Would you like to be rich?
Alex frowned, his stomach twisting. This didn’t seem good at all. He clicked on the email and continued reading.
I understand that you’re Alex Medson’s assistant. Good for you. I can’t imagine that pays six figures, though, which is what I’m offering you. I just need one simple thing from you. Interested?
Alex clicked on the next email in the thread, which was a reply from Louisa.
I like Alex. He’s a good boss. I wouldn’t want to hurt him.
Alex winced at his assistant’s sweet words. Louisa might not be the brightest bulb, but she was a good person.
You wouldn’t be hurting him,Patrick’s reply read.Just showing some flaws in his security system. And you won’t get in trouble. You can keep your job. Alex will never know.
As Alex read on, the situation became increasingly clear. It took a few messages, but Louisa agreed to hear the next steps of the plan. They set a meeting time and place. The next email, from Patrick, was dated after the meeting they’d scheduled.
Thanks for meeting with me. I’m glad we’re going to work together. Remember, this is simple and elegant, okay? Nothing can go wrong.
Louisa had replied saying okay. The following email from Patrick asked:
Who was hired most recently?
Louisa replied:A woman named Grace Boden. She started last week. Alex has met with her a few times, and he seems to like her.
Perfect,Patrick replied.She’s the one, and we can proceed. Wait until the night before the update, just like we planned.
Alex felt sick. It was hard to force himself to read on, but he couldn’t ignore this. He had to know exactly what had happened, right under his nose.
I did it,Louisa wrote next. The email was from the same day the update had been meant to launch, the day the laptop had gone missing.And I changed the log. Are you sure he won’t know it’s me?
I’m sure,Patrick replied.Bring me the laptop. You’ve done everything, just as I asked.
Are you going to pay me now?
Soon. Let’s just see how it plays out first.
Alex closed the laptop slowly. It was all so achingly clear now.
Grace hadn’t stolen the laptop. She hadn’t even lost it. She was, as she’d told him before, completely innocent.
Instead, Patrick Hale had colluded with Alex’s assistant to steal the laptop and frame Grace. Louisa had changed the logs and given the laptop to Patrick. And Alex had never suspected a thing. He’d truly thought it was Grace who’d betrayed him—and he’d let her be fired. Not only that, but he’d threatened his relationship with her and their kids because he couldn’t believe in her innocence.
Alex slumped back into his seat. He felt sick. Louisa had betrayed him—andhe’dbetrayed Grace. She’d never betrayed him. She’d never done anything wrong at all. She’d told him herself that she was innocent. Why hadn’t he looked more closely into the situation? Why hadn’t he listened to Grace? For months, he’d treated her like a thief and kept his distance from her. He’d let his suspicions get in the way of his relationship with her and their babies.
He’d messed up. He’d hurt the person he cared about the most, and all because of one of Patrick Hale’s idiotic plots.
Well, this one hadn’t been so idiotic. After all, Alex had fallen for it.
Even the lawsuit was easy to explain now. Grace had truly felt she’d been wrongfully fired, and she’d wanted to provide for their babies. She hadn’t been trying to hurt him. She’d been trying to get what she needed to survive, maybe even trying to prove her innocence.
Alex wanted to bang his head against the table in frustration. He should have talked this out with Grace ages ago. Or he should at least have conducted a more in-depth investigation into who had really stolen the laptop. He’d assumed that the situation with his roommate in college was repeating itself, and now, he might have ruined any chance of a future with Grace.
No, he’ddefinitelyruined any chance of a future with Grace.
The worst part was that he’d walked out on her, saying his company was more important. Nothing was more important than Grace and their kids. Nothing ever would be. That was clear now. It should have been clear all along.
Alex stood suddenly, the desk rocking on its legs. It was two in the afternoon. Alex had never left the office in the middle of the day before, but he was doing so now. He had to find Grace. He had to apologize. It might still be too late, but he had to make sure she knew how sorry he was.
Alex passed Autumn on the way out.
