Trust: Betrayed by Cristiane Serruya Page B

information you can gather. Call James and Carter. Work with them. Only with them,” he said dryly, “and, Scott, I don’t need to remind you-”
    “No, no, sir, of course not.” The thin man mopped his forehead with his handkerchief.
    “And her schedule? Have you obtained it?”
    “Yes, I took the liberty of making a timetable for you, sir.” Another sheet appeared from inside the black leather case. “She teaches at Cambridge, once a week, on Wednesdays and she stays there doing research until eleven o’clock usually. Once a month, she stays until four o’clock for her PhD. She goes to therapy, in South Kensington, twice a week. With Dr. Guilhermina Kent, a very renowned psychologist, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at nine fifteen in the morning. She goes home after work at around five o’clock. Once a week, on Wednesdays, she has private fencing classes, at home, at four-thirty”...
    “Who is the teacher? I want a full report on his life. In fact, I want a full report on her secretary, Sarah and on the ones that work with her at Leibowitz and at the Foundation. Don’t bother with Davidoff. He’s as loyal as a dog. Professor Holbrook and Dr. Kent won’t be useful either. I want all these by the end of the week. Send all the information,” he waved his hand over the sheets Scott had given him, “to my personal e-mail. Encrypted, of course. I don’t want you doing this work from Ashford Steel. Do it here at my home office, always using the private network. Also, I want to know how her PhD is going and who are her supervisors.”
    “As you wish, Mr. Ashford. And... If I’m not intruding, sir...”
    Ethan shoved a hand in his perfectly combed hair, impatiently, “Shoot, Scott.”
    “May I ask if you are satisfied with the... Ah... Your Sophia?”
    My Sophia? She’s not my Sophia.
Ethan sighed, “Scott, that woman is not even a shadow of Sophia. The real Sophia is unique and incomparable, but... All in all, I’m satisfied. Please, ask Mary to buy her a gift. Diamond earring studs, maybe. And some new lingerie. She can choose whatever she deems sexy. And more of the Sublime Vanille perfume. And, Scott,” Ethan eyed the pen his assistant was holding, “ask Mary to buy you a Montblanc. That pen isn’t acceptable for a man in your position.”
    “Huh?” Scott swallowed and the pen vanished below the table. “Of course, sir. Thank you. Anything else?”
    “Have you checked her phone lines?”
    “Yes.”
    “I want you to call a hacker-”
    “A-a hacker, sir?” Scott stammered.
    “Yes,” Ethan stated calmly as he looked for the hacker’s contact in his BlackBerry. “He is the best in his field.”
    Scott’s eyes widened and he almost rubbed his hands together; he so loved spying. “Do you want him to bug her lines?”
    “Of course! Here,” Ethan’s cell phone screen showed a cell phone number and a name, Ghost.
    “And, sir, he can hack into her computers, too.” Scott got excited. “And break into the security system of her house. Surely, it’s controlled by a remote computer.”
    “Scott, never forget this, information is essential. Always. Always listen. Even to gossip.”
    “Of course, sir. Employees love to gossip about their employers’ lives.” Scott said eagerly not realizing what he was saying.
    “Unfortunately,” Ethan said curtly. “I want everything done. Everything. But it’s crucial I’m kept informed of every step. And I want Ghost to wipe clean all traces of any research you do from my computer. In fact, buy yourself a new laptop. Start working with that, and don’t leave it here. Ever.”
    “Mr. Ashford, I keep all vital information encrypted. I would never leave anything that could be traced back to us.”
    Ethan smiled at him, his azure eyes twinkling. “Scott, you are the best.”
    Scott puffed out his thin chest. “Thank you, Mr. Ashford. Do you want to meet with Ghost, sir?”
    “Scott, people in his line of work are necessarily secretive. He will never