Page 26

Focus, Langston.

I print the key findings from Cal's report and add them to my own. An hour later, I grab my jacket and head to her office.

Wren is in the office when I find her, studying some papers. She looks up when I walk in.

“Bad news?”

“Depends how you look at it,” I say. “We found something.”

Immediately, she arranges for Talia and the core team to meet in the conference room. This isn't something I want to explain multiple times.

“Sean's found something,” Wren announces as we enter.

Talia nods. “About time we get some good news.”

Raj adjusts his glasses. “Please tell me it's something we can use.”

I set my laptop down, connecting it to the projector. “It's something you can use.”

The door opens and Wren’s assistant, Lily walks in with a tray of coffee. “Sorry for intruding. Thought everyone could use a cup of coffee in these tense days.”

Wren smiles at her. “Thank you, Lily. You’re a savior. I’m too nervous for whatever Sean has to say.”

I watch Lily as she sets the tray down. She glances at the projector and meets my eyes. She smiles. I don’t. I wait until she leaves before I begin.

“Let's begin,” I say, bringing up the first slide—a web of connections centered around a familiar face. “Marlowe Skye is behind the attacks on Wren and Lemon LLC.”

The room falls silent.

“What?” Talia is the first to recover. “Marlowe? Are you sure?”

"Completely." I click through to the evidence. "My team traced the IP addresses from the most vicious threats. They originate from Nova Grey's networks—Marlowe's company.”

Wren's face goes pale. "Marlowe? I—I don't understand."

“Do any of you recognize this username,everybodyhateslemons?”

Bailey, the head of content and socials, perks up. “Yes. It’s a Wren hate account. We don’t pay them any mind.”

“Well, that account was traced to be from Nova Grey.”

“What?”

“There's more. Cal, my cybersecurity specialist, found evidence that it might have been Marlowe's team who amplified Camille's accusations. They might’ve paid for promoted posts, and coordinated with gossip sites to keep the story alive.”

“That nasty woman.” Talia slams her hand on the table. “I knew something felt orchestrated about how fast this spread.”

Raj shakes his head in disbelief. “But why would Marlowe target us?”

I look to Wren. She's gone still, her fingers pressed against her lips.

“I think Wren might know.”

All eyes turn to her. She takes a deep breath.

“Marlowe approached me about two years ago. She wanted a collaboration line.”

“You never told us about this,” Talia says.