arch a brow. "You do?"
"Yeah. At the Vegas conference, I met this guy—kind of an intimidating fellow, if you ask me, but I digress. Guess he works with security systems, has some side projects he wouldn't answer literally any questions about. Just vague answers. Probably works as some military contractor, I bet, his tongue tied by some insanely high security clearances..."
My eyes bulge. Get to the point!
"Sorry, sorry! Anyway. He's from New York and told me his wife's a lawyer on Silicon Avenue. Her name is Lauren Astor."
I stew on it... "Nope. Doesn't ring any bells."
"Worth a shot. I've heard the name once or twice. Pretty sure she's a data privacy lawyer."
"Hmph. Well, she sounds exactly like what we need, but how are we gonna afford that?"
His lips flatten, so thin I can't help but laugh. "Your new boyfriend is a billionaire. I think you can manage."
"Technically, he's not my—"Oh, please, who am I trying to convince? "Warren controls Hayden's entire trust. You really think he'd allow that money to go toward his opposition?"
"Shit, I didn't think of that..." He scratches his head. "Well, I'll still reach out. Maybe we can work something out, I don't know..."
My heart sinks, running low on faith. And my mind... it's running low on options.
Reaching across the table, Mom's hand finds mine, and I worry I feel too little of its warmth. "We'll come up with something."
FORTY-THREE
HAYDEN
My plan is simple.
Barge into my father's office, demand he publicly confess to stealing Juliana's game, or else I'll ensure his piss-poor work logs become the business of the entire office.
He can scream and shout all he likes, threaten my trust fund—hell, he can make the call to his bank and pull the plug right in front of me. I don't care. I may have let his actions slide while Juliana enjoyed some mental rest days, but I'm not standing by and watching her suffer for one more second at the expense of the piece of shit who calls himself my father.
Warren is a plague, whose time has come to rot.
I bank a left, choosing a different route to his office than last time to avoid Doris, who would gladly rip me a new one for ditching work for a week straight. Surprisingly, HR tried calling several times and left stern voicemails about me playing hooky, despite the scene I made in my father's office. Maybe Doris tipped them off, demanding my return, only so she can throw scut work on my desk. If only she knew the truth. Perhaps she will, maybe even in a few short hours.
Breaking through the maze of cubicles, I behold the wall of glass, housing executives and other higher ups, all clacking away on their keyboards like last time. Except... I squint, heaving a sigh. What a shock. My father's not in his office.
Wearing a frown, I retrace my steps and come out the opposite end of the maze, only to meander down another hallway, en route to the elevators.
Dammit, dammit...
I planned to confront him at work, where he can see firsthand what's at stake for him, witness all who would stare him right in the face through his office windows, if he foolishly decides not to comply. Given his absence, I'll settle with plan B—knocking on his front door. It'll have to do. I'm not waiting any long—
I skid to a halt as a soft sound floats into my ear, so faint I nearly miss it. I listen intently, realizing it's a woman. She seems sad... really sad. Cupping an ear, I creep toward the whimpering noise until I find myself outside the breakroom, its door cracked, just barely enough for me to peer inside. Listening to that heartbreaking sound, uneasiness churns in me, enough that I dare a peek.
Only to immediately regret that I had.
"Please... you won..." Juliana sobs into her hands.
Across from her, my father sneers in satisfaction.
"Please... I'll do anything..."
My heart tears in two, eyes filling with tears, but my feet... they're encased in fortified cement as I stare out to sea, gripped by the sight of a tsunami barreling to shore.
