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“Warren Technology’s records corroborate that.” I looked down, watching my pen as I tapped it. “But Clive realized the information he’d stolen from us wasn’t the most up-to-date. And then he seemed…afraid. Of whoever he was working with at Jiàn.”
“So he turned himself in for tax evasion?” Allen asked. “It’s not logical.”
“It’s not—but that’s not the point,” I said. “I think he just wanted to be incarcerated. I think he thought it was safer.”
Allen winced.
“But I knew, as soon as I heard he was arrested, that my hack on his system would be detected. I was about to turn myself in to the police, but Gabe took it upon himself to confess to the crimes, even though he didn’t commit them. That’s why he was arrested.”
I swallowed hard. “Clive told the police today that he knew we—meaning me and Gabe—were monitoring him electronically, and that he’d given us permission. So they released me without making me file a statement. Gabe’s paperwork is being processed, and he’ll be released today too. All charges have been dropped.”
“Why did Clive do that?” Allen asked. “It’s not as if he’s exhibited a deep sense of loyalty to you or Paragon thus far.”
I shrugged. “Maybe he felt responsible for bringing this down on all of us.” Maybe he wants Jiàn Innovations to be able to have an equal-opportunity crack at both Gabe and me.
Allen nodded and turned to the other board members. “Have we decided how we want to proceed?”
“I think Jiàn Innovations is going to try to get to market with the technology they bought from Clive,” said Mimi White, another long-time board member. “And I don’t want to see them get away with it.”
There was a lot of nodding around the table and murmurs of agreement.
“If we ask law enforcement to begin an international investigation against Jiàn Innovations, it will take months. Years,” Angela offered. “As much as I don’t want them to get away with what they’ve done, I want Paragon to be the one to bring the patch to market. I want that more than I want justice because this patch is going to help so many people. It’s for the greater good. It’s what we’ve been working toward. Lauren, it’s what you’ve given your whole life to.”
I felt my face flush. “I don’t want to see them ruin what we’ve worked for.”
“Then let’s launch the patch,” Allen said. “Let’s get it to market before they do.”
I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. “How do you want to…proceed?”
“Lauren,” Mimi White said. She waited until I raised my eyes to meet hers. “No one here believes that you would break the law for any reason other than protecting Paragon and the technology you’ve created here. We all know that you are the heart and soul—not to mention the brilliance—behind the patch. We want you to stay. Even if you went to jail for reverse-hacking Warren Technologies, we’d want you to stay. No one can guide this company into the future except for you. And we all know that you have the highest moral and ethical character of anyone we all know, including all of us seated around you.”
Everyone chuckled at that. I felt my eyes water.
“So…will you do it?” Angela asked. “Will you bring the patch to market?”
I nodded at them, trying to keep my emotion in check. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“Can you do it sooner than we originally planned?” Mimi asked.
I thought of the many lists I had in my office, the hundreds of tasks I needed to complete before we could deliver the patch to the public. “I can try. When are you thinking?”
“We’re thinking that with Jiàn Innovations out there, launching early next year is too far away,” Allen said. “We’re on the cusp of FDA approval. I say, let’s go for it. Let’s launch it now.”
“Now?” I could hear the note of shock in my voice.
“Now meaning as soon as we have the appropriate clearance.” Mimi smiled at me warmly. “We’re not saying we have to launch overnight…we’re just saying that we need a miracle right now, and you’ve always been the closest thing Paragon’s had to that. We believe in you, Lauren.”
She smiled at me again. “And by the way, we see no need to end our distribution arrangement with Dynamica. We’re all happy that you met someone. Frankly, it’s about time.”
I sat there, feeling gratitude, feeling my face turning red. “Thank you.” My voice came out small.
“Thank you,” Allen said. “Contact the FDA protocol team. Let’s get them in here. Let’s do this.”
“I will,” I said, my mind whirling.
“The last thing I want is the criminals who stole from us to get to market first,” Mimi said. She stood and grabbed her laptop, as if the matter was closed. “Let’s bury them.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I hadn’t realized it until just then, but Mimi White sort of reminded me of my mother. My mother never punished us, but when she was disappointed by something I’d done, it was as if I’d broken her heart. “I won’t let you down.”
