Page 10 of Left of the Slash
So, come on, Quinn. Keep it together. This is business. No pleasure allowed.
When I step in front of her threshold, I see Olivia sitting at her desk, her eyes focused on her computer screen, her eyebrows knitting together in a scowl that seems to almost never leave her face. She twists her lips as she reads, and I watch her, letting a few seconds pass before clearing my throat to draw her attention over to me. Our eyes meet and she doesn't smile.
“Oh. Hey. Come on in, Quinn,” she says without a care, almost like she forgot that she asked me to come.
“Hey,” I reply, matching her energy as I step into the office and sit in the same seat I was in last time. I play it as cool as she does, making sure my shoulders are relaxed and my voice is devoid of any emotion besides indifference. I’m completely monotone when I ask, “How was your day?”
Olivia turns her chair toward me and squints. “My day? My day was … another shitty day in a long string of shitty days, but thanks for asking at least. We lost two more clients this afternoon. Two. Our client list is crumbling like stale bread, and I still don't even know what caused this meltdown. So, with all of that in mind, I really hope you've got some good news on this breach, Quinn. I could really use a win right now.”
I clear my throat. “Damn. I'm sorry about the clients. I know that's the last thing you wanted and the exact opposite of what Obsidian needs. But I do have a bit of new info on the breach. It won’t place the final piece to the puzzle, but it’s better than nothing.”
Olivia brings her hand to her face and rubs the bridge of her nose. “All right. Give it to me.”
“So, Rob’s team and I were able to track some of the data from Judge Knight’s server. It turns out that the DAV wasn't implanted via a hack. The judge was sent an email with a link embedded leading to a dead page. He clicked it, was sent to the page, assumed the link was broken, then backed out and deleted the email, but the damage was already done. As soon as he clicked the link, the DAV was downloaded to his server and it was over.”
Olivia lets out a loud, angry sigh. “Why would he click the link, and who the hell sent the email?”
“Well,” I say with a frown. “That’s the dumb part. The email was from a proxy, offering nude photos of celebrities from the ages of fifteen to twenty. They even had a photoshopped image of Zendaya’s face on a naked body. I guess the judge felt enticed.”
“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me,” Olivia snaps, rolling her eyes and falling back in her chair. “What is it about men? Why do you all do dumb, horny shit like this? I need you to speak up for your gender, because this is ridiculous. You'retelling me that my company is up against the ropes, taking hit after hit because a sixty-four-year-old married man couldn't fight the temptation of seeing Zen-fucking-daya naked? Please tell me you're joking.”
“I wish I was, and with all due respect, the last thing I would ever do is try to explain away men's actions. Most of the shit we do is unexplainable. However, there is a silver lining at the end of this dark and horny tunnel.”
Olivia pinches her lips together to fight back a smirk, even clearing her throat to settle herself before nodding for me to continue.
“I noticed something when looking at the proxy server’s IP address. It turns out that Judge Knight wasn't the only person who received the email. The proxy sent the same email to all of Obsidian’s clients.”
Olivia frowns hard. “What? How would they have access to all of our clients?”
“Exactly. Whoever is behind this sent the same email to everyone doing business with Obsidian Cyber, just hoping to find someone dumb enough to click the link. They were phishing and it worked big time. But what that tells us is that someonehas access to information that they shouldn't. We still have a lot of work to do, but at least now we know what we’re dealing with.”
“So, either the company’s data has been breached—which would make us look evenlesssecure than we already do—or this person … is a current or former employee. There are no other possibilities right? It has to be one of those three things.”
I lean back in my seat and nod at Olivia putting it all together. “That’s right.”
She lets out a sigh, and I watch the realization wash over. We both know that our options are limited, but the most likely scenario is that an employee of Obsidian is behind the breach, we just have to find out who.
After a moment of letting the new information settle, Olivia looks me in the eye and says, “You're going to stay on top of this, right?”
“Of course I am,” I answer. “I told you before that I got you and I meant it. I'm going to find out who did this, we’re going to announce it publicly, and then we’re going to shore up our clientele. I won’t let you down, Olivia. You can trust me.”
Olivia’s eyes linger for seconds that feel like days. “Okay. Good. As much as I don't like Jon, I'm glad the last thing he did as interim CEO was promote you. I bet your wife is glad to have such a smart guy around she can depend on.”
A wife comment? Out of the blue? Did she just fish for information?
I lick my lips and smile at the comment because I know what it means. Maybe I'm not the only one who is attracted to the other. So, with a smirk still tugging at my lips, I lift my left hand and display my naked ring finger.
“No wife,” I say.
“No? Didn't Jon say you were twenty-seven? Why aren't you married yet?” she asks.
“Haven't been able to find the right one,” I reply, suddenly remembering that the building is completely empty besides the two of us. “But I don't know why you're asking me about marriage when you're thirty-five and unmarried. I'm not the only one without a ring on my finger.”
She scoffs as she glances down at her hand. “I'm married to my career.”
“You just became CEO.”
“Okay, then I'm married to being successful,” she says quickly. “My father was a hard ass who made sure that his one and only child was a determined, focused, work-till-you-drop type of girl. He raised me to be a boss, and that’s what I've always been. Now that I have his company, I'm even more locked in. So,marriage and commitment arenoton my to-do list until I feel like I've accomplished enough in this life. I have to lead the life Dad wanted me to lead. I’m a little work-obsessed, if we’re being honest.”
