Page 92 of The Boss and the Wedding Mess

"What’s going on with you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"She’s pregnant. You’re going to be a father. Neither of you sounds happy."

"It’s complicated, but it’ll work out."

"Can I help?"

"No, we’ll manage. But thanks." Marc sounds exhausted and distant. This isn't like him at all. There really seems to be something seriously wrong between them.

"Stephanie sounded very upset."

"You don’t need to worry. It’s just hormones," he assures me. "I’ll be home soon, then I’ll take care of her."

"Okay. But if anything’s wrong, you’ll let me know?"

"I will."

I sit in my living room until late, drinking tea, and reading. What a mess.

Back in the States, life wasn’t nearly this stressful.

On Monday, I head to the office as usual. London sits at her desk, greets me warmly, and immediately offers me coffee.

Sitting at my desk, I sort through documents then unlock the safe. Inside lies the USB drive—my key to success. This software will revolutionize the tech world. This is what I've been working on all these years!

I look at this small, inconspicuous item and plug it into the laptop. I want to grant myself one more test phase before I join the group call with my team. But when I insert the drive, it's empty. No data found. What the hell?

I pull it out, plug it back in. Still nothing. Maybe the laptop is defective? I try another. Then my tablet, with an adapter. But the drive seems to be empty!

This USB drive looks very similar to mine. Only someone who knows me well would know that I use this brand.

I suspect that someone has stolen it. I slowly sit down, look at the empty device, and start to ponder. The data was still there on Friday. Of course, the stick only contains copies—but even those are enough to satisfy the competition. Another company similar to mine would easily pay twenty–thirty million for it.

The only question is who had the opportunity to get hold of the stick. I try to remember when I last used it: it was shortly before Marc arrived. I showed him the stick, put it on the table, and made a phone call.

But what happened then?

There's a knock at the door. "Come in," I call.

London enters and sets my coffee on the desk.

"Do you need anything else?" she asks.

In that instant, it clicks. It could only have been her.

"No. Thank you very much." I observe her. She nods politely and leaves.

She betrayed me. She took a copy of the software and all my data. That’s why she’s looking for a new job. That’s why she wants to leave.

Is that why she also wanted to clean my place? So she could snoop around my home?

I breathe deeply and try to stay calm. If I act hastily now, I won't get the information I need. She must have kept the USB drive in a safe place or has already sold it. I have no evidence whatsoever.

Well,not yetanyway.

Chapter 27