Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LIAM
H er smile and that cute dimple on her right cheek... Fuck.
Chloe beamed, trying on outfits in the quaint boutique shops on Catalina Island. Her cheeks flushed pink, uncomfortable with the idea of being pampered, and it only made her look more adorable.
We had sex… so much sex. We talked about topics ranging from childhood memories to pet peeves. I’ll be extra careful not to leave toothpaste in the sink.
“Liam?” A man’s voice suddenly snaps me back to the present. Around the spacious conference room table, fifteen pairs of eyes are fixed on me, expecting a response.
Clearing my throat, I manage, “I think that sounds fine.” Thankfully, I’ve caught enough of the business discussion to respond with confidence.
Just as I'm about to drift back to thoughts of Chloe, another interruption comes. The door to the conference room swings open, and my assistant peeks in.
“Mr. Wright?”
Anxiety grips me. My assistant never interrupts like this. Could something be wrong with my mother?
I stand and quickly walk to the door, instructing my CFO to keep the meeting going without me.
My assistant, Linda—a fashionably dressed woman in her early twenties—closes the conference room door behind me as I step into the hall.
“Ms. Middleton is here,” she informs me, and I keep pace with her as she starts walking briskly down the hall.
“What?” Confusion washes over me. I was expecting Chloe to contact me later about her computer, but we didn’t have any plans to see each other until tonight.
“Ted asked her to come to the office first thing to discuss her legal situation,” Linda explains, “and she arranged to meet the computer forensics expert here too.”
“Okay, what’s the issue then?” I urge her to get to the point. There’s no way Linda pulled me out of my meeting to tell me my girlfriend stopped by.
“The computer guy found something,” Linda whispers as we navigate past the bustling open workspaces of the modern office.
Morning sun floods in from towering floor-to-ceiling windows but I fear that, somehow, a storm is already here.
Linda ushers me into a secluded office where a stocky man with a graying beard sits behind a laptop.
“Mr. Wright,” he stands, offering a hand, “I’m Eugene from Guardian Cybersecurity Group.”
“Liam, please,” I respond, shaking his hand, noting his tense expression—a bad sign in his line of work.
Chloe isn’t here. Turning to Linda, I ask where she is.
“She’s still with Ted,” Linda responds cautiously. “Eugene here wished to speak with you first.”
Eugene cuts in quickly, “Liam, I’m not great with emotional reactions—tears, hysterics, you know. I understand you’re writing my check, so I’d prefer to just report to you and allow you to brief your girlfriend however you see fit.”
He thinks Chloe will become hysterical at the news? What could be so wrong?
I quickly try to calculate the least harmful option. It feels wrong to hear bad news about Chloe’s life before she knows it herself, but on the other hand, perhaps I can shield her from some distress if I can handle it for her.
“Alright.” I exhale, frustrated that it has already taken this long to get to the point. Linda nods and excuses herself, closing the office door behind her.
“Liam, your girlfriend entered her password and left for her meeting. Clearly, she hadn’t tried to log in yet today or else you would already know there’s a problem,” Eugene sits behind the computer, folding his hands over his round belly.
“What’s the problem?” I press, urgency sharpening my voice.
“Though Randy removed some spyware last week, he didn’t find the ransomware.”
Oh, shit.
Eugene elaborates, “Unfortunately, this type of malware can hide in an infected computer until the attack—encrypting files and demanding a ransom.”
I feel the blood draining from my face.
“Has she received a demand?”
I hesitate before knocking on the office door, dreading the difficult conversation that awaits me. Ted’s voice calls me inside, and as I enter the room, Chloe’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Liam!” she exclaims, standing up from her position on the couch as I approach.
I’m about to blow up everything.
With purpose, I wrap my arms around Chloe and give her a deliberate kiss. My display of affection is more than enough to make Ted feel like a third wheel. But as her bearer of bad news, I don’t know how affectionate Chloe will feel toward me in a couple of minutes.
On some level, I wonder if this might be our last intimate moment for a while, and I treat it like the last drink of water before I need to go without.
As Chloe pulls away, I notice the blush on her cheeks.
“Were you missing me?” She giggles, glancing at Ted for his reaction. But he remains unfazed, wearing a polite smile and appearing genuinely happy for us.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I apologize to them both. “But I have some unfortunate news, Chloe.” I watch her smile fall and her green eyes darken. I take hold of her hand. “Ted, you should hear this too.” With that, I lead Chloe back to the couch and we sit down together.
Her forehead is creased with worry as she contemplates all the possibilities.
I don't beat around the bush. "Your client files were breached," I say gently.
Chloe gasps and covers her mouth in shock. "Oh my God."
"Eugene believes he can restore your files without paying the ransom?—"
“The what ?” Chloe’s face is pale.
"They're asking for payment in exchange for your files," I clarify.
“Oh my God,” she repeats, rubbing her forehead and squeezing her eyes shut as if it’s a bad dream she needs to wake up from.
“Chloe, we can probably retrieve the files, but they already have a copy. That triggers government breach laws.” I look to Ted for his input.
“Yes, I can start making notifications,” Ted replies calmly. His composure is a stark contrast to Chloe, who lets out a sob, covering her face. The “waterworks” Eugene foresaw and wanted to avoid.
I move closer to her and wrap my arms around her. She rests her forehead against my chest and gives in, her body shaking with sobs. Her hair smells faintly like oranges and the cheerful, citrus smell reminds me how hopeful Chloe was this morning. And now her carefully built world seems to be crumbling around her.
I know what she must be thinking—her career is ruined, and she betrayed the trust of her clients. She only wanted to help them, but now some asshole is privy to all their intimate secrets. She’s blaming herself even though she’s not the bad guy here.
“It’s going to be okay, I promise,” I whisper in her ear. “I’ll fix this,” I assure her, determined to make her pain go away.
She pulls away from me, shaking her head. “This isn’t your problem.”
Her words sting a little because I feel invested in her, in us, at this point.
Her cheeks glisten with tears and she takes a deep breath, trying to regain control. I can see her mind racing.
“I should have given him what he wanted,” she finally says, more to herself than anyone.
I immediately know she’s talking about her ex, and my jaw tightens. I loathe the idea that Chloe should have given him what he wanted . “We don’t know that it’s Lucas,” I remind her.
“It has to be him. He wants money. I need to talk to him.”
“No, if it is him, he’s committing a cybercrime and you shouldn’t negotiate with him,” I say firmly.
“Liam’s right,” Ted adds. “At this point, we need to deal with the breach. We’ll notify your clients.”
“Oh, God.” Chloe chokes at the thought. “This can’t be happening.” Her face has lost all color, the usual rosiness in her cheeks evaporated.
“I’m sorry to say,” Ted interjects. “These types of attacks are unfortunately common. Most businesses?—”
“But I’m not a Walmart,” she interrupts, frustrated. “I’m a one-person business. This feels very personal.” Her eyelids are puffy from crying, but I see a fire smoldering in her emerald eyes now.
“Even if it is personal,” Ted responds calmly and deliberately, probably irritating Chloe even more. “I’m afraid we might not be able to prove it. Most hackers are skilled at hiding their identity, and only a small percentage are brought to justice.”
I understand that Ted is trying to temper her expectations, but damn . Flooding her with the full reality of this shitstorm all at once doesn’t seem necessary, or humane.
Before I can intervene, Chloe turns to me with a determined expression. “What did the ransom demand say?”
I freeze, considering if there is any way to avoid answering this question. It won’t help her to know the answer; it will only cause her more worry.
Chloe sees my hesitation and gives me a stern look. “Liam, just tell me,” she demands.
I let out a heavy sigh. “They want ten million in bitcoin within forty-eight hours, or they’ll release your data onto the internet.”
I watch as shock takes over Chloe’s features. She’s staring at me like I just shattered her entire world.
The sun assaults my eyes as I exit the office building, squinting to see which way Chloe went.
“Chloe, wait,” I call out as I hurry after her across the parking lot. She’s making a beeline to her car, the same old run-down one from before she became a millionaire. It feels like déjà vu all over again.
Chloe doesn’t acknowledge me and gets in her car quickly. I hear the engine turn over, but before she can drive away, I fling open the passenger side door and get in.
I can’t let her go like this.
I slam the door shut as a peppy pop song blares out of the radio, another reminder of how great her day started.
Chloe hits the radio button, and it turns off. “Liam, please,” she says firmly, clearly wanting me to get out.
“Chloe, I’ll make things right,” I reassure her desperately. I just want her to be okay again.
“You can’t fix this.” Her voice raises in frustration, and I know I’ve said the wrong thing. “Your money cannot fix this.”
I need to rephrase. “I’m going to do everything I can to help you.”
“You shouldn’t have to. It’s my issue.”
I feel cool air blowing out of the dashboard vents, but I swear some of the cold is rolling off Chloe. Her green eyes hold a mix of emotions that she’s trying to hold back—anger, fear, pain—but I see through her defenses.
Unfortunately, I also see where her train of thought is heading. She thinks Lucas is her problem, and she wants to go straight to the root.
“Don’t contact Lucas. It’s not a good idea,” I assert firmly.
I see Chloe wince, but she keeps her resolve.
“Please, let my team handle this for you,” I urge her gently. “Your business will bounce back from this, I promise.”
Tears pool in her eyes as she looks at me, on the brink of overflowing. I scramble for the right words to ease her fears.
“Hell, my PR team can drive your business tenfold despite the breach,” I offer her a reassuring smile because I know it’s true. As I lightly brush a stray strand of chestnut-colored curls away from her face, I search her eyes. "Trust me, Chloe."
“Why would you do all this?” Her voice trembles with emotion.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I ask, wondering how she can’t already know. She holds some kind of power over me, and I am completely crazy about her.
I let her read the subtext and I see her expression soften. The ice instantly melts, and she closes the space between us. I meet her kiss, deepening it, as I feel her tears roll down her cheek.
With a gentle touch, I brush them away with my thumb, trying to wordlessly relieve her pain.
And she lets me.