A murmur rippled through the room.
— I want you to have exactly what you deserve: to start from scratch… without anyone paving the way for you.
Hotel security approached discreetly.
Camille tried to speak:
— I didn’t know that…
I looked at her.
— You knew perfectly well that he was married.
She said nothing more.
Rivas offered me his arm.
— The council is waiting for you for the official toast.
I took a deep breath and walked towards the stage, leaving behind the life I had tried to save.
I took the microphone.
— Tonight, we celebrate the growth of our company. But I would like to remind everyone of one essential thing: no success is worthwhile if it makes us lose our humanity.
Sincere applause filled the room.
From the platform, I saw Laurent leave, escorted out, defeated, realizing too late whom he had despised.
And for the first time in years…
I felt free.
But as I came offstage, my personal assistant approached, her face looking worried.
— Madam President… there is a problem.
— What’s going on?
She spoke in a low voice:
— One of our subsidiaries in Lyon has just been hacked. And everything points to someone on the inside… someone very close to you.
My heart raced.
Because only three people had access to this information…
and one of them had just lost everything that very night.
The real battle was only just beginning.
The news hit like a cold shower.
« Who else has access? » I asked, walking towards a private room.
My assistant replied:
— You, the finance director… and your husband. His authorizations were still active.
I stopped.
Of course.
Laurent had tried to take something with him before he fell. Maybe money, maybe information, maybe just revenge.
I took a deep breath. I felt no anger. Only a quiet sadness… and the certainty that I had to close this chapter properly.
— Block all access and activate the security protocol. And call our legal team, I ordered.
Thirty minutes later, the technicians confirmed that the sabotage attempt had been stopped in time. No losses. Only a digital trace leading directly to Laurent Dubois’ user.
The company was safe.
Me too.
At dawn, I returned home. Our home. Or rather, the one we once shared.
The lights were off. An open suitcase in the living room indicated that he had come back to collect some belongings. When I entered, he appeared in the hallway, disheveled, his eyes red.
There was no more arrogance. Only fear.
— Eleanor… I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was… desperate.
I looked at him in silence.
« You haven’t lost your job tonight, Laurent, » I said calmly. « You’ve lost the person who believed in you the most. »
His voice broke.
— I love you… I got carried away.
