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Jason’s eyebrows drew together. “Meleese? What does that have to do with anything?”
I wheeled around and eyed Jason over the rim of the glass. “It means I have to do some research before anyone else is brought into the fold. I think someone is giving them confidential information.”
Jason frowned. “What about the board of directors?”
“I’ll tell them when I have concrete proof,” I decided before setting my glass down. “In the meantime, we need to comb through the evidence and see if we can find out who is behind us.”
Because I knew that it was someone in the company itself.
It had to be.
It was the only explanation that made sense, and my mind immediately went to several shareholders who had expressed their disapproval of the way things were going. While I didn’t like knowing that I had people in my own ranks that were willing to tank the company for their own personal gain, I also couldn’t deny the facts.
Not if I wanted to emerge out of this with the company intact.
And once news spread, it was going to be a massacre.
Every other media empire was going to circle us, waiting for the first drop of blood before it attacked. As Jason and I stood across from each other, each lost to our thoughts I began to realize how little time I had left to get ahead of this. With one final look at Jason, I sat back down behind my desk and opened up my laptop.
A moment later, Jason exited my office.
Through the glass door, I saw him pause at my secretary’s office and exchange a few words. Then he left, and Melissa looked over at me, a furrow appearing between her brows. I pretended not to notice as I scoured through the documents, trying to put the pieces together. For hours I sat at my desk, pausing now and again to scribble in my notebook.
Now and again, when I stood up to stretch or take a few sips of water, I looked over at my phone, turned upside down on my desk. I couldn’t tell if I was relieved or disappointed that Martha hadn’t called or messaged with her usual Jimmy update. However, part of me was relieved that I could direct all of my focus and attention on the matter at hand.
Two hours later, when everyone else had left for the day, I was the only person left in the office. For a while, I stared at the screen and curled my hands into fists at my side. Slowly, I rubbed a hand over my face, stopped at my temples, and pressed two fingers there. Then I gave a slight shake of my head and stood up.
Knowing there was a leak in the company was one thing.
Discovering it was my own secretary was another thing altogether, but there was no denying it was her. On my screen, I had multiple tabs open, all with her private email correspondents, including several incriminating emails that went into great detail about confidential company information. My head was pounding as I stepped out of my office, went behind Melissa’s desk, and rifled through her drawers.
I felt sick to my stomach when I unearthed more information linking her to the leak and confirming my suspicions. Melissa had been selling confidential information to our competitor for months, and it was the reason why they had been doing better. Meleese had been one step ahead because they had planted a spy right under my nose, and I had been too distracted to notice.
With a frown, I stepped back into the office and shoved everything into a file, including printed-out copies of Melissa’s betrayal. When I was done, I gathered my things and switched off the light. In the elevator, I tapped my feet and resisted the urge to go after Melissa herself. Investigating the source of the leak on my own was understandable, but antagonizing Melissa when I had no idea what other information she had in her possession was inadvisable.
And if I didn’t tread lightly, it was going to blow up in my office.
As soon as I stepped out into the cold night air, I paused and tilted my head back. Overhead, a crescent-shaped moon was nestled in the middle of the sky, with a few clouds on either side of it. I dug my nails into my palms, blew out a breath, and hurried into the car parked by the curb. In silence, the driver took me to Martha’s apartment building while I sat in the back, my face pressed against the glass.
It wasn’t until I made my way up the stairs that I realized something was wrong.
When another woman answered the door, my confusion only increased.
After the door clicked shut in my face, I rummaged for my phone and pulled it out. Then I took the stairs two at a time, panic unfurling in the center of my stomach. Martha’s phone rang a few times before an unfamiliar man’s voice picked up. I stood in the doorway to her building, dismay spreading through every inch of me before I hung up.
Where were Martha and Jimmy?
And why hadn’t she told me about the move?
I shook my head, shoved my phone back into my pocket, and set off in the direction of the office. A few blocks away, I rounded the corner and ducked into the bar, with a cursive sign out front and loud music playing through the speakers. Inside, it smelled like sweat and alcohol, and the tables were all full of people talking loudly or hunched over their drinks. I wove in and out of the throngs of people till I stood in front of the bar. With a grunt, I pulled out a stool and sat down. Then I glanced over at the waiter and signaled for a drink.
I had no idea what was happening, but I didn’t like any of it.
First, with confidential information being leaked, and now with Martha vanishing into thin air.
This day was not going the way I wanted it to.
I placed a few more calls to Martha, but they all went to voicemail.
