Page 28 of Left of the Slash
“They're analysis reports on every one of our remaining clients,” she answers on an exasperated exhale.
“Okay,” I say, stretching the word out. “And you want me to review them?”
Olivia’s eyebrows raise. “Yes. We need to do an evaluation on all of our clients so that we can chart a path forward. Make sure that every client still on the books is secure, then evaluate their part of the overall budget.”
I frown so hard I feel like I’ll give myself a nosebleed. “Alright. Isn't this on a spreadsheet somewhere? It would be a lot easier on Excel or something.”
“Jon liked to have it printed out,” she replies. “He was old school.”
“So that means I have to be old school?”
“I don't care what you are, Quinn, just get it done.”
With my mouth agape and my eyebrows at the top of my face, I watch Olivia turn around and walk out, and I find myselfwondering if it was an act. I just had her bent over her desklast night, and she has already mastered acting like it didn't happen. I have to shake my head, because even though I'm not catching feelings, I have to admit that I'm stunned by the breakneck switch up.
With raised brows, I pick up the first red folder and open it up. Numbers fly off the white page like insects stinging my face, and my mouth drops open a second time. There are at least ten folders here, and she wants a report on all of thesetomorrow morning? Is she insane?
I scoff as I look at my door, thinking maybe she came back to tell me it was all a joke and that she’d like me to fuck her again as soon as possible, but my doorway is empty, unlike my plate. I drop the folder and lean back in my chair, my eyes raising to the ceiling. I’m caught off guard by how quickly things have changed, but I'm not the one to be sad about it. If she wants to act like it never happened, I'm okay with that. But what I'm not okay with is being bogged by redundancies. I don't give a fuck what Jon used to do. If Olivia is going to throw this at me, then I'm going to handle itmy way.
After a breath, I pick up the red folder again. I open it, then turn to my computer and create a new folder on our encrypted share drive. Then, I get to work.
Time flies when you're … absolutely not having any fun at all because you're completely focused on inputting data into new spreadsheets. When it’s all said and done, I realize I have locked in so much that five hours have burned off the clock, and the end of the day is just a few minutes away. The only time I stepped out of my office was to go use the restroom, and I only allowed myself to do that once so that I could finish faster.
The Excel sheets look great, with tabs at the bottom for each client, and cells on the spreadsheet that add up dollar figures each time a new amount is entered and spit out a sum automatically. I have no idea why Jon would use printed paper and multi-colored highlighters for all of this, but the way I've done it is smarter, faster, and in line with the fact that it is fucking 2025 and we’re a goddamn cybersecurity company. When I lean back in my seat this time, it’s to smile at how I've organized Jon’s mess into something modern and simple in less than a day, when it would've taken me so much longer otherwise.
“Excuse me, Mr. King,” Eden’s voice cuts through my train of thought as she pokes her head into my office. “Miss Lucero has called a meeting in the conference room at the very end of the day.”
I look up at the clock. “So, you mean right now?”
Eden smiles. “Yes.”
“Okay,” I say with a chuckle.
I get up from my seat and walk toward the conference room, but when I see Olivia still sitting in her office, I change course and head straight for her.
“Miss Lucero,” I say jokingly as I knock on her door jamb. She doesn't look amused when she looks at me, clearly still in CEO mode. So, I don't joke. From now on, I'm matching her energy. “I just wanted you to know that I've created a new folder on the share drive. It contains Excel versions of all the red folders you handed me earlier, and each spreadsheet is self-calculating, including all of the financial analysis for each client. There is also a master tracker that has the Obsidian operating budgets. When you change data in the analysis sheets, it will auto-update on the master tracker. So, you won't have to ask for reports on these things again, because the new spreadsheets are always one hundred percent up-to-date with the latest inputs, and the master tracker will always have the big picture report you'relooking for. We’ll need to bring everybody else up to speed so that everyone can perform inputs, but that's the easy part. Oh, and I did it before the end of the day instead of dropping papers on your desk in the morning. Just thought you should know. I apologize for the change, but Jon’s way was slowing the process down.”
Olivia looks at me blankly, her round eyes blinking fast. But I see the moment her mouth twitches upward. She twists her beautiful lips together, trying to hold back a smile she doesn't want me to see, then she clears her throat and rolls her shoulders and neck like she's trying to smooth out tense muscles.
“I see,” she says. “That's … impressive. Thank you, Quinn. Fantastic job. I’ll see you in the conference room in a second.”
She pinches her lips together like there is more she wants to say but chooses not to, so my only option is to nod and walk away, wondering what she was holding back.
When I enter the conference room, I almost laugh at the pitiful looks on Nick and Stephen’s faces. They are clearly lost without their ring leader here to give them confidence, and they don't even make eye contact when I walk in. Both of them are still under investigation for the breaches that Jon orchestrated, so maybe that’s why they're like puppies getting in trouble for having peed in the house. They keep their eyes on the table when I enter, and they barely look up when Olivia comes in after me. I smirk when Stephen makes eye contact with me for a fraction of a second before dropping his eyes so fast I think it would make him dizzy. Shaking my head, I turn to Olivia who stands behind her usual chair instead of sitting in it.
“Alright, everyone,” she begins, making eye contact with each of us. “It’s the end of the day so I don't want to make this any longer than it has to be. Clearly, we have had a lot going on lately, and it all came to an explosive head when Mr. King discovered that Jon was behind the company's breaches. Jonwas subsequently fired,anotherinternal investigation has been launched, and Obsidian is now on the road to recovery. I've spoken to the police multiple times today, and while I am not going to speak on the charges Jon will face, I can tell you that the half-million dollars he stole has been located and will be transferred back into the Obsidian accounts within the week, thanks to the police department’s financial crimes division and our cybersecurity lead, Rob Vaughn.
“Now, with all of that being said, I would also like to announce a decision that I made today. I took my time to think about it, plus did some evaluating of my own … and I have decided that Mr. Quinn King will replace Jon Reid as chief information security officer.”
My eyes nearly pop out of my head. Shock and excitement detonate in my chest as I look around the room and find everyone gawking at me. Nick and Stephen look like they're both about to start crying, while Eden smiles like a proud mother. I have to quickly catch my breath just to speak.
“Oh,” I say, trying to keep my excitement contained. “I wasn't aware that I was even being considered. When I told Jon I was going to take his job yesterday, I was pretty much just talking shit. Wow. Thank you, Miss Lucero.”
Olivia nods her head, but her face is emotionless. “Well, seeing as how you discovered what Jon was doing, and the two people who should've been next in line are both under investigation for possible involvement in Jon’s schemes, I’d say you earned it. Now, unless anyone has anything else, that’ll do it for us today. I’ll see you all in the morning. Quinn, I need to see you in my office before you leave, please.”
“Okay,” I reply as bliss spreads its way to my limbs. Holy shit. I just got promoted again.
Despondency puts its arm around Stephen and Nick as they silently leave the room after Olivia, and Eden walks over to me before she exits.
