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I wipe my eyes and cheeks and get myself together. I slide the paper back into the envelope and finish my coffee and oatmeal.
Right now, my sister is everywhere and nowhere, all at once.
As I leave my loft, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Weston
Dinner at my place tonight at eight sharp?
Asher
Who’s invited?
Weston
The four of us.
He doesn’t have to say anything else. I know that means him, Carlee, Billie, and me. I smile.
Asher
I’ll be there.
As soon as I enter my office at Lustre Fashion, Josh enters with a pep in his step. He sits in the chair in front of my desk, smirking.
“Billie and Louis are over,” he says proudly.
“I hadn’t heard,” I say, playing coy.
“I had Louis followed,” he replies.
My eyes widen. “You do not want to mess with the palace.”
He laughs. “Oh, but I do. Anyway, will you be joining our monthly meeting? It starts in five minutes.”
“Yes,” I tell him. “I’d like to see the designs you’re launching for the fall, along with the marketing plan your team has devised. I know our contract expires in five weeks; however, I want to ensure you’re standing on a solid foundation for your launch.”
“Hiring you was the best thing I ever did,” he says, standing and adjusting his tie.
“Remember you said that.”
I act as Josh’s shadow for ten hours and am exhausted by him and how he speaks down to every person who comes in his vicinity. Sometimes, it’s very hard to bite my tongue, but I remind myself that this will be over soon and Josh won’t be able to continue down this path.
Eventually, the sun fades behind the horizon, and I yawn, checking the time. I can’t be late to Weston’s, so I grab my things and text my driver. As I slide my laptop into my bag, Josh bursts into my office in a panic.
His panic is a complete one-eighty from his cocky-as-hell attitude this morning.
“What’s up?” I ask, used to his erratic behavior.
“There has been a major data breach. We’ve been hacked,” Josh says. “I just got off a call with the chief security officer. This is very bad.”
He’s hyperventilating.
“Sit down,” I tell him, returning behind my desk. “Explain.”
“Someone breached our database and bypassed all security protocols. Scans indicated extensive downloads of financial records, private emails, contracts—everything. They’re still investigating it, trying to determine when this started. Whoever did this was a professional and knew exactly what they were looking for. Right now, the website has been hacked, and we can’t do anything.”
My brows crease together. “Excuse me?”