Everything You Are by Evelyn Lyes Page B

projects.
    His father unlocked a drawer and after browsing through it, he pulled out a folder. He gave it to Ian.
    Ian opened it. There were four batches of papers inside: each one contained personal information and a photograph. He read the names out loud, “Richardson, Lean, Dunaway and Guinness.”
    “I hired an investigator to conduct a comprehensive investigation on each one of those men. He hasn’t found anything that would implicate any of them.”
    “Of course not.” Ian closed the folder and tossed it on the desk. “You chose them yourself and you have never been wrong about people before.”
    “Nobody else can access all the projects but them.”
    “What if somebody hacked the system?”
    “The Norway project is not in the system.”
    “Oh, right.” Ian rubbed his chin while he pressed his lips together. “Do you have a list of all the projects and deals that need intervention?”
    “Yes.” His father took a paper from the desk and gave it to him.
    “Why these?” Ian lifted the paper with the names of nine deals and projects before he started to skim through them. “There are some big projects and deals here, like the Green project, Norway, and the Gambini deal, but there are also two or three that we did as a favour. If those fell through, it would be a plus for us.”
    “You think they were chosen randomly.”
    “Yes, but why?” A moment of silence as Ian pondered it. “There could be more possibilities: because the saboteur isn't aware of their importance, because he doesn't care, or because he only has access to the information about these projects.” He looked at his father. “Have you already requested the list of all the people involved in each project?”
    “Yes.”
    “Including the loved ones to whom they might talk about their work?”
    “Yes, but since some of the projects are common knowledge, like the Veri, where half of the employees know about it, gathering such information takes time.”
    “So what now? Wait?”
    “Do we have any other option?” his father said.
    “I assume you already have the list of people aware of the Norway project.” Since they were contracted by the Department of Defence, they treated the project, even though it had been announced in public media, as confidential, and only a few people in the company were aware of the details or even knew the project's name.
    “Yes.”
    Ian stretched out his hand.
    “I'll ask Tomas to forward it to you.”
    “Okay.” Ian's hand fell to his side, he stood up. “If that's all?”
    “You haven't even touched your coffee.” His father pointed at the untouched cup at the edge of the desk.
    “I'll drink it later.” He picked up the cup. “I have some business I need to take care of.” Something that had nothing to do with the company, but everything to do with his little mouse of an assistant, who he couldn't get out of his mind. And who he had kissed yesterday. He shouldn't have done that, not yet anyway, but seeing her after three weeks of just hearing her over the phone... She was such a lovely sight and his self-control had slipped. “I'm taking Jane with me.”
    “She's your assistant, who we, in your absence, only borrowed.”
    “And kept her busy in case she's the one causing problems.”
    “Something like that.” The old man smiled.
    Ian gave his father a shake of his head before he turned away from the desk and walked toward the double doors. The first person his eyes descended on after he opened the door was Jane.
    She sat behind the desk by the door, opposite Richardson's desk.
    “Gather your things, you're coming with me” he told her, then without waiting for her, he strode out of the office into the hallway. Using the staircase he descended to the floor below, where his office was. As he crossed the reception area, he noticed that in the time he had gone they had replaced the small desk with a larger one. He waited for Jane at the door of his office.
    She walked through the door almost