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“That million credit payment,” Fayren said. “It was handled by Jenkins. He left the company almost immediately afterward.”
“Yes,” Stark said, frowning.
“I got in touch with one of our investigators,” Fayren told him. “That payment never went to the hacker. Jenkins redirected it to an account in his mother’s name. And then he left the system.”
Million-dollar credit?
“Gods,” Stark murmured.
“He had Legal send the hacker a cease and desist before he went,” Fayren went on. “I’m guessing he did it to stop her from reaching out again and having the truth come out. From my end, it looks like she sent a letter to inform us of the hole and nothing more. Didn’t ask for payment of any kind. Intergalactic police will take it from here with Jenkins. Is that what you were looking for?”
“Thank you, Fayren, yes,” Stark said.
“Very good,” Fayren said. “We’re already brainstorming how to handle anything like this in the future. Clearly, we need more oversight on these kinds of payments.”
“Clearly,” Stark agreed. “Thanks for getting to the bottom of it.”
He ended the comm.
“You thought I held you hostage for a million credits,” Olivia said softly as the pieces came together for her. “No wonder you were angry.”
“And you thought I was mad at you for taking a payment you never received,” he said. “But why didn’t you tell me you weren’t paid anything?”
“I was paid,” she told him. “The homeowner paid me for two days work at my hourly rate, plus an energy credit.”
“And you gave me the information for free,” Stark said, looking stunned.
“It was the right thing to do,” she said, shrugging. “There was a hole. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to anyone because of it.”
“If I had known, we would have offered you a reward and a job,” he told her. “I’m very sorry.”
“I’m not,” she told him, smiling. “It all wound up with us right here.”
She could sense the others smiling when he bent to kiss her.
The party lasted all morning,and by the early afternoon, Olivia was drifting off to sleep in Stark’s arms on the sofa.
He was stroking her hair, and talking quietly with Dr. Pan about what to expect for the birth. And though Olivia knew she should be terrified and paying attention, she couldn’t bring herself to worry about it.
She felt safe, well fed, and sleepy among her circle of new friends.
A ripple across her belly roused her suddenly.
“Oh,” she said, surprised.
“What is it?” Stark asked, his eyes wide.
“I think… I think it’s time,” she said, looking to Dr. Pan.
The doctor smiled at her encouragingly, and she smiled back.
A wrenching cramp tightened her belly and Olivia whimpered.
“Okay,” Dr. Pan said. “Let’s get her back in bed.
Stark lifted her up and carried her up the stairs as Dr. Pan called out instructions to her assistant and Oberon.
Before she knew it, Olivia was snugly in bed again with dimmed lights and soft music playing.
