Page 79 of Third Time’s a Charm

“What has this got to do with my ideas? With you lying to me?”

“I didn’t lie. Not about everything. Not about what I thought of your ideas. But I couldn’t tell you what Tate planned because I’d signed an NDA.”

It’s Louise’s turn to snort.

“Tate is a vindictive arsehole. And he made it very clear he’d hold my feet to the fire over the NDA.”

“I’m still not hearing an explanation.”

“Right. Well, it didn’t take me long to realise the Australian operation was worth saving, and that your idea could be a big part of that. So I put together a plan. As far as I could see, it was a no-brainer. The problem was, at the time, I not only had no idea why Tate wanted the office shut down so fast, but I had no idea Tate and John were so close. My idea, like yours, was dead before either of us even presented them. Because Tate needs this dirt buried. For obvious reasons.”

“So you genuinely thought you had a chance of salvaging the company?” Ant asks.

“Yes. Why else would I have spent every spare minute working on a plan to restructure the business and incorporate Louise’s ideas?” I hold out the USB I loaded with my proposal to Tate. “It’s all on there.”

Louise reaches out to take the device.

“Why not just explain everything to me once you’d seen this file?”

“Because Tate arrived before I had the chance. I had no idea he was coming. What you overheard was me trying to convince him that John Mackelden would trash the European operation, the same way he’d done in Australia.”

“And then you just suddenly had the bright idea to approach Ben Carter with my proposal?”

“Not exactly. I did have a plan.”

“A plan to steal my idea.”

“No! I felt terrible when I realised how naïve I’d been in trusting that Tate would see the value. In not recognising there’d be a hidden agenda until it was too late. I’ve worked with Tate long enough; I should have seen it coming. And because I didn’t, I put your whole idea at risk.”

“You think?” Louise scoffs.

“Luckily, when we were in Mount Barker, I realised I might need a backup plan. I just hadn’t been able to come up with anything concrete. Until I got this file. John and Tate have no idea we have this information. We can use it to get them to sign over the rights to the intellectual property.”

“We? There you go again with the we.” Her glassy eyes meet mine. “There is no we. How the hell did you imagine I’d ever trust you after this?”

“I wasn’t planning on you finding out the way you did. I was hoping I’d be able to explain my thoughts and we could work together.”

Both Louise and Ant sit silent. Waiting for me to continue.

“I wanted to prove to you that I believe in you. And to make up for the way I put you at risk in the first place.”

More silence.

“I hope you’ll let me help you. But what you choose to do about your appointment with Ben Carter is entirely up to you.”

“If my programme is so brilliant, why would I need you?”

She has a point. But so do I. Whether it’s strong enough to convince her remains to be seen.

“It is brilliant, Louise. And I believe in you one hundred percent. But investors can be cautious. They aren’t always open-minded. It’s wrong, but I thought my experience might make a difference in convincing them.”

“Ben’s not like other investors,” Ant puts in, but I can see he takes my point.

“No, that much was clear when I talked to him. But I didn’t know that going in. I was trying to ensure we—you—got a meeting. And I wanted to have it all set up. Not to take over or undermine you, but so you’d see how much I believe in you.”

She stands and walks to the window, where I can see by her reflection that she’s rolling those plump pink lips in. Thinking.

“So you were expecting to be a partner in this venture.” Statement, not question.