Accident Prone

By the way he swiftly closed whatever was on the screen, Liz guessed that it's related to Irene.

Max knows that Liz is not comfortable when Irene is mentioned, so unless she asks about the current progress, he is doing his best to pretend that Irene does not exist.

"How was your morning with girls?", Max asked while making his way toward Liz.

Liz looked at Max and guilt swelled inside her. She knows that it's not Max's fault. Sure, Liz would be more confident if Max didn't freeze that evening when Irene made her appearance, but that does not mean that Liz would be assured how her relationship with Max is ironclad.

Liz is aware that the girls are right. The only way for Liz to get over this and to get her relationship with Max on the right track is… Liz must face the monster called Irene Brooks. Liz is confident that most of her worries are only in her head, but until she interacts with Irene, and sees how Max behaves when Irene is around in order to gauge the reality, the only thing Liz has to work with is her imagination and insecurities.

"My morning was fine. How about yours? Any progress with Irene?"

Max frowned slightly. He does not want to talk about Irene, but if he avoids the topic, Liz might get the wrong idea. "This is the third week how Irene started working, and so far, she is doing her job."

"Maybe she is waiting for you.", Liz said. "Why don't you shake her up?"

Max rejected. "I don't want to go there and give you a reason to doubt me."

"But I am doubting.", Liz admitted. "Not you, but me. I doubt that I am not good enough. I fear that you will succumb to the temptation of whatever she has, and I don't. I'm not saying that you should return to work, but make an appearance. Tomorrow, you have a meeting with the directors. Go to that meeting instead of Nathan. Irene will not expect to see you and it will catch her off guard. At the same time, it will give her an idea that you can pop into the office anytime. Predictability plays into her favor because she has the time to plan. You said that she is smart and scheming, and we both know that you will not make any progress if she is the one in charge."

Max agrees that Liz's idea makes sense, but… "Are you OK with me going there?"

Liz looked into Max's eyes with determination. "I thought about this and… if you fire her and she never steps into Settle again, it would not bring me peace. To be honest, even before she showed up, I was uneasy whenever I was reminded that you had a girlfriend who left you scarred."

"Liz…"

Max wrapped his arms around Liz and pulled her to lean on him. Her words loosened the knot he has in his chest since he woke up in the hospital, and he felt that it's easier to breathe.

"Thank you, for not giving up, Liz. I will not disappoint you."

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to understand that ignoring the problem will not make it disappear."

"It's OK…", he whispered into her hair. "I will wait for you as long as it takes." In his mind, he added: 'Just don't leave me…'

Max knows that it's extreme and that some might call him immature, but he never did anything halfheartedly. Max was always all in or he would not bother with it, and with Elizabeth, he is all in more than ever before.

Max was unable to prevent himself from falling in love with Liz and from the moment he stopped fighting it, everything he did was for her and he will be damned if he allows someone like Irene to ruin their relationship. He will rather quit his job and face his father's wrath than give up on Elizabeth, but he never said that at loud because he knows that Liz would not approve.

When Irene left him, Max was hurt and disappointed and he thought that he lost something important. But after meeting Liz, Max realized that he never had anything truly important, not before Elizabeth became a part of his life.

Liz is like a beacon of light and love and everything good in life, and Max can't imagine his life without her even though he is aware that she is too good for him.

Max still remembers Quentin's words: Liz is so pure, that she can't see Max's dirt.

Of course, if Liz does not want to be with Max, he can't force her, but he is aware of how that would be a death sentence for him because without her in his life, nothing makes sense.

"I want to come too…", Liz mumbled into Max's chest.

Max was pulled out of his thoughts and he didn't understand. "Where?"

Liz lifted her head and looked at Max. "To the Alpha group. Your work. Tomorrow."

Max's eyebrows shoot up. "You want to attend the meeting with the directors?"

"Not the meeting… Can I wait in your office?"

Max wanted to ask Liz if she is sure. What if she bumps into Irene? Will she be OK with that? But then… Liz probably thought about it and has a plan.

Max smiled. "Of course. After the meeting, we can go for lunch together."

"Can you tell me more information on what you, Nathan, Hunter, and Foxy are doing related to Irene?"

"I can show you.", Max grabbed his laptop and ushered Liz to the sofa, where they sat side-by-side. "We have cameras set in several strategic places. Her work email and phone are being monitored, as well as her cell phone. Ian sends daily reports about her activity… This is the report for yesterday…"

Liz read the report and thought about how it is detailed. However, she saw a few issues. "You are watching her phone, what if she has another one? It's not uncommon for people to have more than one phone."

Max nodded in agreement. "This is the only phone registered on her name. If she has another one, there is no way for us to find out unless we physically go through her stuff, and we don't want to risk her suspecting us."

Liz pointed at the part of the report that lists who entered and exited the CEO's office. "What about cameras in your office, doesn't that spy on you also?"

"Not really…" Max typed swiftly on his laptop, and it showed the live feed from the CEO's office. "The camera is showing only the entrance and the angle covers up to my desk, however, other than this edge, you can't see what is on the desk itself and the sitting areas and anything beyond that is not covered. Our goal is to catch her if she enters my office when no one is there. But I don't think that is the hottest spot..."

Max typed again, and it switched to another view. "This is the entrance to the room with secure servers. Our secret projects and contracts are stored here, and they can be accessed only from this room. If I need something, Foxy goes there, prints it out and we shred it when we are done…"

"Are you confident that Irene is at the Alpha group to sabotage you?"

"That is the only thing that makes sense. We went through multiple scenarios and if she is caught, her career will be tarnished, and no good company would ever hire her. That risk must be worth a lot of money, and we have several competitors who would pay a substantial sum to get a piece of our market. My theory is that Irene will lay low, play a good employee, earn our trust, and then strike when we are relaxed. It could be one big operation, or she might leak our secrets little by little."

"Does she have access to that room?", Liz asked.

"No."

"How can she get in?"

Max shrugged. "As a spy, she should find a way."

Liz frowned. "Maybe she will seduce the CEO and get his access card."

Max pinched her chin and forced her to look at him. "Or maybe she will attack the CEO's girlfriend and get hers."

Liz blinked. "I have the access to that room?"

Max smiled, happy that Liz's frown disappeared. "You, me, Hunter, Nathan, and Foxy are the only ones who can get into that room. Anyone else needs to file a request with justification why they want to get in, and also the day and the time when they need the access. If the security check passes and the CEO approves the request, that employee will get a card that grants them access for one hour."

Liz wondered what is so secretive on those servers. Does Max have some shady deals? Probably. She forced herself to listen because Max was still speaking.

"Irene will either find a good reason to get in or try to get her hands on one of the cards that are available. The system records every entry, the camera will capture anyone who gets close to the door, and this room has no windows…"

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