Page 64 of Left of the Slash
I chuckle quietly. “Yeah, but she wasn't happy about it. Said I risked too much by hacking the system, which is true. I was lucky it worked out, but she and I haven't spoken since.”
“Oof,” Rob exclaims. “That’s cold. You lock down a company-saving deal for her and she ghosts you immediately after? That’s how people end up in their villain era.”
“You ain’t lying,” I reply. “But it’s cool. It might take a while, but if she's moving on from me, I’ll eventually do the same. I’ll come up, get in better shape, or some other shit that men do to make themselves feel better about being left hanging, and that’ll be it.”
“Shorty was like a siren,” he says. “She chewed you up and spit you out, man. That’s what happens when you're messing with those older women.”
I smirk, remembering how her age came into play in the depths of the playhouse. “Well, it wasn't all bad.”
The conference room table fills up, each seat occupied by a different department head and those of us who work in the executive wing. Eden comes in and takes a seat in the corner closest to the head of the table, and we nod to each other as she sits down. Eden and I have had an unspoken love for each other for a while now, but it has really peaked since the EWB meeting. It’s almost like she knows Olivia was in the wrong that day, but her loyalty to her friend won't allow her to say it. I'm not mad at it. That’s the way a true friend gets down. She won't say anything to me, but I get the sense that she has said a few things on my behalf when it’s just her and Olivia behind closed doors.
After Eden and I exchange a glance, the glass doors open again, and Olivia’s presence fills the room—her fragrance, her aura, her vibrance, her beauty. She struts in with a new sense of confidence that I'm not sure I've seen on her. Her face isn't as tight as it usually is. She has a smirk that won't leave her lips, and even her clothes—a black skirt with a black and gray blazer over a white blouse—seem to fit differently. She steps to the front of the room, stealing all of the air, and never looks at me once. After everything that has happened between us, I know something like that isn't an accident. It’s her way of reminding me that she and I are through.
“Good morning, everyone,” she begins, smiling bigger than I've ever seen her smile in this room. Usually, this conference room is teeming with hostility and arguments. Today, it’s filled with her obvious pride. “I apologize for being a bit behind schedule. I needed to send an important email before coming in because I won't have a chance to get back to my office once we’re done here. I have a meeting scheduled with our lawyers and the lawyers of East-World Bank, so I’ll have to keep this short and sweet.”
She takes a deep breath before continuing. Still, not a single glance my way. A siren indeed.
“The reason I've called all of the department heads here today,” she goes on, “is because I need to inform you of our newest client. As of three days ago, Obsidian Securities has reached an agreement with East-World Bank that will make us their new cybersecurity team. A new client will mean additions across the board to ensure that we protect them and their assets to the best of our ability. Our finance team will link with theirs, we will have to add their files to our servers and appoint a liaison and customer service rep for their team as well. It’s a lot of work bringing on a new client, especially one as massive as EWB. We’re still finalizing all of our numbers, but from the looks of it, this deal will be somewhere in the ballpark of six years, for a total of around five million dollars … per year.”
Eyebrows in the room immediately shoot the tops of faces. Jaws stretch down to the floor and I think I hear a few audible gasps. Thirty million dollars is far bigger than anything the people in this room have ever known Obsidian to deal with, and they know that amount of money puts the company into a new realm of possibilities. We are about to grow, and so is their income.
Out of nowhere, an applause breaks out. Joy is born in the room that has had nothing but negativity in it since I moved up here, and I see Olivia smile with her entire face. This is what she wanted the whole time—to see her father's company winning—and even through our bullshit, I'm happy to see her get it. Obsidian is safe now.
Olivia raises a hand, bringing the applause to an end. Then she takes another deep breath and begins again.
“Obviously, this is a major event for our company,” she says. “And I would just like to say that as happy as I am about reaching this deal, I want you all to know that it wasn't me whomade it happen. I went into the meeting with talking points and numbers at hand. I spouted it all off from memory and the EWB board didn't go for it. They actually told us no. They were comfortable with the partnership they had in place, and they had no intention of budging. It wasn't until Mr. Quinn King took matters into his own hands.”
Olivia finally looks at me, and I see clear and obvious reverence in her eyes. I suddenly see gratitude emanating from her gaze as she looks at me in a way that she never has while we’re in this building. It’s enough to push me back into my seat, totally caught off guard.
“Quinn refused to take no for an answer,” she says, still looking right at me. “In fact, he used his own laptop to hack into the Palo Alto security system, and he locked the CFO out of his own account … right there at the table, in the middle of the meeting. It was the most extraordinary, brilliant, amazing thing I've ever seen, and it’s the reason that Joel Epson didn't have a choice but to accept our proposal. He risked his career, and let’s be honest, even his freedom to get us this deal. I was too blind to see it at first, but it’s as clear as day to me now just how incredible his sacrifice was. It’s not every day that someone risks jail time, but he did it for me … for us. So, I would like you all to direct all of your applause, graciousness, and thanks toward our very own CISO, Mr. Quinn King.”
The applause returns, but this time it’s only for me. Everybody in the room turns to me with smiles on their faces as they clap, and my heart fills with their joy. I look at Olivia and find her clapping too, but the way she looks at me isnothinglike the way everyone else does. There's an emotion in her that reaches out and grabs me by the heart, pulling right back to where I was before the night she left me in the playhouse by myself.
“So,” she says, trying to regain control of the room. “As I said before, there is a lot of work that comes with bringing ina new client, and I need you all to prep your departments for what's coming. It is my hope that this deal will be signed in the next day or two, and we will begin taking over EWB’s accounts in a month, the second their contract with Palo Alto ends. So, congratulations, everyone. Thanks to Q, we just graduated to the big leagues. Now, let’s get to work.”
With a gracious nod, Olivia blesses us with one last smile before she leaves the room. I watch her go, hoping for a chance to talk to her, but I'm bombarded by people patting me on the back and thanking me for what I did. I shake a hundred hands and make my face hurt from smiling so much before I'm able to leave the conference room. By the time I'm out, the lights in Olivia’s office are off. I guess she really did have a meeting right after ours ended.
Feeling both confused by her actions—like calling me Q in front of everyone—and excited about everything, I dap up Rob and make my way back to my office, where I sit down and turn on my computer. I have my own preparations to make for the new files that will come with the EWB account, and it’s never too early to start looking for our next addition to the Obsidian team. Once my computer hums to life, I go into my email and immediately find a new one … from Olivia.
My eyes bulge. “The hell?”
I click the email and read it to the bottom, and try as I might, I can't help my smile.
Q,
I can't tell you how sorry I am for the way I reacted after the meeting. I was wrong. In fact, I have been wrong for a while now, but Idon't want my words to be how I show you. I know that you're much more motivated by actions, so if you're free tonight, I'd like for you to come over. I’ll be home by 7. If you decide not to come, I totally understand and will have earned that response. Either way, I am so sorry for how I've treated you, and I appreciate absolutely everything you have done for me. I don't just mean EWB. I meaneverything. Thank you, Q.
Olivia
FORTY - Quinn
Pulling into Olivia’s driveway, I have no idea what to expect. There has been nothing but static between us since we left the EWB parking lot, and while I've done a lot of thinking about my future and what I need to do in order to make it brighter and happier, I don't have any inkling about what has been going through Olivia’s mind. She basically went into a cocoon after the pitch, and she emerged this morning with brand new wings fluttering in the conference room. I don't think I'd ever seen so much happiness and surety in her eyes before, and that was before she ever glanced at me. Then … the email. She apologized and thanked me before asking me to come here, but she also accepted that I might not show and took responsibility for earning to be ignored. I don't know where all of it came from, but the fact that I'm here proves that I'm ready to find out.
When I reach her door, I have to knock once before I see her silhouette approaching through the frosted, elegant glass. I can make out white pants and a matching top, and when she opens the door, my suspicions are confirmed. Olivia looks like an angel in all-white loungewear, with her hair untied and hanging loosely down her back and over her shoulders. Her makeup is lightly applied—no eyeliner or mascara, just foundation and lip gloss that makes me marvel at how good she looks. I know women don't give a fuck about what men think about their makeup for the most part, so I don't bother to tell her that she looks incredible with or without it. Even now, with what I know is her bare minimum, she is absolutely radiant. Now that I think about it, I wish shedidn'tlook so good right now. That email may have given me hope, but I have no idea what’s about to happen once we’re both on the other side of her glass door.
“Fuck,” I say as soon as the door is open.
“What's the matter?” she asks.
