Page 48 of Hidden Chance

“Wait a minute. You’re saying you actually found something in my office that pins this on me?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine what that could be.”

“You had documents related to Burma.”

“The children?”

“Yes. You had reports on the rubber plantations. They contained an awful lot of information about the children working there and about the schools nearby.”

“That’s it?”

“I found a report about exploiting them. Facts and figures. It was very thorough.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I really wish you would have started with that.”

“I figured you’d lie about it.”

“How about I tell you the truth and save us all any more misunderstanding.”

“I’m all ears.”

“I’ve been building a portfolio so I can convince TreadCraft to invest more into the area and improve the standard of living. All that information about exploitation was to put an exclamation point on how important it is for the company to step in and make lasting changes. It’s the whole reason I started working for them in the first place. You really thought I was trying to hurt them?”

“Someone is.”

“Well, it’s definitely not me. And if you don’t believe me, you can ask Pike or anyone else who was in the meeting where I completely humiliated myself by baring my soul in order to convince them that my position was the right one. Obviously, they didn’t go for it.”

Maybe she was a really good liar. Or maybe she was telling the truth. He had a decision to make. “I need to find who’s responsible.”

“Is that really true? Is someone from TreadCraft hurting those kids?”

“Yes.”

She frowned and pushed open the door, entering the lobby.

“Hey, who won the bet?” Titus said.

“I did,” Hannah said.

“You don’t look very pleased with yourself.”

“That’s because this whole night has been a disaster. We’ll see you later.”

Once they were out in the cold, Robby stopped her. “Please. I need more answers. You may not be who I’m looking for, but if you’re not, then that someone is still out there.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Please. You have to know something.”

Hannah’s head spun. The idea that someone at TreadCraft would actually be working against everything she fought so hard for sucked all of her energy away. She sighed and looked up the street at a café that was open.

“Why don’t we skip the warehouse and go get a coffee? Then you can convince me that I should help you.”

“You need convincing?”

“After the way you treated me? Yes. Prove to me that this is really going on, and I will tell you whatever I can.”

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