Inspiration
Almost thirty minutes after the call between Steve and the men at the office, all the information Steve had requested had been sent. He was looking at what they had been able to find on Noah's laptop as a phone had far too little of a screen to be able to look at so much information easily and efficiently. While the three men were still at the office, waiting anxiously to if and what could still be done, their bosses were busy trying to find a solution.
After a few minutes of looking, analysing and seeing what kind of information could be retrieved from the phone, Steve said, "I'm afraid that too much damage has already been done. The message is too far gone for me to fully retrieve. I can delete the words but that won't stop the message from being sent. It will only end up being an empty message, which might cause even more suspicion with Olivia. I think they wrote the message while they were still standing on the other side of the room or maybe even the hall, where they had poor reception but still reception. However they must have been walking as they pressed send, putting them right in the blocking zone as the message was going out. Causing the message to be too far out to get back but I suppose we could tweak the message and go with Laila's suggestion.
Hearing her name being mentioned, Laila's attention was immediately caught. Like a meerkat she turned around with a raised torso and she let out a high-pitched, "Hmm?" as her face showed her curiosity. To make the picture complete, she slightly tilted her head before asking, "Did someone mention my name?"
Both Noah and Steve couldn't help but laugh at the image that Laila had created before Steve responded to her question by saying, "I did. You brought up something very interesting before and it gave me an idea. Instead of deleting the message, which seems close to impossible at this point, I thought we could do what you said but with only one minor adjustment. While I can't delete the message, I can change the words. So, if I make it seem like it isn't a report for today but something they have discovered for tomorrow, it will solve our problem and get them some brownie points with Olivia for getting the information so early. All we will have to do tomorrow is turn it into the truth."
All three of them were pleasantly surprised by Steve's suggestion, though each in their own way and for their own reasons. One of which of course being that it was a great plan that gave a simple solution to their problem. In Maria's case she felt herself being surprised by Steve's abilities and it was only now that she could really see that he was more than just his playful words. Noah was happy to see his wife praised and to see that the trust he had in his friend wasn't in vain. The last person who couldn't hide her smile, was Laila.
With an exaggerated gasp, hands clasped against both cheeks she said, "Did all of that come from the jibber jabber of little old me? Well colour me impressed and pardon me for tooting my own horn." After a shared chuckle, Laila said, "But all jokes aside, that is wonderful. I am glad I was able to help you in finding a solution for our current predicament but all other credit goes strictly to you. I shall only take credit for being the inspiration." Steve chuckled and said, "Very well. I shall settle for that."
Now that the plan had been made, it was time to think of what message to send and get everything ready. After that they could inform the guys at the office and put things in motion. Combining the creative power of all four of them, the wrote out the following message and let the guys in on their plans to make sure that none of what they had wrote sounded out of the ordinary.
'Miss Olivia,
I know I wasn't able to tell you about Mr. Stephens' schedule for going home today but he left unexpectedly. Apparently he was having guests and he forgot he needed to pick them up so he needed to leave early. At least that is what I was able to gather by asking his assistant. But I managed to lure him away from his computer for a brief moment while his planner was still open and I was able to see his schedule for tomorrow. I hope that information can compensate for my lack of preparing you today. I listed his events for tomorrow down below so you can plan what moment is best for you to run into him.
- Start: 9:00 AM
- No lunch plans with anyone
- Meeting down town from 15:00 PM until 16:00 at Café Le Noir
- Working until 19:00 and finishing up with a video conference until 19:30
I know it isn't much but perhaps you can bring him lunch at the office for a private meal together? Or even dinner?
Again I apologize for my failure today and I wish you a pleasant evening.
Josh.'
Before they actually sent the message, Laila asked in a tone that showed she was still feeling a bit worried now that they were actually doing it, "Is it really okay to send something like this? What will you do if she actually shows up? How will you deal with her then?"
In a calming voice Noah replied, "It will be fine honey. I promise. Steve will be there all day and throughout the day I will pretend to have sudden changes in my schedule, causing me to be a lot less free than I initially thought. I will say it loud enough for James or Andrew to hear as well or I will simply let the guys send an update to Olivia. If I notice she smells any trouble, I will 'cancel' one of said made up appointments and have lunch with her. I will buy her something from the canteen, so she won't be able to slip anything in it and we will be in public. She will get her lunch, our plan will be save and the guys won't get in trouble."
Hearing Noah's plan for the actual day, Laila felt more reassured and with the press of a button the message was sent! Now all they could do was wait.