Page 92 of Analysing Her Assets

Odd.

His landline buzzed with Sonya on the other side.

“Yehuda wants you up here. Now,” she barked and disconnected.

“Manners,” Gideon muttered to the dead phone. He smoothed his disheveled hair and wished his shirt was ironed. He’d worn the same one from last night. Same pants too. He wondered what Keynan wanted and why Tamar was already there. This couldn’t be good.

He approached Sonya, who motioned with her head to go in. Gideon entered and was astounded by the number of people already there. There was Tamar, his Tamar, looking frightened.

“Gideon...” she said.

“Are you trying to warn your boyfriend?” Danny sneered.

“Boyfriend?” Keynan and N asked together.

Tamar blushed and looked guilty. If this was about him and Tamar, what were Danny, Nir, and Yelena doing here? Gideon remained quiet.

“They are a couple,” Danny stated. “And his real name isn’t Gideon Sela. It’s Gideon Berdichevsky. Did you know that?” he asked N. Gideon told Ada from HR, naturally, but he said nothing to N, figuring that since he didn’t cover the chemistry or the industrial sector, it didn’t matter. He wished now that he had. “His father owns Berdiplast. Am I right?”

“Yes,” Gideon answered. “But I’m quitting Peaks. I want to date Tamar and I don’t want to break any HR rules. Is this what this meeting is about? Tamar and me were meeting N this morning to tell her that, right Tamar?”

Tamar was pale.

“Gideon...” she started again.

“Be quiet, Tamar,” Danny said. “Gideon, I told Yehuda to ask you up here just so he could see what a nice couple you are.” It was clear that he was the one conducting the meeting. Not Keynan, and not Nathanela. “Tamar is blaming me of being a criminal. Helping your company’s CFO to raise share prices, to help your convertible and his option plan along.”

“I know nothing about it. I don’t believe my father or his CFO would be involved in this,” Gideon said. But was his father aware, or suspecting? Was that why Young Doron was so notoriously absent from yesterday’s festivities?

“Your girlfriend does.”

He looked at Tamar, who couldn’t meet his eyes.

“She herself is crooked, and so she thinks everyone else is,” Danny said. “She asked Nir and me to help her with share prices so she would win the analyst competition. Said we should bet on her and make more money that way. I told Yehuda all about it.” Danny’s back was straight, his arms crossed on his chest, his legs slightly apart.

“No way!” Tamar said heatedly.

“That’s absurd,” Nathanela said. “Tamar has won the competition the last couple of years, she doesn’t need your help, or anyone’s.”

“She needed me this year, at least she needed me at first, before she seduced this guy into quitting. You quit now in time for her to get the position and the prize, right?”

Gideon didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. It was true, and there was no point denying it.

“But,” Danny continued, “the CFO of his father’s firm, the CFO of Berdiplast, approached me. I have him recorded. Tamar knew this, right Tamar? But because he is her boyfriend, she sat on it.”

Gideon glanced at Tamar and realized she knew. That Danny was telling the truth.

“Sounds terrible. And having a workplace romance in the same department is forbidden in Peaks. You should have notified HR,” Nir said. Gideon wondered how they all knew everything. Yelena, Tamar’s friend, was standing behind Danny as if she wanted to disappear.

“She tried with me first,” Danny said. “Tamar asked me out first. We even kissed once.” Yelena gasped. “Sorry, I know it’s forbidden, but she seduced me. I couldn’t, I’m just a man.”

Keynan nodded, obviously believing everything Danny said. “It was right after our presentation meeting.” Danny laid a large palm on the round-eyed Yelena’s shoulder.

Gideon looked at Tamar’s blank, shocked face. Danny walked her home and kissed her. The best lies were half-truths.

“Tamar and Nathanela, do you have any proof to present?” Keynan asked.

“No, well, yes. Yelena has all the records. She can show you patterns,” Tamar stuttered.

---