“This is making me nervous.Did something happen?Another email?”
His pleasantness faded.“No.We’ll continue to follow leads, but in the meantime, I’d like to make some changes to help?—”
My phone, which I’d silenced earlier this morning, buzzed in my purse.
“Keep going,” I said.
“I don’t mind if you take a call, Sophia.”
“Ms.Elmantas,” I corrected.
His smile returned.“Take the call.It could be your mom.”
“It’s probably my dad.He’s been calling nonstop since I left yesterday.I didn’t want to answer until I knew what was happening.”
My phone quieted.
“Ah.We’re pressing charges against TAS Solutions for receiving stolen data.If you’re willing, talking to your father might help us figure out how that data landed on his desk.”
I wrinkled my nose even as I took out my phone and dialed my father’s number.
Setting it on the desk, I put it on speaker so Konni could hear everything.
“Sophia, why did you send me that data?”Dad demanded the moment he picked up.“Do you understand what you did?Steele’s legal team is threatening prosecution.I need you to talk to them and tell them you did this on your own.”
“You want me to lie?”I asked.
“What do you mean?I had nothing to do with this.”
“Neither did I.Someone else sent that email from my workstation to your company.Who do you know at Steele Corp?”
He let out an angry huff.“Do you think I would bother with Hestian Global if I knew someone at Steele with access to the kind of information sent?”
I met Konni’s gaze and silently indicated Dad made a good point.
“So you’re saying we’re both set up then?”I asked.“Why?Who did you provoke?”
“Not me.You.All you had to do was meet him, Sophia.Instead, you’re acting high and mighty against a man who has the power to crush you.And look what happened.”
I’d forgotten about the repeat widower.
With his track record, was it possible he’d go after me for refusing to marry him?I wasn’t sure.I’d never met him.But if he was willing to exchange an investment contract for a living person, his moral compass was definitely broken.
“I wonder how Mr.Hestian would react if he knew you were pointing your finger in his direction,” I said, testing the waters.
“Sophia,” Dad said, his arrogance and accusation completely gone.Coaxing took its place.“I’m not pointing fingers.I’m simply saying that, out of the two of us, only one of us has made someone angry enough to try to back them into a corner.
“While a legal issue of this size will damage TAS’s reputation, it wouldn’t end the business.However, if you lose your job, you’d be like your mom, struggling to find someone willing to hire you.Mr.Hestian’s proposal would look pretty good to you then, wouldn’t it?
“You can’t face someone like him alone.Let’s help each other.You talk to the people at Steele, convince them it was a misunderstanding, that I don’t know who sent it or why, and I’ll return two percent of TAS’s stock to your mom.”
“Five,” I said without looking at Konni.“And you tell Hestian I’m not interested in marrying him.”
Dad was quiet for a long time.“Okay.Five percent.But, I want a public statement from Steele Corp clearing TAS, like they cleared you.”
“Deal.I expect to have those shares in Mom’s name the same day.”
“Agreed.I’ll wait for the good news.”
