GABE (Silicon Valley Billionaires 2)

I nodded at Stephanie, my assistant, as I headed into my office.

Her face was pinched with worry. “Are you okay, Ms. Taylor?”

“No…not at all. But I have a team working on getting Hannah back. And I believe in them.”

“What about the police?” Stephanie asked.

“They’re looking. So is the FBI.” Stephanie loved my sister, and I wanted to give her some hope. They were always chatting and comparing notes on shows like The Bachelorette and other things I’d considered silly. “I promise to keep you posted.”

Her eyes showed a spark. “Thank you. I’ll be praying for her.”

I headed into my office, closing the door behind me. When I considered those things now—the shows, movies, and celebrity gossip Hannah unselfconsciously enjoyed, things I’d always teased her about—it made my heart hurt. What she’d said still haunted me: “I’m the average one.” I’d made her feel that way. Me, with my monomaniacal work habits and my scornful disinterest in normal life. I’d never meant to make her feel average in comparison. Hannah was my heart.

I looked out the window. The grounds surrounding Paragon were covered with dew in the early morning sunlight. How many times had I gazed at this same view, making plans for my company? Even though I had a million things to do, I wandered around my office, feeling lost. Paragon had always been my sanctuary. I’d hidden inside for years, happy to be lost in my research. My ignorance had been bliss, but now I was about to sell my company—my life’s work—to the corporate Antichrist known as Li Na Zhao.

I checked the patch’s sales data from the weekend—we’d surpassed expectations, again. The patient satisfaction surveys were almost unanimously positive: people loved having a quick, efficient, noninvasive medical test. My technology was a runaway success.

Which made this situation that much more maddening.

I wouldn’t be able to control what Li Na did with my company. The patch currently sold for a low price, so most consumers could afford it. Access to affordable healthcare was an important piece of improving the overall health of the planet. I didn’t want my technology priced out of reach, but I knew Li Na would ruin everything I’d worked for by chasing a larger profit.

My phone buzzed, making me jump. “The board’s ready for you,” Stephanie said.

I felt anything but ready. “Okay. Thanks.”

I took a deep breath as I headed into my meeting. My board members had been with me from the beginning. They’d always believed in me and in the patch—now, they were going to witness Paragon’s devastating end.

I sat down and straightened myself, preparing to deliver the blow. “What I’m about to tell you must be kept confidential. I can’t risk the public or our partners finding out any details. It could compromise Hannah’s safety.”

The board members murmured worriedly to each other as I gathered my courage.

I took a deep breath. “I’m selling the lab to Jiàn Innovations. If I don’t pull this transaction together soon, with your blessing, they’re going to kill Hannah.”

Allen Trade put his hand over his heart. “Jesus, Lauren.”

Mimi White winced. Angela Blakely folded her hands together, looking stricken.

This was it. Everything we’d worked for would be taken from us, and this was how it would end, after so much promise.

“What about the police?” Angela asked after a minute. “The FBI? Isn’t anyone doing anything?”

“They’re involved, but there’s a limit to their power.” I shook my head. “My security team believes the Chinese government will refuse to extradite Li Na. With respect to what we can do on American soil, our options are limited. Any legal options would take months or years. We don’t have that kind of time.”

“What about Wesley? And the guards who died?” Mimi asked. “Jiàn Innovations can’t just get away with murder.”

I swallowed hard. “My team’s looking for the people who did this, and so are the FBI and the police. When we find them, they’ll be arrested. But connecting them to Li Na will be difficult—we found that out when Clive Warren was murdered. I know in my heart she’s responsible for his death, but I can’t prove it. I have emails and text messages, but they’re routed through third-party proxy servers on foreign soil. What I have might not be enough to indict her, and frankly, we don’t have time to wait and see.”

“All this, and Li Na’s safe in Shenzhen.” Allen sounded bleak. “But I understand your position—it breaks my heart to see the company sold like this, but our hands are tied.”

I nodded. “Exactly. Of course I don’t want to sell—especially not to Li Na—but I don’t have a choice. The only thing that matters is getting Hannah back alive. Bethany’s started drawing up the paperwork. I’ll reach out to our investors next week and make the announcement to the employees after that. This is going to happen very fast—but I promise to keep you posted.”

The meeting wrapped up shortly after that. There wasn’t a lot more to say, but there was a lot of work ahead. Bethany came to my office to start preparation for the sale. We worked silently for hours. Bethany’s laser-focus mirrored my own, and I found her presence soothing. At least all the work distracted me from thoughts of Hannah.

I reviewed the draft of the Purchase and Sales Agreement and supporting documents as Bethany prepared them, distancing myself from the ultimate meaning of the words. I forced myself to look at them analytically, as if I didn’t have a stake in the outcome of the sale. I didn’t want to think about what I’d lose. I had to stay focused on what I’d get back.

When we’d finished first drafts late that night, Bethany emailed them to Li Na’s attorney in San Francisco. She closed her laptop, grabbed her briefcase, and headed for the door. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Bethany had been with me from the beginning, so this was hard for her too. But she surprised me by turning and smiling before she left. “It’s a good thing I believe in karma,” she said, trying to sound upbeat.