Page 20 of Slipperless 5

“But, what we need to talk about right now is far more serious than any perceived surprises on my part.”

My statement riveted her attention and Fiona snapped her posture upright.

“I don’t like the sound of that. Does this have something to do with lab work?”

I shook my head.

“I wish it were that simple, Fiona. I really do.”

“Gabe, you’re scaring me. What’s this all about?”

I took a deep inhale and leaned back in my chair, remaining silent for a moment or so. My delay only served to agitate Fiona’s worried state.

“Gabe… Please, just tell me. What’s going on?”

“Fiona, I won’t mince words. I’ve learned from Don Cabot that one of our rivals is apparently well on their way to development of a protocol which will compete with our technology.”

No sooner had I uttered those words than Fiona jerked her body forward.

“That’s impossible! How can that be?”

I nodded and gestured for her to calm down.

“These kind of things do happen in business, Fiona. Industrial espionage is nothing new.”

A deep frown creased Fiona’s forehead as she tried to make sense of what I said.

“Espionage? What do you mean? Are you suggesting there’s someone working on the project within the company who is trading our secrets?”

“At this point were still gathering information, so it’s too soon to tell exactly what’s happened. But, yes, the initial suspicion is our proprietary technology has been sold to the highest bidder.”

“Oh my God,” Fiona said, in a whisper. She drew her eyes up to meet mine once more. “Gabe, that’s terrible, I don’t know what to say.”

One of the things about being successful is sometimes you have to say and do things that are extremely uncomfortable. But business is a cruel mistress and demands absolute honesty and integrity at all times. There’s no room for deception if you want to be successful over the long run. And so, as much as I hated to do it, I had to. Losing the technological advantage of the Link Protocol to a competitor would be devastating at this point.

I really had no choice.

“Fiona,” I began, as I leaned my body towards the conference table, matching her posture. “You only have to answer this question one time. All I ask is that you be honest with me.”

Fiona frowned as I finished speaking.

“Gabe, what are you talking about?”

As difficult as it was, the fact remained Fiona had a true incentive for monetary gain. I’d never spoken of it to Don, but for whatever reason, he’d insisted Fiona at least be questioned.

“Just let me finish, Fiona.” I said, in the most reassuring tone I could muster. “This is a large company with many conflicting interests. And, even though I may be CEO, I’ve got people to answer to as well. For the record, I don’t happen to think that you’re involved whatsoever, but you are in a key position and you have had serious financial problems. So, I’m left with little choice but to ask you if you have any knowledge of this illicit activity.”

I hadn’t exactly been looking forward to this conversation since Don made me aware of the problem earlier in the day. In fact, I’d imagined any number of responses from Fiona. They ranged from hysterical crying to accusatory finger-pointing, all done at a shrill pitch. But, neither one of those circumstances manifested itself. Rather, as I finished asking the question, Fiona’s angry frown lines melted away. In their place, her skin smoothed and her complexion relaxed.

“Gabe, I would never do that to you. Not ever, and not for all the money in the world.”

From years of negotiation, I’d learn to become an expert at spotting a liar. Right then, I realized that I wasn’t sitting across from one. As I believed, she was innocent.

“Thank you, Fiona,” I said, as I locked eyes with her. “Not so much for your honesty but for the mature way you handled my question. I know it wasn’t easy to hear, and believe me it wasn’t easy to ask.”

Fiona looked away from me for a moment. As she did, she shook her head, almost as if she were disappointed.

Curious, I asked, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled.

“Well, it’s obviously something. You can tell me.”

Just then, she turned her head, looking at me once more. Only this time, when our eyes met, hers had begun to fill with tears. Given the way she’d so calmly answered my question, the last thing I expected her to do was cry.

“What’s this all about? Why are you getting upset?”

She just continued to shake her head and not long after, her cheeks began to glisten as tears rolled down them.

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