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“Not even family?” I repeated, surprised by this revelation. It seemed like Grayson kept his personal life very, very private.
“That’s right! So everyone’s wondering, and talking and gossiping.”
“Right.” How was I supposed to respond to that? I had no idea what to make of the fact that I was the only person Grayson hadever brought here. I mean, really, what the fuck was I supposed to think about that?
I ate lunch slowly, trying to wrap my mind around this new info while Vera chatted on endlessly about the people in the nearby town.
“And now you’re done, Miss. You look absolutely tuckered out. You go and lie down and I’ll bring you a drink and a snack for when you wake again.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Moments later, I was back on the recliner, reaching for the blanket.
Then Vera was there, placing a water bottle and a plate with banana bread on the low table, before tucking the blanket around me. “There now, you have a good sleep.” She ran her hand lightly over my hair and it was such a sweet, kind gesture that it made me smile.
I didn’t hear her leave as I snuggled under the blanket. Seconds later, I was sound asleep.
CHAPTER 21
Grayson
Isat at my desk, reviewing the latest report from our security team. The hacker had taken his activities to yet another level and was now doxing our high-level executives. Leaking pay details, private social media posts and the like. Farris’ advice was that this was no longer something we could handle in house. That she thought it was time to include the authorities made me feel very apprehensive. I couldn’t imagine having law enforcement officers crawling all over everything. Unsettling everyone. So far, we’d kept the situation under wraps. Only those that worked at the highest levels were in any way aware of what was going on. How would our employees feel if they knew their security was at risk? Fuck. I scrubbed my hands over my face, mulling over my options.
The sound of my phone vibrating on my desk was a welcome reprieve. Ah, Christ. It was Dante Moretti calling. I hit the answer button.
“Hello.”
“Rivers. Just touching base about my sister.”
“Right. As far as I’m aware, her recovery is going well. The nurse has dropped the visits to every other day and the dosages of her medications have all been lowered as her condition continues to improve.”
“Great. And how is she…emotionally?”
“Emotionally?”
“Yeah. It’s been nearly two weeks since she hit rock bottom. Now’s about the time when the depression kicks in.”
“Depression?” What the fuck?
“When she reaches the point in her recovery where she’s almost well enough to be active again, but she’s still not there yet, it hits her really hard. Messes with her head. It’s not good for her to be left alone when she’s like that.”
“I see. I receive regular reports from the nurse, who hasn’t advised me of any issues with Stefania’s emotional state. But should that situation change, I will certainly let you know.”
“Do that.” Dante ended the call, leaving me with the quiet buzzing of the outer office and fresh worries about Stef.
It was true that the nurse hadn’t advised me of any issues with her emotional state. If there was a problem, she would have mentioned it, surely.
Turning my attention back to the security reports, I flipped to the next page. Farris had provided a list of the different authorities that might be involved. It all depended on the breadth of the issue, and the damage done.
The nurse would have reported any change in Stef’s demeanor, surely? If she was suddenly crying all the time, that’s not something you don’t comment on, is it?
Ah, okay, so it seemed the FBI would be our first port of call. If we needed to take it further from there, we could.
Although it was exactly like Stef to try to cover it up. She wasn’t really one for wanting to show weakness in front of strangers, was she?
And who knows? Maybe the FBI already knew about this guy and could give us some insight into what was going on.
But what if shewasgenuinely depressed? She could be at the beach house right now, sobbing on the floor. Is that how this even worked? I hadn’t really had a lot of experience with depression myself. I had no idea what it looked like.
As long as everything was kept in house and our employees protected, maybe it was time to take the next step.