09

Chapter 7

Sitting in the office with the CEO, Moonlight's president, Sasha, was on the phone, getting her usual updates from Camilla. "So, there haven't been any hiccups during the trip?"

"No, everything has gone pretty smoothly," Camilla answered over the speaker. "Things have gone... surprisingly well, actually."

"Well, that's great," Sasha said while looking up at Mister Hawthorne. "And just to make sure; still no signs of a laptop, right? "

"Not that I've seen."

Raising her eyebrows, Moonlight's president took a deep breath before responding, "Well, I guess that's all really good news then."

"Great. I'll keep an eye out in case anything comes up."

"Sounds good, Camilla. We'll talk later."

As Sasha ended the call, she looked at Hawthorne and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess everything checks out."

"The security team must have been right then," the CEO suggested, still looking uncomfortable. "It must have just been an error in the system."

"What a relief. And it sounds like the outreach trip is going to be a big success. This is big news for both Sunshine Industries and Moonlight."

"Yes, the shareholders are going to love this."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the office door. A member of the public relations team walked in with a concerned look on his face. "Mister Hawthorne..." he called out, holding a stack of papers. "I have some bad news."

Getting up from his seat, the CEO looked at the PR man and asked, "Bad news? How bad?"

"There is a rumor circulating... It has the potential to be devastating if true..."

***

"Who was that?" Leah asked, as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"That was just Sasha," Camilla answered from the passenger seat.

Just like any normal day, they were on their way to the conference center together. On this particular day, however, things were a little different considering the experience they shared the previous night.

Feeling awkward about the way she conducted herself, Camilla sat quietly as she stared out the window. She almost cringed, thinking about some of the things had she said and done, so she figured it would be best if they just didn't talk about it.

Leah, on the other hand, was not afraid to bring the subject up. After noticing Camilla's quiet demeanor, she abruptly asked, "So, what did you think of last night?"

Startled, Camilla looked up with her eyes wide open. After taking a second to gather herself, she asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

"We had sex last night, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember... but... what exactly do you want to talk about?"

The raven-haired woman glanced over for a second and noticed how uncomfortable the blonde looked. Still, her curiosity was so strong that she couldn't stay quiet. "Did I do a good job?"

"Umm.. yeah, you did a good job," Camilla answered, completely red in the face. "Why? Are you worried or something?"

"Well, that was the first time I've ever had sex with a woman," Leah pointed out, shrugging her shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't do anything wrong."

"No... nothing was wrong... I enjoyed everything..."

Blowing a sigh of relief, the raven-haired woman replied, "Good, because it was the first time I've done a lot of that stuff. Obviously, I haven't eaten someone out before since you're the first woman I've ever been with, but I've never really done any anal play either, so I wanted to make sure I did it to your liking..."

"Okay, okay!" the blonde interrupted, squirming from the embarrassment. "I really liked it but we don't have to do a full play-by-play, do we?"

"Okay, sorry. I have my answer, so we can just sit here and pretend nothing happened now."

"Thank you," Camilla replied before looking out the window. Then, as she stared at Leah's reflection for a moment, she turned and quietly asked, "You... you enjoyed it too... right?"

Raising her eyebrows to stop herself from smiling, Leah answered, "I enjoyed it."

After a moment of awkward silence, Camilla looked down at her lap before glancing at Leah. "Sorry for crying so much last night..."

"That's okay. I think you just needed to cry."

"Yeah... Thank you for understanding..."

***

That same morning, Eddie found himself walking downstairs, knowing exactly where he would find Peter. Once he reached his business partner, he stood in front of the table and asked, "Did you hear the news?"

Peter looked up and, without changing his expression, asked, "Do you mean the supposed rumors?"

"Yeah, the rumor. It looks like the word is starting to spread."

"I knew eventually people would discover Sunshine isn't the squeaky clean company it presents itself to be."

"How long before they come running to us for help?" Eddie asked, shaking his head.

Taking a sip of this drink, Peter replied, "Us? Maybe never. My bet is that they go to Miss Camilla and see if she'll talk to us."

"I agree. It sure is funny how things work themselves out sometimes."

***

With it being one of the last days before the group headed back to New York, Camilla was extremely busy at the conference center, getting in all her final and last-minute meetings. During one of her breaks, she received a phone call that sent shock waves through her body. That name caused her to freeze every time she saw it on her phone, but it caused an even bigger reaction after the night she had with Leah.

"Jane?!" Camilla answered, as she looked around. "How are you?"

"I'm okay... How is everything going out there?"

"It's going... well... Why do you ask?"

"Uhh... there are some crazy rumors going around over here," Jane answered with a hesitant voice. "Have you, by chance, heard about them?"

"No, I haven't," the Latina responded in a confused tone. "What kind of rumors?"

"Do you remember that mole rumor?"

"Yeah...?"

"Apparently, it's become much bigger than just taking screenshots," Jane explained in a serious tone. "The rumor is that this mole has a bunch of dangerous information that makes the company look really bad. Us Branch Directors and everyone above have received memos saying the information the mole has is fake, but if this information is presented to the shareholders, it might raise enough concerns for Sunshine to lose most of its investment money."

"Oh, no... But you said the information is fake, right?"

"Yeah, the Chief financial officer said the information has been skewed to make the company look bad. Maybe they have some kind of investment hedge against Sunshine and they just want to scare the big investors off."

"That's horrible," Camilla responded, despite her lack of confidence in her own financial expertise. "Is there any way of finding this mole and proving the numbers are wrong?"

"I don't know," Jane answered with a defeated voice. "There is even a rumor that the damaging information is already on a flash drive. Who knows if it'll just show up at some investing company's desk? We will have a PR nightmare on our hands if that happens."

"Well, what can we do?! There has to be something, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I called you. We need good news to counteract these rumors and the biggest story we have is the new direction Moonlight is taking us with this outreach team. Apparently, we're going to have an emergency shareholders' meeting so the CFO can smooth out some of these issues and the company also wants Peter to do a presentation on it."

"Wait, really? They want Peter to present our findings?"

"That's what I've heard, and that's why I called you. Apparently, you guys are a big key to Sunshine surviving this messy situation."

Camilla sat there frozen for a few seconds, trying to collect her thoughts. Never in a million years did she think her big and successful company would be on the verge of something so devastating. And never could she have imagined that she would play such a key role in the company's survival.

After a deep breath, the blonde assured that everything was going well and Peter would have positive news to deliver. "I'm very confident in the work we've done here. Peter and Eddie have been all business. When it comes to financials and work ethic, I've never met anyone as squared away as them."

"I'm confident in you," Jane replied, sounding hopeful. "I've heard the company has had personality issues with Peter in the past, but if he's as good as you say he is, I'll trust your judgment."

"I'll talk to him tonight. Hopefully, he has a plan in place and can help prove these rumors false as well."

"Thanks, Camilla! Please let me know how it goes."

"Okay. Got to go now. Bye."

As Camilla ended her phone call, she noticed Leah walking up. For some reason, she felt a bit nervous facing her after getting off the phone with the last woman she had feelings for.

Taking a seat next to her at the table, Leah asked, "Who was that?"

"Uh... it was one of my coworkers back in New York."

"Was it Jane?"

Feeling a jolt going through her body, Camilla stiffened up before answering, "Yeah... but it was just work related..."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Leah responded with a giggle. "I just wanted to know why you looked so worked up."

After a sigh of relief, the reality of Jane's message started to worry Camilla again. Seeing Leah as the only one she could really confide in, she explained, "Apparently, there's a mole out there who has stolen information from our company and skewed it to make it look bad. Sunshine is afraid it will be really damaging for the shareholders of the company. They're looking at Peter, Eddie and me to bring back really positive news for the future of our company."

"Oh, my God... That's really heavy..."

"I know... I mean, I don't really understand how it works, but she said that even if the numbers are fake, it would create enough negative publicity that the shareholders could sell out. At that point, I don't know what would happen.

"Your company would probably be facing bankruptcy," Leah explained with a bitter face. "That's the fear that uncertainty brings. At that point, you would just have to pray that investors see this as a buying opportunity, or that another company decides to absorb Sunshine. Either way, everyone's future at the company would be in doubt."

"They want Peter and the CFO to do a presentation for the shareholders in hopes of smoothing things over. She said they were looking for really positive news from this trip. Even though it's been very successful, I don't know if we have anything positive enough to combat such a crazy rumor."

"Well, you do have one thing on your side," the raven-haired woman said, holding up a finger. "You have Fang, who is a pretty big star in China. I'm picking her up later so she can show you the pictures from the photo shoot she did. If they look good, and you guys can sign her to a big contract, the investors will be chomping at the bits, knowing the potential to spread into the world's biggest market."

"Hey, that's true!" Camilla exclaimed, grabbing both of Leah's hands. "Oh my God, you're so smart!"

"Just finish the rest of your meetings and I'll go pick her up right now! That way, all three of us can make a plan for what you should say to Peter."

"I'll call him right now and you guys can sign your contracts with him today, so we'll have it in place."

"Sounds great to me," Leah said with a comforting smile.

Giving the raven-haired woman a tight hug, Camilla whispered into her ear, "Thank you so much... for everything..."

***

Just as Camilla had hoped, Fang's photos came out beautifully; exactly what Moonlight Industries was looking for. With this exciting information on hand, there was a big smile on the talent evaluator's face as she brought the two women back to the hotel to negotiate their contracts.

Camilla was a bit surprised, however, to find Peter by himself at the bar. "Hey... where's Eddie?" she asked, looking around.

Peter raised his eyes and stared at the three women for a moment before taking a sip from his glass. Then, pulling out the paperwork, he explained, "Eddie's busy, so I'll just do the contracts."

"Oh... I'm just so used to him doing them..."

"Even though he's the legal representative, I still know how the contracts work. I can do it."

Although Camilla was caught a bit off guard, she still wanted to give Peter the speech she had been reciting in her head the entire day. With a deep breath, she gathered herself before explaining, "Jane called earlier and said the shareholders received some bad news about our company, but I think executing these two contracts will be a big help for Sunshine's outlook! Fang here is a popular model in China, and I think with Leah's help, we can make a big move into that market!"

A moment of silence went by as the women stood there awkwardly, just waiting for Peter to say something. However, after noticing that he was not only going to remain silent but that he had no reaction at all, Camilla continued, "I just thought... that would be good for the Shareholders' Meeting..."

Finally, Peter spoke up, saying, "I got it, Miss Camilla." Then, with another sip from his drink, he assured, "I have everything taken care of. Our numbers look good."

"Oh, okay..." Camilla replied, feeling silly for presenting a business strategy to someone so revered in the financial world. She then patted both Leah and Fang on the back before expressing, "Anyway... I recommend they both receive contracts from Moonlight."

Nodding his head, the man looked at Camilla before responding, "That's fine." He then asked them to both take a seat before suggesting that Camilla leave the room so he could speak to them privately.

Once the talent evaluator was gone, Leah sat there nervously as she noticed Peter's eyes fixating on her. Trying to lighten the mood, she jokingly said, "Long time no talk, Mister Peter."

"Right," the man responded, looking unamused.

Trying once again to cut the tension, Leah put her hand on Fang's shoulder before explaining, "Oh, she actually doesn't speak English, so I'll be translating for her. Is that okay with you?"

"I don't need you to translate," Peter responded as he placed several documents in front of the two women. "Here are all the endorsement deals. I have them printed in Mandarin as well. They're all pretty self-explanatory. Sign whichever one you want."

"Wait... Sign whichever contract I want?" Leah asked with a confused expression.

"Yeah, I don't care. Pick the best one or the worst one. Makes me no difference."

"If you don't care which contract we sign, then why did you even meet with us at all?"

"Because I have something else I want to talk about," Peter responded, staring at Leah with his cold, dark eyes.

Feeling a rush of adrenaline going through her body, Leah asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You already have whatever deal you want. I'm not blackmailing you, but I need you to keep this between you and me. You can't translate this to her and you definitely can't tell Miss Camilla."

"Okay," the brunette responded, taking a deep breath. "I promise I won't say anything."

"First of all, I need to know if you've been contacted by an FBI agent."

"Me? No! Why would an FBI agent contact me?"

"We'll get to that later," the man said as he stared at the woman across from him, trying to decipher whether she was lying or not. "More importantly, I need to know... do you really care about Miss Camilla?"

Leah was frozen completely solid for a moment, with a million thoughts running through her mind. She couldn't figure out why Peter would ask such a question and whether or not he was aware of the things they did the previous night.

After a deep gulp, she nodded her head before telling the truth. "Yes, I care about her."

"Good," Peter responded, staring deeper into Leah's eyes. "I assumed you did..."

"Uh... yeah... Why is that important?"

"Because I have an important request... and Miss Camilla's safety is at stake."

To be continued...

***

Chapter 8

Leah's eyes were big from the shock of Peter's message. "What... what do you mean her safety is at stake?"

"Well, it has to do with me, unfortunately."

"You? Do you plan on doing something to her?"

"No, I don't," Peter said, shaking his head. "The problem is that she seems to be taking a liking towards me, like she thinks we're actual friends. I can't have her acquainted with me beyond this work trip."

"I... I don't understand..."

"I'm assuming you're already aware of this mole situation at our company. It was written all over all three of your faces when you walked in."

"I am," Leah responded, looking down.

"Fix your face, Ma'am," Peter instructed, noticing that Fang was watching Leah's expressions. "Pretend we're negotiating contract information."

"Right!" the raven-haired woman responded as she grabbed one of the documents in front of her. "But do you mind explaining how Camilla could be in danger?"

"Well at first, Sunshine was watching me, thinking I might be the mole. Now, they want me to present this information at an emergency Shareholder's Meeting. I have a feeling that one way or another, they're going to turn me into the scapegoat. When that happens, everyone associated with me will be attacked as well. I don't want that to include Miss Camilla."

Trying her best not to change her expression, Leah stared hard at the papers in front of her as she asked, "You really think Sunshine would do that to you?"

"If it means saving their own reputation; yes. Hopefully, it won't get to that point though but it's best that Miss Camilla disassociates herself with me in case the worst comes."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Peter said as he took a sip from his drink. "Just do your best to make her dislike me again. I really don't care how you do it, but I can't have her feeling like she's part of my circle."

"Understood," Leah replied as she started signing one of the contracts. She then pointed at a contract that was in front of Fang, indicating for her to sign as well, while asking, "And why did you ask me about an FBI agent earlier?"

"There's an FBI agent who wants to get involved because of personal reasons," Peter explained, never changing the expression on his face. "Do me a favor and don't answer any questions from him. He's just worried about my mental health."

"But how am I supposed to withhold information from an FBI agent?"

"You don't have to answer his questions if he's only seeking personal information. If it's official business, you have to, but I can assure you that's not what he will want from you."

Leah then put on a smile as she looked over at Fang and explained how lucrative the contracts were going to be for them. Then, as she turned back towards Peter, she expressed, "I'll do my best..."

"Thank you," Peter said, with a quick head nod. As he took the papers from the two women, he changed his tone, saying, "Congratulations on your deals with Sunshine."

"Umm... thank you. Sir" Leah responded, putting on a fake smile for Fang. "What would you like for me to do now?"

"I'm assuming Miss Camilla is waiting for you outside. Put on a good act. I don't care what you tell her as long as you follow my request."

Grabbing their copies of the contracts, the two women got up and started to walk away. Not knowing what had happened, Fang stopped before they got to the lobby and bowed at Peter to show her gratitude. The gesture brought a smile to Leah's face, knowing the innocent girl was oblivious to the dangers surrounding their friend.

Just as Peter had predicted, Camilla was waiting in the hallway outside of the lobby. Smiling from ear to ear, she greeted both women by asking, "So, how did it go?!"

Fang was so filled with joy, she handed her contract to Camilla, even though it was all written in Chinese. Leah enjoyed the pleasant exchange and thanked the blonde by explaining, "We both received great deals because of you! I think we'll all benefit from this."