Page 63 of It's Not All Fake

“Okay, what’s the issue then?” I urge her to get to the point. There’s no way Linda pulled me out of my meeting to tell me my girlfriend stopped by.

“The computer guy found something,” Linda whispers as we navigate past the bustling open workspaces of the modern office.

Morning sun floods in from towering floor-to-ceiling windows but I fear that, somehow, a storm is already here.

Linda ushers me into a secluded office where a stocky man with a graying beard sits behind a laptop.

“Mr. Wright,” he stands, offering a hand, “I’m Eugene from Guardian Cybersecurity Group.”

“Liam, please,” I respond, shaking his hand, noting his tense expression—a bad sign in his line of work.

Chloe isn’t here. Turning to Linda, I ask where she is.

“She’s still with Ted,” Linda responds cautiously. “Eugene here wished to speak with you first.”

Eugene cuts in quickly, “Liam, I’m not great with emotional reactions—tears, hysterics, you know. I understand you’re writing my check, so I’d prefer to just report to you and allow you to brief your girlfriend however you see fit.”

He thinks Chloe will become hysterical at the news? What could be so wrong?

I quickly try to calculate the least harmful option. It feels wrong to hear bad news about Chloe’s life before she knows it herself, but on the other hand, perhaps I can shield her from some distress if I can handle it for her.

“Alright.” I exhale, frustrated that it has already taken this long to get to the point. Linda nods and excuses herself, closing the office door behind her.

“Liam, your girlfriend entered her password and left for her meeting. Clearly, she hadn’t tried to log in yet today or else you would already know there’s a problem,” Eugene sits behind the computer, folding his hands over his round belly.

“What’s the problem?” I press, urgency sharpening my voice.

“Though Randy removed some spyware last week, he didn’t find the ransomware.”

Oh, shit.

Eugene elaborates, “Unfortunately, this type of malware can hide in an infected computer until the attack—encrypting files and demanding a ransom.”

I feel the blood draining from my face.

“Has she received a demand?”

I hesitate before knocking on the office door, dreading the difficult conversation that awaits me. Ted’s voice calls me inside, and as I enter the room, Chloe’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Liam!” she exclaims, standing up from her position on the couch as I approach.

I’m about to blow up everything.

With purpose, I wrap my arms around Chloe and give her a deliberate kiss. My display of affection is more than enough to make Ted feel like a third wheel. But as her bearer of bad news, I don’t know how affectionate Chloe will feel toward me in a couple of minutes.

On some level, I wonder if this might be our last intimate moment for a while, and I treat it like the last drink of water before I need to go without.

As Chloe pulls away, I notice the blush on her cheeks.

“Were you missing me?” She giggles, glancing at Ted for his reaction. But he remains unfazed, wearing a polite smile and appearing genuinely happy for us.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I apologize to them both. “But I have some unfortunate news, Chloe.” I watch her smile fall and her green eyes darken. I take hold of her hand. “Ted, you should hear this too.” With that, I lead Chloe back to the couch and we sit down together.

Her forehead is creased with worry as she contemplates all the possibilities.

I don't beat around the bush. "Your client files were breached," I say gently.

Chloe gasps and covers her mouth in shock. "Oh my God."

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