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He’s not the one who has to worry about a headline. Not yet anyway.
“Everything okay?” Alexander asked, pulling my attention back to him.
“Just an issue at work. As much as I love the convenience of these things…” I waved my phone before tucking it back into my pocket, “they can be a curse, especially when you’re always supposed to be within reach.”
“That’s one of the reasons I love surfing,” Lachlan interjected. “No cell phones. No technology. Nothing. The only thing you’re connected with is the ocean and nature. It’s incredibly liberating.”
“I’d like to try it some time.”
“You should.”
“So what’s going?—”
The sound of glass shattering against the floor interrupted Alexander’s question, causing a hush to descend over the lobby as everyone turned toward the source.
Alton stood frozen in place, his eyes glued to his phone. Mine vibrated in my pocket and I retrieved it to see the notification from a top newspaper flash on my home screen.
CEO of GeoCom Industries alleged to have been involved in several instances of sexual misconduct with employees. Records of bribes show corporate climate of employee abuse.
“Alton…” James gritted out, standing from the leather couch and approaching his friend. “People are staring. What’s going on?”
Alton shook his head, panic covering every inch of him. Maybe even a hint of disbelief. As if he’d blink and it would all be a bad dream.
I knew that feeling all too well.
I’d prayed for that very thing every day for years. Prayed I’d wake up and learn the hell I’d been living was merely a product of my imagination.
Now he knew how it felt.
And this was only the beginning.
“I…” Alton’s hand flew up to his chest as he struggled to breathe. “GeoCom. It… I…” His gaze locked on mine, wild with desperation and anger. “You.” He stormed toward me.
I jumped to my feet, holding my hands defensively in front of me. I could have easily punched him. Had him on the ground in a heartbeat. But I didn’t need to raise anyone’s suspicions unnecessarily.
“You did this,” he seethed, his voice dripping with venom.
“Did what?” I kept my tone even, my demeanor calm, bordering on indifferent.
“This.” He thrust his phone toward me, the headline glaring in bold letters.
“How would I have anything to do with that?”
“You misled me. Made me think the merger was a done deal.”
“Merger?” I feigned confusion. “I don’t…” I trailed off, acting as if I’d finally put the pieces together, even though this was the plan all along. “The file?” I leaned closer. “You looked at it?”
“You left the papers all over your desk.”
I scrunched my brows, concern filling my voice. “Did you…use that information?”
“I—”
“Alton.” James’ warning interrupted him, stopping him from incriminating himself any further, especially in a room full of witnesses. “I think it might be best if you went upstairs.”
Alton clenched his jaw, looking like he was on the verge of breaking into tears. Liam appeared panicked, too. They all did. No doubt they all used the supposedly ironclad information Alton gave them to make some big trades in their portfolio.
And if everything went as predicted, when the markets opened Monday morning, those portfolios would be worth substantially less.
