I looked at her, thinking how funny it was that she accused me of betraying the company, while she was off getting a job offer from him.
“Did he tell you his plan?” Ryan asked.
She looked at me and for the first time I saw in her eyes that she knew she’d been wrong about me and Chen. “Not specifically.”
“He told her I was the hacker,” I said, not letting her off the hook.
Hunter snorted. “He is a dumbass.”
At least the people who mattered most didn’t buy what Chen was selling about me.
“There’s been heavy trading on the stock. It’s not his company, but maybe he’s using some sort of other front.”
“So, he’s trying for a hostile takeover,” Gran said.
“That’s what I suspect. After Noah’s call earlier, I thought Chen just wanted control in Hong Kong, but if there’s stock buying, I think we need to consider he’s making a play for the company,” Carter said.
“So, we buy up more shares ourselves,” Hunter suggested.
“I don’t think that will be enough. At least not soon enough,” I said. “I think we should buy Chen’s business.”
“What?” Ryan asked.
Even Andi looked at me like I was nuts. Then again, she thought I’d betray my family.
“If Chen’s company ends up owning Strong Incorporated, then if we own Chen’s company, we still own Strong Incorporated.”
“Brilliant,” Hunter said.
“And it means we control the supply chain there,” Gran said.
“We should have thought of that before,” Carter said. “I have the valuations of his company. I think it’s doable.”
“It will take some interesting maneuvering,” Ryan said.
“If you boys pull this off, I’ll know for sure that I can retire,” Gran said. “Now that we know what’s up, you two should come home. Phil will know what to do there.”
“I still haven’t found the entry for the hack,” I said.
“What does it matter now? We know the scheme is Chen’s,” Carter asked.
“Because it’s possible it’s someone in the company. At the very least, if there’s a vulnerability, we need to find it,” I said. I didn’t want to work for my grandmother’s company, but also, I didn’t want to leave a job undone.
“Can you do that from here?” Ryan asked. “Aren’t all the computers connected?”
I’d been through all the computers here, so he had a point. It also meant that it was possible the breach had been made through the main office; in which case it would be better to be there.
“Yeah, okay. We’ll come home.”
We said our goodbyes and I hung up, reaching for the bottle of scotch again.
“Should I book us flights?” Andi asked.
“Yes. Actually, find us a charter. It will be faster and give us that space you so desperately like.”
She exhaled. “Noah, I’m—”
I stood. “I’m going to pack. You should do the same. I’ll meet you downstairs.”