Page 67 of The Mogul: Leonard

“Let’s go spank the mint before someone does something they might regret.” I grin at her.

She lets out a soft chuckle but doesn’t protest when I lead her toward the others, bringing our conversation to a close and lifting a weight from my chest.

23

Leonard

Trish, sitting next to Benjamin across the desk, looks at me. Their deep frowns reveal their concerns about what Roxanne and I discovered.

“So, this is why you’re delaying the acquisition,” Benjamin correctly assumes.

I nod in response. “I need to learn more about the situation. We still don’t know what information is being stolen or how they are handling it.”

“This explains the rumors circulating about this operation. We kept everything confidential under a non-disclosure agreement, and yet someone still found out.”

I considered that and reached the same conclusion: there’s no way someone would risk being sued for breach of contract, especially when this acquisition benefits both parties.

“What do you want to do about it?” Benjamin asks.

I take a deep breath. “Roxanne and I are working to find out who did this, and then we will decide how to proceed with what we discover.”

He nods. “The FBI will probably be involved.”

The weight in my chest doubles. That seems like the best course of action. Someone is stealing confidential industry secrets; otherwise, they wouldn’t have breached the system. This means there will be an investigation and legal actions—something I don’t want to deal with, but it seems inevitable at this point.

“I can’t think of a scenario where we can avoid this,” I confirm.

“What a mess,” Trish murmurs, shaking her head.

“Tell me about it,” I reply, rubbing a hand over my face.

“Why don’t you ask Oliver for help with this? He knows the company better than anyone else,” she suggests.

I glance at Benjamin and notice an expression on his face that I can’t quite place. Is it anger? Worry? I’m not sure.

I turn back to Trish. “He’s not in the right state of mind to help with this. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want to get involved and thinks I should just leave the problem alone since they’re not stealing money,” I explain, simplifying a situation that’s much more complex.

She scoffs in disbelief. “What the heck? If this isn’t more important than money, then what is? Is he all right? I understand he has personal reasons to be upset, but that doesn’t mean he can just turn his back on the company,” she states matter-of-factly.

I know she has a point. The sensible thing would be to put him on paid leave until he sorts out his issues, but I don’t want him to feel excluded from the company he founded. Any other person in my position would have fired him on the spot, but I can’t bring myself to do that, even if it goes against the company’s best interests.

“Can you trust this Roxanne?” Benjamin asks.

They are unaware of my personal involvement with her, and I’m unsure if I should tell them. Ultimately, my lack of judgment could jeopardize this company. Right now, I trust her completely, but I understand their doubts, especially if they find out I have crossed that line and my feelings are involved.

I decide to remain neutral. “I have no doubts about her.”

“Are you thinking with your brain or your little brother down there?” Trish asks, a smug smile on her face.

I raise an eyebrow, silently questioning her. I never told her about my attraction to Roxanne. We don’t share everything about our personal life.

“Come on, everyone in this office knows there’s something going on between you two. They’re even placing bets on when you’ll go public with your relationship,” she chuckles.

Well, I didn’t anticipate that. I thought we were maintaining a professional facade around here.

I turn toward Benjamin, and this time, he is silently asking a question. I let out a sigh.

“My personal involvement has nothing to do with my trust in Roxanne. I hired her because she’s an excellent hacker and one of the few people in this world capable of tracking down who is behind this.” The confidence in my voice is unmistakable.

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