Chapter 6
Chapter 6 The Engagement Party
Olivia's engagement party was scheduled for two weeks later.
The whole business community was buzzing about it.
David, the eldest son of Langley Holdings, was getting engaged to Olivia, the heiress of White & Co. Trading. The party would be held at the Grand Meridian Hotel, and rumor had it they had invited more than three hundred guests.
I saw the news on Instagram.
Olivia hadn't posted it herself. Someone else had shared it.
"Did you hear? David just got divorced, and now he's already jumping into an engagement."
"His ex-wife left without a dime, and the new girl is living it up."
"I feel sorry for Grace. Three years down the drain for nothing."
People couldn't stop gossiping about it.
Sophie called me.
"Grace, did you see that? People are talking about you," she said.
"Yeah, I saw it," I replied.
"Aren't you pissed?" she asked.
"Did you get the guest list for the engagement party?"
"Got it. Mostly business partners of Langley Holdings and White & Co. Trading, plus a few people from the local chamber of commerce. And there's one more name."
"And what?" I pushed.
"Do you know Ethan Cooper?" Sophie asked.
That name made me freeze for a second.
"Ethan Cooper from Prime Capital?" I asked.
"Yes. Rumor has it Olivia sent him an invitation and he never replied. David is pulling every string he has to get him there," Sophie said.
"Why would Ethan have anything to do with the Langley family?" I asked.
"Prime Capital has been looking at tech projects lately, and one of Langley Holdings' divisions wants funding. If Ethan shows up at that engagement party, it reads as an endorsement, and the deal is as good as done," Sophie explained.
I thought it over.
"When's the engagement party?" I asked.
"The twelfth, next Saturday, seven in the evening," Sophie replied.
"Get me an invitation," I said.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"Grace, you're really going?" Sophie asked.
"How could I not? My ex-husband is getting engaged, so his ex-wife ought to make an appearance," I replied.
"Are you serious?" Sophie asked.
"I've never been more serious in my life."
After hanging up, I opened my closet.
The clothes I wore three years ago didn't fit anymore.
I dialed a number.
"Ms. Sutton? It's been forever!"
"Vera, I need a gown made before next Saturday," I said.
"What's the occasion?" Vera Moss asked.
"My ex is getting engaged. I'm going to his engagement party," I replied.
She laughed on the other end.
"Send me your measurements. I'll choose the fabric. Every woman in that room will hate you," she said.
After hanging up, I slumped back in my chair.
Someone knocked on the door.
Frank stood in the doorway.
"Ms. Sutton, I have something to report," he said.
"Come in," I said.
"BioKey X1 is moving faster than expected. Bryce says the core algorithm is 70 percent done. But there's a problem."
"But what?" I asked.
"One of our engineers, Howard Thompson, resigned out of nowhere yesterday," Frank said.
"What's his reason?" I asked.
"He said it was for family reasons. But I checked, and somebody offered him a much higher salary," Frank replied.
"Who?" I asked.
"SharpGuard Technologies. It's a subsidiary of Langley Holdings," Frank said.
I put my pen down.
"Does SharpGuard Technologies know about our BioKey X1 project?" I asked.
"Almost certainly. Howard Thompson had access to the core data," Frank replied.
"Is he still here?" I asked.
"He's still in the handover phase," Frank said.
"Have legal talk to him about a non-compete today. And one more thing."
"Yes?" Frank asked.
"Who's running SharpGuard Technologies?"
"David's cousin, Michael Langley," Frank replied.
I smiled.
"Interesting," I said.
Frank stood there, watching me for a moment.
"Ms. Sutton, may I say something?" he asked.
"Go ahead," I said.
"I've heard about your history with the Langley family. If this turns personal, the company could get caught in the middle," he said.
"Frank, you really think I took over this company just to settle a score with the Langleys?"
"I didn't say that," Frank replied.
"You know better than anyone how big the market for BioKey X1 is. Whoever ships first takes the whole thing. The Langleys have nothing to do with it," I said.
He paused for a moment.
"Understood," he said.
After he left, I opened my laptop and searched for SharpGuard Technologies.
Established three years ago, their main business was security technology.
Their direction overlapped almost completely with BioKey X1.
If Howard walked out with our core data, SharpGuard could cut at least six months off their development.
I picked up the phone.
"Bryce, how much access does Howard have to our core data?" I asked.
"He's one of our lead developers, so his access is close to the top. Ms. Sutton, are you worried about a leak?"
"Pull all of his access before the end of the day," I said.
"He'll make a scene if we do that," Bryce said.
"Then let him. With a non-compete in front of him, he can't do much."