HANNAH (Silicon Valley Billionaires 3)

Nerves thrumming with adrenaline, I prepared a list of all the steps I needed to take over the next twenty-four hours. By the time Levi arrived with the stolen samples, I was ready to move forward into my future, one that didn’t involve Li Na Zhao.

* * *

Lauren herself oversaw the testing of the Jiàn Innovations samples. “I’m writing a formal report, one we can file with the Chinese government—they need to know about this, too. They need to be more careful.”

While we waited for her to finish the report, Calvin interviewed me. I told him everything, from the beginning—how Li Na tried to steal the patch, what had happened to Clive Warren, everything. His mouth hung open a lot of the time.

I told him about being kidnapped. I told him about Wes. I told him about Jim Pace and Protocol Therapeutics.

After we finished our interview and Lauren completed the report, Calvin took his copy and went to file his story. That was when I called Agent Marks from the FBI, giving him the list of names Carey had provided me with.

I gave him the name of the man who shot Jim Pace.

I didn’t give him Carey’s name, which Bethany was having an absolute fit about, but a deal was a deal.

“Even if that makes you an accessory?” Bethany spluttered.

I sighed. “I guess so.”

She stalked out of my office, high heels clicking angrily down the hall.

Hours later, Calvin called me. “The story’s about to go live.” Now he sounded nervous. “Be prepared for the onslaught.”

Levi had quadrupled security, but the FBI was busy rounding up Li Na’s henchmen. So maybe we were safe. She didn’t have many warm bodies left to hire.

I paced my office until I gave up and kept hitting the refresh button. Finally, I saw the headline: Chinese CEO Kills for Silicon Valley Biotechnology. The subtitle read: Defective, Stolen Products Approved by Chinese Government. I scanned the rest of the article, which named Li Na Zhao and discussed at length how the stolen technology was just days away from being sold to patients.

A minute later, my phone started ringing.

But before I answered, I gave myself one brief moment to gloat. You did it.

Smiling, I answered the phone.

* * *

LI NA

Like most things, I knew before anyone else. As per my normal routine, I woke at four a.m., logged onto my laptop, and read all the day’s headlines and industry news.

I read all the day’s headlines and industry news about me and my company.

Chinese CEO Kills. This was bad enough.

Defective Products Approved by Chinese Government. But this one undid me.

I could barely face my own disgrace. But my country, my people… We’d been caught looking the fool in front of the whole world.

Rage pulsed through me as I read the piece that started it all, the exclusive in the Journal, and then read all the ancillary coverage. The articles about how I’d stolen from Silicon Valley. How I’d hired others to kill for me. And worst of all, how I’d failed to pull it off.

The Journal article discussed at length how the Chinese government neglected to properly test Jiàn’s technology. It said the government was “over-eager” and “trying desperately to stay on the forefront” of the bio-economy.

Shame. I’d brought shame on my country. So close to success, I’d been lied to and thwarted again.

This time, it had been in public. I was trapped by the story. There was no turning back, no way to pivot and maneuver and turn this to my advantage.

I looked at the pictures on the Journal’s website, scrolling past the ones of me and Jiàn headquarters. I stopped at the final photo. It was of Hannah and Lauren Taylor, their insipid blonde heads inclined toward each other, smiling at the camera.

They’d tricked me for the last time. And they’d injured me so greatly, they might think there was no recovering from this. Still, I’d never been one to bother with regret. Action was the only useful remedy for this type of grief.