Chapter 42
Rebecca wakes up to the sound of Mark’s voice.
He is sitting on the love seat by the closet where he casts his jacket and his to-be-worn-again jeans with the belt still through the loops.
He is dressed for work, sipping coffee, laptop open across his knees.
Though it is early, he looks as awake as he has ever been.
Maddy lies sprawled sideways by Rebecca, emitting a soft, whistling snore.
“As I told you, the unit has been unplugged,” Mark is saying. “We want it picked up and disposed of immediately.”
Luca’s voice sounds more robotic than before. “As I mentioned, that is not in our contract.”
“I don’t care what’s in our contract,” Mark says. “Pick it up.”
There is a coolness in his tone that Rebecca remembers from when they first met. That strength of conviction he had when he spoke about computer engineering, the Red Sox, when he got down on a knee and told her, You are all that I want today and forever.
“May I remind you that we have synced your personal information.”
“You are to destroy that too,” Mark says. “Any records of our family. Purge them from the databases. And memorialize on legal letterhead that you have done so and that our relationship is terminated.”
“What makes you believe you have legal standing in this matter?”
“I don’t have legal standing,” Mark says. “I have leverage. I run an e-news content optimization service. I have arranged for damaging content about N0RM LLC to flood the internet in the event that this is not done. It is one click from happening.”
There is a long silence, during which Rebecca imagines Luca, composed as ever, running countless calculations behind the mask of her face.
“Are you sure you want to go to war with us?”
“I’m sure that I do not,” Mark says. “Nor do you with me. Whatever mess this causes will not be worth it for you or your pending IPO. Let’s walk away clean, terminate the relationship. It’s the best choice for both of us.”
From the bed, Rebecca cannot see the screen, but she can see his unwavering gaze. His tie is cinched tight at his spread collar. He looks like a boss.
The silence stretches out and out.
And then Luca says, “I have availability for a six p.m. pickup today. Would that time be convenient?”
“Yes,” Mark says and snaps down the laptop’s lid.
For the first time, he notices Rebecca is awake.
He gives her his half smile. “What?”
“When’d you get so sexy?” she says, her back arching in a morning stretch.
Now the grin cracks wide. “Always have been,” he says. “You just stopped noticing.”