Chasing Eden Ch. 10-13

"I guess you can call me that."

"Oh... Interesting..."

"Is there a problem?"

"No..." the woman answered, looking a bit surprised. "You just seem young for the finance department's second-in-charge."

"I guess I'm pretty young for my position," the man said, shrugging his shoulders. "But aren't you quite young to be a lead representative for Celltech?"

"You're right," the girl said with a chuckle. "I didn't mean it as an insult, by the way."

"So, why did you request me?"

Handing over her papers, the woman explained, "I just need someone to sign off on this paperwork. Every time our company collects information from Sunshine, a signature is required for every single segment. It's quite rare... and a hassle... to get permission for every single one of these categories every time... Not to mention it's hard to find anyone to sign off on this stuff."

After looking over the documents for a few seconds, the man shrugged his shoulders before asking, "How much time do you have?"

"I don't really have a time limit," the woman answered with a sigh. "But it'd be nice if I could get this done immediately so I can get to work."

"Do you mind waiting a bit? I actually have a conference call I need to sit in on."

"That's fine," the woman said, rolling her eyes. "That's about the way things always go around here, it seems."

The man exited with the documents, leaving the woman sitting there, frustrated. However, after a few minutes, he reentered the room and put the documents back in front of her.

"Here you go," he said, pointing out the signatures on the front page. "You shouldn't have any further issues. I even printed out an extra disclosure page that gives you permission to proceed without getting signatures every single time."

The woman looked through the packet with her mouth wide open. "Thank you, but... didn't you say you had a conference call?"

"Yeah, but... it's one of those pointless conferences with like seventy people, and everyone talks but nobody listens."

"Oh... I hate those," the girl said with the chuckle. Holding up the documents, she smiled and said, "Thanks again for getting this done for me so quickly."

"No problem."

Before the man could walk out, the woman jumped out of her seat and stopped him at the door to offer him a handshake. "Hey... if you don't mind, could I get your name? I just... I don't want to deal with anyone here besides you."

"Yeah, sure," he responded as he gently grabbed her soft hand. "I'm Peter... What's your name?"

With a genuine smile, she replied, "I'm Irene."

"Well... just let me know if you ever need anything."

Realizing she was still holding on to his hand, Irene quickly pulled away and said, "Oh, thank you!"

The man and the woman went their separate ways, with Peter rushing back to his conference call and Irene heading out to start her own work. But as she was approaching the exit, something popped into her head, causing her to turn back.

After looking around for a few seconds, she let out a sigh before heading back. However, she was lucky enough to run into someone else from the finance department.

"Can I help you find someone?" the man asked the unsuspecting woman. "You look lost."

"Oh... I was just looking for... uh... his name is Peter..."

"He was just asked to speak on a conference call," the man explained with a smile. "But I can leave him a message if you'd like."

Looking a bit uncomfortable, the woman twiddled her fingers before saying, "Uh, he helped me with something earlier... I was wondering if I could get his number... just in case I run into any other issues..."

The guy stared at her for a second before pulling his phone out and giving Peter's number. "This is the number to his personal cell. If he asks where you got it, just tell him Eddie gave it to you. He won't get mad at me."

"Oh, thanks!" Irene responded with a giddy laugh. Suddenly, a question popped into her mind, causing her to ask, "Are there certain times I should avoid calling him? I wouldn't want to make his wife uncomfortable..."

Eddie stopped himself from laughing before explaining, "Don't worry; he doesn't have a wife."

"Oh... What about a girlfriend?"

"He's single."

"Interesting," Irene responded with a subtle smile.

***

A couple weeks later, Eddie walked over to Peter's cubicle and greeted him with, "Hey, that girl is looking for you again."

"What girl?"

"The cute one that's always looking for you," he answered with a smile. "Don't act like you don't know who I'm talking about."

"What does she want?"

"I don't know, but you should probably find out."

Peter quickly closed out of a few windows before getting out of his seat and heading to the main lobby. There, he found the same petite brunette with a ponytail he ran into not too long ago.

"Hello, Irene."

"Hey, Peter!"

"How may I help you?"

The woman looked around carefully before getting close so she could talk quietly. "Can we talk privately? I came across some odd occurrences when I was extracting some data into our company's safe-keeping systems. I want to make you aware of it and see what you think."

"Okay, sure," Peter answered, raising his eyebrows. Checking his watch, he explained, "I have a lunch break coming up so..."

"So, where are we going?" Irene quickly interrupted with a cute smile. Then, after noticing Peter's non-responsive reaction, she clarified, "Oh, I didn't mean to invite myself to lunch with you! Sorry for making it awkward! I just thought it was funny..."

Peter stared at her for a second before slowly beginning to chuckle. He then took a second to look around before replying, "I usually just stay in my cubicle and work during lunch, but... if you want to speak privately, it might be a good idea to go somewhere."

"Oh, okay!" the woman said, as her eyes lit up. "Yeah, let's go to lunch... so we can talk about work-related stuff..."

Unable to contain his smile, Peter responded, "Sounds good... Do you have any suggestions? I don't go out for food very often."

"Yeah! There's a café I like that's a couple of blocks from here. Uhh... we can walk together!"

About a half hour later, Peter found himself sitting across from the young woman at the nearby coffee shop. But though he didn't mind being around her, he did feel a bit out of place at the café.

"So, you normally don't eat during your lunch?" Irene asked as she looked over towards the food at the counter. "I could at least get you a sandwich or something."

"No, it's fine. I'm okay."

"I'm going to get you something, anyway," Irene explained as she got up to her feet. "You can just eat it later if you're not hungry now. Oh, and what kind of coffee do you like?"

"Uh, I don't drink coffee..." Peter answered as he got up to his feet. "And you don't have to pay for me. I'll buy it."

"No, I got it. I'm the one that invited you... Well, I sort of invited myself..."

"Oh, thanks," he said before slowly sitting back down.

When Irene got back, she placed a sandwich in front of Peter, smiling the entire time. "So you don't drink coffee, you say? May I ask why not?"

"I guess I just don't like the idea of altering the state of my mind. I also feel like once I start, I may not be able to stop, so I've rarely ever had it in my life."

"You don't like to alter your state of mind, huh? I'm guessing you don't drink alcohol, either."

"That's correct. I never have, and I probably never will."

"I'm with you on the alcohol thing," Irene agreed. Then, grabbing her drink with a big smile, she continued, "But I love coffee. It helps me keep my mind sharp."

Peter watched with a confused expression on his face as the woman took a big sip from her cup. She then looked up at him and expressed, "Not that I don't enjoy having lunch with you, but what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Oh right! Here, take a look at some of these notes I jotted down earlier. I noticed some sort of glitch that didn't make sense when I was entering data starting from about four years ago. The way it's been entered, it looks almost as if it was programmed to glitch."

"Is that so?"

"I know it's none of my business to look into the financial numbers, but to my untrained eyes, it seems like this was done on purpose to make the numbers look different."

"Wait, you noticed that?" Peter asked, leaning in closer. "I suspected something funny was going on, but hardly anyone else could see it."

"Well, it's really none of my business. I'm not a financial expert or anything, so I didn't do a deep dive into the numbers. However, from the quick math I've done in my head, I would guess there's some type of market manipulation going on. And it also looks like another organization was contracted to code the source with algorithms."

"That's really interesting that you could decipher all that in your head," Peter explained, raising an eyebrow.

"Why is that?"

"Because for years, no one has noticed it except for a few of us. I believe whatever way they manipulated the numbers, it was designed so that someone with an average to a good financial expertise would be tricked into thinking it was correct."

"Maybe it's because I have no expertise in finance," Irene suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

"That actually brings up another theory of mine," Peter pointed out. "I think their methods might actually raise more questions from those with no knowledge in accounting, but those with basic fundamentals will be tricked into thinking these numbers are correct. It's only a hunch, but it's starting to look more accurate with every passing day."

"It would explain why it looks weird to me."

"I don't think that's it," Peter said, staring into the eyes of the young woman. "You seem incredibly intelligent. You've picked up on things most of our finance department isn't capable of noticing. And then to do those equations in your head..."

"Everyone tells me I'm a genius," Irene said as she looked away, embarrassed. Then, reconnecting with Peter's eyes, she further explained, "But it's kind of nice hearing it from you."

"Oh, sorry if that was off-putting," Peter said, also getting red. "But do you really think they hired another company to mask the changes, algorithmically?"

"I do... I didn't look at all of it, but from the small bit I tried to download into our secured servers, there was a huge section that was all hidden by code. There's no way one person in your department could have come up with that. It had to have been a massive team, probably overseas, who is contracted to do all that."

"You should probably stay away from it then," Peter said with a serious look in his eyes. "I've suspected wrongdoing for a long time. Who knows what kind of trouble you can get into if you stumble onto something they are hiding?"

"If you don't want me meddling in this, then I won't," Irene replied with a determined look on her face. "I just wanted to bring it to your attention."

"Please don't mention this to anyone," Peter explained with a smile on his face. "I'm just happy to know I'm not the only one who's suspicious around here."

"I have a question," Irene started, changing the subject. "Before I met you, it was hard to get answers from anyone in the department, especially Jack. Why doesn't he seem to know anything?"

"He's just a puppet," Peter answered with an annoyed look. "Sunshine has too many people like him, who are better at talking than they are at their own jobs. It's pretty well known amongst us that he was put in the position he's in because he's a yes-man. That's why he's going to be CFO someday."

"How long has all this mess been going on?"

"It seems like it started a few years ago, which makes sense with the timeline of the glitches you found. And lately, it has only gotten worse."

"How so?"

"Recently, Sunshine made a major acquisition of a company named Moonlight. Some of us in the finance department were very outspoken against it because of the crippling debt they have and the lack of a promising future they present."

"That's the lingerie company," Irene pointed out. "Seems like a popular company. I thought Sunshine acquiring Moonlight was a good move at first too..."

"At first? As in, you've noticed something wrong with it?"

"Their financials have the same inconsistent coding as Sunshine's. I guess they're not doing that well either, but don't want to make it look like they made a bad acquisition."

"There is some other shady stuff surrounding it as well," Peter explained, lowering his voice. "I'm not one for gossip, but there are rumors that the CEO, Craig Hawthorne, has been having an affair with the newly appointed Moonlight president, Sasha. Her rise to the top since meeting Hawthorne has raised so many red flags. I'd imagine they'd be willing to do anything to make the acquisition look good so people don't think she got the position because she's young and attractive."

After sitting there for a moment, staring off into space with her hand underneath her chin, Irene finally asked, "You say this Sasha woman is attractive, right? What does she look like?"

"Uhh... I don't see how that's relevant," Peter answered uncomfortably, looking at his watch. "But my lunch break is almost over, so I should probably be heading back now."

"I'll walk with you!" the woman cheerfully offered as she grabbed her coffee. Then, as they walked out the door together, heading back to headquarters, she prefaced another conversation by asking, "Mind if I ask you something a little more direct?"

"Go ahead..."

"Why do you work for Sunshine? Wouldn't you be happier working for a company that specializes in finances?"

"Honestly, I'd like to start my own investing company someday," Peter said as he looked up into the sky. "But as of right now, I'm just focused on building a good resume for myself. How about you? What do you want to do with that big brain of yours?"

With a glowing smile on her face, Irene answered, "You know, when it comes down to it, all I really care about is helping those that are important to me. That's my real reason for making money; so I can provide more in the future."

"I think that's noble," Peter said with a smile.

When they got back to Sunshine's building, Peter opened the door for Irene, but she just stood there, staring at him. "Aren't you going to come in?" he asked.

"No, I'm done here for the day," Irene explained with a glistening smile. "Everything else I need to do is at my office, so I'm heading to the train station now. I just wanted to walk you back to work."

"Oh, how nice of you..." Peter expressed before noticing Eddie smiling from inside the building.

"Is everything okay?" Irene asked before also noticing Eddie. "Oh, I know him! He's the one that gave me your number."

"Eddie gave you my number?!"

"Yeah, I was looking for you the other day, but you went back to your meeting. I hope that isn't weird..."

"It's not..." Peter explained, uncomfortably placing his hands in his pocket. "I'm sorry if it's weird for you. Eddie has just been desperate for me to find a girlfriend for some reason. So, every time he sees me talking to a woman, he gets all excited."

"Is that so, Peter?" the young woman asked with a slight smile.

Going even redder in the face, the man responded, "Yeah... sorry if that makes things awkward...."

"It's not awkward at all..." she continued, turning her back as she started to walk away. "And I'm sorry for my part in making today awkward as well. I didn't mean to invite myself to lunch with you. I didn't mean it as a date or anything... even though we should go on a date..."

Suddenly, Peter went completely frozen as he watched the petite woman continue to walk away. "Wait... what did you say?" he asked with a nervous voice.

Turning around with a confident smile, Irene pointed at Peter and replied, "You and me... we should totally go on a date... like... a real date."

"Are you serious?" Peter asked, so shocked he didn't know what to do but smile.

"Come on! Why not?!" she asked, playing with her own hair. "You should totally give me a shot. I think we connect really well! And besides, I have a good feeling about us."

In disbelief, the surprised man asked, "Are you seriously trying to convince me right now?"

"Of course I am!" Irene answered before noticing she was standing right next to a poster of a Moonlight model. Pointing at the name, she continued, "Maybe I'm not as pretty as... Mallory Dunn... but I'm a catch! And we have good chemistry! We should definitely go out, and if you don't end up liking me, I'll understand. But let's just try it!"

"I don't think ... Mallory Dunn... is prettier than you..." Peter responded nervously after rechecking the name on the poster. "I'm just shocked that you're the one chasing me..."

Giggling, the happy woman responded, "That sounds like a yes! So how about I text you my number and we come up with a plan?"

"Sounds good to me..."

"Okay, bye Peter!"

"Oh, hey Irene!" Peter called out, stopping the giddy woman in her tracks. As they made eye contact again, he asked, "You said you're going to the train station, right? Can I walk you?"

"Absolutely!"

***

Fast forward a few days, Peter and Irene were sitting in a park at the end of their date. After getting to know each other over dinner, they spent the next few hours on a bench underneath the stars.

Feeling cold, Irene leaned her back into Peter, snuggling against his warmth. It was only their first date, but she was already comfortable with him.

"It's getting pretty late..." Peter said, checking his watch. "It's a little after eleven. Do I need to get you home?"

"I'd like to stay out a little longer with you," Irene answered as she turned her head towards him. Then, checking her own watch, she expressed, "Oh, it's almost eleven-eleven! I need to come up with a wish."

After chuckling, Peter asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Trust me; I'm not fishing for compliments, but why do you have such an adamant interest in me?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Irene answered, "I just know what I want... and I have such a great feeling about you."

"You know, for someone so smart and logical, you sure seem to rely on feelings and superstitions. It's a bit surprising."

"I've always followed my heart... and it's never led me astray. But if you'd like, I could name the logical reasons that I'm interested in you."

"No, that's okay," Peter responded, blushing.

"First of all, you're super smart," Irene started, ignoring Peter's response. "Maybe that's why we have a great connection. Plus, I know my brother will like you. He's an FBI agent, so it's hard for him to like anyone."

"Run that by me one more time..."

"My brother, Kenny... he's an FBI agent... so he's super picky about who would be a good match for me. But I know for sure he'd like you because you're a great guy and you're super capable."

"I'm sorry..." Peter started, with his eyes wide open in disbelief. "I'm still wrapping my mind around your brother being in the FBI."

"Yeah, he wanted me to join as well but... I just wasn't interested."

"Well, I could see why he thinks you'd be a good FBI agent. You've already uncovered things in my department without even trying."

Getting back on topic, Irene turned her body around and faced Peter. Staring into his eyes, she asked, "Can I tell you what I find most attractive about you without freaking you out?"

"Uh... sure..."

"This is going to sound weird," Irene prefaced, turning red in the face. "It's way too early to think about something like this, but... I think someday you'll be a great husband and father. Obviously, I'm not trying to marry you and have kids right now, but I think I should at least look for those qualities... Did I freak you out?"