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I wiped my eyes roughly as we headed back to the lobby. “Timmy, do you mind staying here? I don’t want to just leave him…”
“I was going to ask if that’s okay, ma’am. And I’ll try to get in touch with his brother again while I’m here.”
I patted Timmy’s arm. He was close to Wesley; this had to be hard on him. “Thank you.”
Gabe turned to me. “Are you heading back home to work?”
I nodded, swallowing over the lump in my throat. “We’re getting a lot done, but we need to finish this.”
Gabe tapped me on the chin, his gaze locked on mine. “It’s going to be okay, babe. I promise.”
I nodded. But my heart felt heavy as I turned to go, and I realized I didn’t believe him.
A few days later, as I crossed through the sleek doors into the sunny lobby of Paragon, I wondered: how much time did I have left?
Not enough. I didn’t know how long, but it would never be enough.
I headed to my office. “Stephanie, can you do me a favor?”
“Anything,” she said.
“Call a staff meeting in the cafeteria in ten minutes. I need everyone.”
“Of course.”
I was nervous as my staff assembled. I smiled at Eva, my chief lab technician, and Dave and Leo, but they only nodded in response. They looked as anxious as I felt.
“Thank you for taking a break and coming down on such short notice.” My voice carried through the large room, which felt oddly quiet. “I wanted to update you all about Wesley and Hannah, and what’s happening with Paragon.”
I swallowed hard. “Wesley has been moved back to the ICU unit at El Camino—but he’s stable, and he’s receiving amazing care at a cutting-edge facility, and his doctor is one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. I’m praying for him, praying he pulls through. It would mean a lot to me if you would too.”
There were worried murmurs throughout the room. One woman started visibly crying.
“As you know, Wesley was injured on duty while he was protecting my sister. Hannah was taken captive. She’s alive—I’ve seen her and spoken to her.”
Everyone started talking at once.
“I’m negotiating to get her back. I’m sorry, I can’t discuss the details because I don’t want to complicate the matter any further. Trust me, it’s complicated enough—and most importantly, I don’t want to do anything to hurt Hannah or put any of you at risk. I will tell you more when I can, but for now, just know that we’re doing everything in our power.”
I sighed. “Which brings me to my last point. And please, for Hannah’s sake, all of this must remain confidential. Anything I tell you can’t leave these walls.”
The room went quiet again, the silence ominous.
“Every one of you has made these last six years a true joy.” I turned and looked at each of their faces, acknowledging them individually. “Your contributions and sacrifices have made my company great. That’s why what I’m about to tell you is so hard.”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Paragon is being sold to Jiàn Innovations. Our company will cease operations as soon as we close the deal, which could be as early as next week.”
No one looked surprised. They were too busy being appalled.
Tears threatened, so I took another deep breath and tried to get the rest of the words out before I fell apart. “The good news is that our partner, Dynamica, has plans to open a large research and development division, and they’ve asked every single one of you to come work at their San Jose headquarters. They’ve asked me to come too, as the Vice President of R&D. As soon as Paragon winds up, you’ll have a new home in Silicon Valley, if you want one. And I hope you do—each of you has proven your loyalty, professionalism, and intelligence to me over the years. I don’t want to lose any of you.”
Everyone started talking at once. It took a few minutes for them to calm down. Then Alexandra, one of my longtime lab technicians, stood up. “I’d follow you anywhere, Lauren. Of course I’ll go. Thank you for the opportunity.”
There was clapping and cheering.
Then, one by one, each of my employees stood up and accepted the offer.
And I didn’t even bother trying to stop the tears.
