Chapter 22 #2
My nostrils flared. “My company car? Private medical insurance? Higher salary?”
“All the employees receive those perks.”
“Really? Because I have it on very good authority that they don’t.”
Becky tapped a fingernail on the desk. “I told you, the owner subsidises…perks.”
“Not according to accounts.”
Her lips curved in a small smirk. “I never said which owner. Nor which employees.”
I paused. I’d done intensive research into Identity before my first botched interview attempt. There was only one owner. “What?”
“A large number of shares was purchased by an individual. He’s a silent partner…apart from on a few issues.”
My fingers tightened on the arms of the chair until my knuckles whitened. “Who?”
She pulled off her glasses, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Why are you asking me when you already know the answer?”
Luca. “Is that why I got the job?”
“Of course not. You got the job on merit. We approached you, after all.”
I ground my teeth together. “Would you have phoned me again after I missed the first interview?”
There was a long pause before Becky finally answered me. “Probably not. But I will say I’m glad we did. You’ve proven yourself to be a valuable asset to the company. I’d happily go to bat for you even if someone didn’t have a…vested interest in your success.”
“But why?” I asked, utterly confused. “Why would he do that?”
“Now that I can’t answer. But you’re a good journalist. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” She studied me, seeming to come to some decision. “I will tell you two things.”
I nodded numbly, gesturing for her to continue.
“First, I had to sign an NDA stating I’d never impart who was behind all this. As did the entire senior management team. That’s why I won’t confirm who he is…even though you clearly know. He didn’t want you to find out. Ever.”
My mind was reeling. Why wouldn’t he want to take credit for it? Okay, so he might not initially…but why keep it hidden forever?
Becky apparently had the answer. “I think he was trying to protect you. He gave me the impression you hadn’t had many people looking out for you in the past, and the last thing he wanted was you thinking this was charity.”
I had no idea how I felt about Luca interfering in my life. Logically, I knew I should be mad, but…I wasn’t. It suggested he…cared. Cared enough to make my life better.
I couldn’t be mad at him about that. Not when he was the first person to do that in…well, ever.
“What was the second thing?” My voice came out hoarse.
“The day you returned to the UK, I received two phone calls. The first was from the manager of Caffeine Daydreams.”
“Yeah, Kevin said he’d call. Told me he’d make sure I didn’t face any repercussions from leaving the tour early.”
Becky blew out a whistle. “That’s interesting.
Because when he phoned me, he filed an official complaint about your work ethic.
He heavily implied you’d set out to seduce Luca to further your career.
In fact, he went so far as to suggest that if you weren’t fired, we’d be barred from accessing several acts managed by his associates. ”
It felt like the world was slipping sideways from under me. “Why would he do that?”
“That’s not the real question, now is it.
” Becky studied me hard. “The real question is why did I receive a second phone call, barely an hour later, from our new investor. One where he was keen to remind me of the terms of our initial agreement and to ensure your position here at Identity was secure and would remain so going forward.”
My head sank into my hands as I tried to make sense of the various bombshells Becky was throwing my way. “Why would Luca do that when he told me to leave? Why is he still looking out for me if he doesn’t have feelings for me?”
Becky’s smile was kind. “As I said, that’s the real question.”
Oh god. What if Luca hadn’t had someone in there?
Had Kevin manipulated me into doing what he wanted?
If that was true…fuck. I filed that away to think about later. When I wasn’t sitting opposite my boss.
Because if that was what happened…there’d be no shoving that rage away. If my stupid insecurities had cost me Luca, I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover.
I thought back over what she’d said about Kevin. “Would you have fired me if Luca hadn’t called?”
She sniffed imperiously. “Of course not. I don’t take orders from entitled white men high on self-importance and ego.”
Despite the tumultuous emotions spinning through me, I couldn’t help but smile at that.
“Thanks, Becky.” My mind continued turning, Kevin’s interference ringing alarm bells.
Everything I’d always found odd about his behaviour, from his adding additional tour dates to parading the band around his friends, started falling into place.
Just how far did his influence over the band’s affairs go?
And how much of it was working in his favour?
“Becky, I think I know what I want to write my final piece about.” If you suspected someone wasn’t acting in someone else’s best interest, the first place you looked was at the money.
That was exactly what I intended to do. I quickly filled Becky in on my suspicions that Kevin might be up to no good, outlining the research I wanted to do to support my theory.
She thought about it for a long time before she nodded. “Okay, but on one condition: whatever you discover, you cannot directly name Kevin. The last thing we need is a libel or defamation lawsuit. Keep it factual, and keep it anonymous.”
“Done.” I could work with that.
If Kevin was making Luca’s life more difficult in any way, I would make sure the world knew about it.