Cristina appeared after a knock bearing a loaded folder for Sam and Starbucks for both of them. Sora fairly guzzled her two sugars and a dash of non-fat dairy creamer treated coffee. Sam sipped his distracted as he was with the contents of Cristina's delivery. Though curious, Sora left Sam to it, certain that he'd let her know when her attention was required.

"I went to school with the wife of the junior editor at WSJ. I bet I get could get him in here on her order."

"Pink power does not get enough credit." Sam took one of the red photo pencils from Editorial and to mark something his folder.

"It really doesn't." Sora pondered her current dilemma. "How do our numbers look in Rome? What's Europe saying?"

Sam sat in the farthest at the unoccupied table to continue whatever it was that was occupying his attention.

"Sam? Europe?"

"Huh?" He shook his head. "Europe, yeah, Europe doesn't care as much as you'd expect. New York is fine and Europe has their own divisions to worry about. They think the American market is moody at best, hyperbolic at worst. They're not looking at us right now. All we have to worry about is keeping the Board of Directors from setting up a mutiny."

"They love a mutiny."

"Tell me about it." Sam pursed his lips and tapped his fingers on top of his closed manila folder. "I have a feeling I know who's responsible for this. Fair warning, you're not going to like it."

Sora turned to face him. "Something tells me I won't be surprised."

"That's where I think you're wrong." Sam rose and handed her the stack of documents he'd been poring over so studiously. They were glossy photographs, some clearly paparazzi grade whilst other were screen captures from security footage. A girl shoved so far in the background Sora often forget she existed.

A wave of dizziness momentarily upset Sora's world. Whether it was her blood pressure shooting up or plummeting downward, she couldn't say.

It was Gia Misra, Manny's granddaughter via Kamran, sporting the shy smile she was best known for, splashed across each and every frame.

"Gia? You can't be serious. I know she was angry with Ravi over Pedro, but why would she go through Himura to get to Ravi?" Pedro had been an up and coming junior designer on swimsuits. He'd turned Gia's head with his dashing good looks and his smile. He had more charm than talent, however, and when he couldn't evolve Ravi had sacked him. Sora had thought the girl too wise to take it so hard. Too like me.

Sam rubbed his face. "You might wanna sit down, explaining this is going to get complicated."

Sora sat.

Sam laced his hands together to hang between his knees.

"I've been making friends with Gia over the last few months. She's a sweet girl, and she's easy to talk to; it doesn't hurt that she probably loves Yelena about as much as I do." Everyone loved Yelena. She had that kind of face. Perpetually invisible, Gia idolized the girl that everybody loved.

His world-weariness was telegraphed in his pinched lips. She debated halting his confession, only lies had yet to serve her well.

"And?"

"And I might have said some less than glowing things about Himura's financial prospects."

"Sam." He had been one of her champions these past few months, close as Tracy hadn't been able to be and, she thought, rooting for her success. But he is Anthony's son first. How could I forget that?

"I know, it was stupid."

"Disappointing and stupid. If you have a problem with my performance as CEO, tell me. The moment your criticism bypasses this office to the general public, my ass is in a sling and this is where we end up."

Sam scraped a hand through his hair. "It was...I messed up bad. I'll fix it. I promise I'll fix it."

"We'll fix it. It's not just your problem, it's become the problem of every man and woman employed by this company."

Sam jumped up, stalking the length of the conference room like a marionette of emotion.

"That doesn't solve the mystery of why. Why would Gia sell this news to the highest bidder? How did she get the information?"

Sora looked at her former stepson speculatively.

"No! I'm not that careless. I don't leave expense reports and quarterlies laying around for just anybody to find. That's not me."

"This kind of disregard for company policy isn't supposed to be you either."

"Come on, Sora! Like you don't talk to Ravi about Himura insider stuff all the time. How do we know it wasn't his loose lips that did this?"

"Who would he tell? Who listens to him at Misra? Gia sure doesn't."

"Diana Parrilla does." Sam had a bone to pick with Diego's mother. She was the one who had pushed Diego and Yelena together, and pushed him out of Yelena's good graces.

"Diana wouldn't risk her day job." Success was about the only thing Diana prized over Diego. Sora didn't see it.

"To get in good with my dad, she might. God knows she's got it out for me. This kills two birds with one stone. You may not think she's that conniving, but I promise you she is."

Sora massaged the gnarled tendons of neck, outdone at this latest development.

"There's one problem with your theory: Gia despises Diana at least as much, if not more than Diana hates you. She wouldn't take her lead if it was a matter of life and death."

"Diana and sanity have never crossed paths, I can't say I blame her."

Sora turned over their speculation in her mind. Could Gia have done this with the intention of spiting Diana, not realizing that she was doing exactly what the other woman wanted? Gia was intelligent by all accounts with a wealth of book sense; but maybe, just maybe her street sense left something to be desired. People like Diana Parrilla don't wake up one day with a taste for manipulation, that sort of skill is cultivated. Gia would be defenseless against level of cunning.

Nevertheless, something made Sora doubtful.

"I'm not convinced just yet. We obviously can't rule Diana out as the mastermind of Gia's part in this, but this doesn't feel like arm's-length scheming."

"Meaning what? You think this is somebody else. Who?"

"This feels personal, like somebody with a grudge striking out at me directly."

"Himura was the opening act."

"With those pictures from the Birnam Wood, they've shown that they don't plan to stop with my job."

"Who's got an axe to grind and access to a very sympathetic Gia Misra?"

"The first person I should have suspected." Sora felt sick, and so very stupid.

"The last person you should have had to suspect." Sam knew a fair bit about fraternal treachery.

"It's like I told Michael, I have a loyalty problem."

Sora finished her coffee despite it tasting like slurry in her mouth. She'd need all of her focus to see this through. Sam frowned at his. It must have gotten cold. He finished it anyway, grimacing to the last drop.

"Should we confront her about this?" That he wouldn't say her name was for Sora's sake. I can't continue living in denial like this.

"Have Legal draw up a Cease & Desist. It's in Hana's best interest that I don't look into this any further. If she refuses to see things my way, she can enjoy spending the next eight months in civil court while I divest her of every dime she's cost this company in bad press."

Sam rubbed pensively at his beard.

"I don't want to say what I'm about to say. I don't because I'm biting off my nose to spite my face and I wish I didn't need to. Just know that I'm speaking as your Vice President right now and not as anybody's son."

"Sam..." He silenced her with an anguished look.

"Dad's seen our internals. Dad has access to everything as one of the major shareholders. He hasn't said a word to the press and this has been going on for weeks."

The obvious implication was, well, obvious.

"Dad would hand Hana a company credit card in a heartbeat, a network passcode is less than nothing."

"Your father told me he wasn't involved."

"My dad lies, Sora, you know he does. He does it without thinking, it's how he stalls before he regroups. Maybe he didn't know what Hana was planning, but he didn't stop it either and he could have. Whatever she was into, he may not have been the brains behind the operation, but he you can bet he was the money. He was her silent partner."

Sora set her jaw, determined not to swear as loudly as she was dying to do.

He swore to me, and I believed him. Hadn't she made that mistake a handful of times? Shame's on me.

"I have paperwork to handle and a teleconference to wing. I will deal with the fallout from this tomorrow." Sora would have her hands full getting through the remainder of the day. The Board will have more questions and none of my answers will suffice.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Tell Gia to be more discerning in her choice of role models." Sora swallowed any more scathing advice she might have imparted. "Shut this down, Sam, quietly, or I will."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sam rose when she did to see her out.

Sora called it a day on July; the last month had been a wash, but she had hope that August might be better. It seemed impossible for the next month to be any worse.