Clay ended the conversation. Damn. This was crazy. He didn’t know where to go next. Probably contacting most of the larger accounts would be a good idea. Offense was always the best defense. Explain to them what was going on and give his personal assurances that everything was fine. It was thousands of accounts. It was time to call Sophie in to help. She was so efficient she could keep the office running in her spare time but in this situation it was probably a better idea to bring in a couple of secretaries to cover the phones and the administrative part of her job while the two of them got busy.
Clay walked to the connecting door and opened it only to find Sophie’s desk area empty. A hastily scribbled note on top of her desk said she’d gone home. Clay frowned. He’d call her later to make sure she was okay. Or better, stop by her house and check on her in person. Sophie was not one to miss work. Knowing she’d left concerned him. Once he’d returned to his office, he picked up the phone and called Fran Dodson in his human-resources office. She would have two secretaries there to help him within the hour.
* * *
“Ms. Prescott? The doctor will see you now. If you will please come this way.” The nurse smiled as Sophie entered the examining room. Dressed in old-school aqua scrubs, the nurse looked efficient right down to the smile no doubt intended to put the patients at ease. “If you will step on the scale, we can get your weight.” Sophie followed the instructions.
Dr. Hutchinson didn’t keep her waiting very long at all, which was a surprise. He rushed in through the door, closing it behind him, and held his hand out to Sophie. After asking Sophie a multitude of questions, it came down to the one and only query: Could she be pregnant?
“Yes.”
“What symptoms have you noticed?”
“Nausea in the mornings, headache and cravings for strawberries and tuna fish.”
The doctor laughed. “That would pretty well convince me. I’m gonna step out for a minute. If you would please change into the gown on the table? We will run a couple of tests while I examine you and we should be able to confirm yea or nay by this afternoon.”
An hour later Sophie exited the new multistory medical building in a state of shock mixed with absolute bliss. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. She was going to have Clay’s baby.
The carefully manicured lawn around the building was bright green, thick and rich. It was a beautiful background for the multitude of flowers growing in the beds nearby. The trees were in full leaf and the birds that made their home there were singing for all they were worth. But Sophie didn’t hear them. She didn’t notice the flowers or the pleasing scent of the recently mowed lawn. She was two months along, which meant she’d gotten pregnant in May, the night of the masked ball. Their baby would be born in February of the following year.
What would Clay do when he found out? What was she going to do? The best for all concerned would be for her to return to her home in Indiana. She knew her mom and dad would support her through this and she needed that support. They would love her no matter what. They had already proven that.
She didn’t want to go back to Indiana. This was her home now. But she knew she couldn’t stay here. At least not for very much longer. She had two, maybe three months until she began to show. By then she had to tell Clay. It would be so easy to quit her job and disappear. But she couldn’t do that.
Clay had a right to know.
Six
The headline on the front page of the business section of today’s Dallas Times was Everest Compromised—Millions at Stake. The article went on to say that despite attempts by the founder and CEO, Clayton Everett, business tycoon and former cowboy Hall of Famer, to refute rumors that the company had been hacked, new evidence had surfaced that would strengthen the original reports that Everest had, in fact, been compromised.
Clay wadded the paper and threw it across the room, unable to read any more. The first wave of internet stories that he’d
managed to survive would be nothing compared to this. The phones would be ringing off the wall and clients would challenge the security of Everest, resulting in a tsunami crashing to the shore, spreading unparalleled destruction to his life. Without another thought he walked to the inner door.
“Sophie,” Clay said as she hung up the phone.
“That was Judge Mathers.” She smiled. “He would like a return call ASAP.”
“I’ll call him. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
Clay moved aside, indicating she should enter his office. “Please, take a seat. I need to talk with you about something.”
She frowned and immediately sat down in one of the two chairs facing his massive desk.
“Have you heard about the rumors that Everest security was breached?”
“No. Clay...? What are you saying?”
“I’m saying someone is trying to bring down Everest.”
“Why?”
“That is the question. Along with who is doing it.” He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. “Actually, it hasn’t been breached. The company is solid. Someone is spreading rumors trying to sabotage Everest.” He was short and to the point. “This person—or people—is contacting business news sources claiming major security breaches have been found at Everest. As a result, the rumors have spread and our clients have begun pulling their data, leaving multimillion-dollar deals in tatters. Whoever it is has started a firestorm. We’ve traced it back to several websites and comment forums online. From there it was picked up by the newspaper and it’s only a matter of time before it’s picked up by TV news.”
“Why is someone doing this?”