"Begins at nine AM. Anyone who fails to appear will be assumed to have something to hide."
Patterson looked around the table, reading the room. Whatever calculation he ran, it came out in my favor. "All in favor of a vote of confidence in Algerone Caisse-Etremont's continued leadership during the current crisis?"
Seven hands went up. Some were slower than others, but they all went up.
"Motion carries unanimously." Patterson's voice was flat. "Congratulations, Maxime. You've made your point."
"I haven't begun to make my point." I straightened my jacket. "But it's a start."
As Rebecca Marchand drafted the formal documentation, I stepped away from the table and pulled out my phone. Two messages waited—one from Reid confirming tactical positions in Vancouver, one from Algerone.
How's the board handling things?
I typed back:Unanimous vote of confidence. Walsh and Morrison exposed as compromised. Full security audit beginning at nine.
His response came immediately:Any resistance?
Nothing I couldn't handle. But Algerone, Shaw has surveillance in your penthouse. Hidden cameras in the bedroom.
A longer pause before his reply:How do you know?
Someone sent me photographs. Trying to rattle me during the meeting.I hesitated, then added:They captured us. Together.
The pause stretched longer this time. Then:Are you all right?
I almost smiled. After everything, the betrayal, the confession, the raw honesty of the past twenty-four hours, his first concern was still whether I was all right.
Furious. But functional. I'll handle the sweep personally.
No, have Reid's team do it when they return. I don't want you alone in that residence until we know what we're dealing with.
Understood.
And Maxime? Whoever sent those photos made a mistake. They thought they could use us against each other. They're about to learn how wrong they were.
I'll make sure of it.
I pocketed the phone and turned back to the board members, who were signing the documentation Rebecca Marchand had prepared. Patterson caught my eye and nodded. He'd been outmaneuvered, and he was smart enough to recognize it.
"Gentlemen," I addressed them. "We have four hours until the market opens. Legal will prepare our official statement. Media relations will coordinate all external communications. No one—and I mean no one—speaks to the press, analysts, or regulators without explicit authorization from this office."
"And what will you be doing?" Hendrik asked.
"Ensuring that when Algerone returns with our prototype, he has a company to return to." I gathered my tablet and moved toward the door. "I suggest you all get whatever sleep you can. The next few days will be demanding."
I paused at the threshold, looking back at the men who, an hour ago, had plotted to question Algerone's authority. Now they sat diminished, exposed, aware for the first time of the forces arrayed against them, and equally aware that their only protection came from the man they'd tried to undermine.
"One more thing." My voice carried across the room. "The infiltration we've uncovered tonight extends beyond financial compromises. Shaw has assets we haven't identified yet. People in positions of trust. Anyone who has information about additional security breaches has until noon to come forward voluntarily. After that..." I let the silence speak for itself.
Morrison's face went gray. Walsh's screen disconnected abruptly.
"Good evening, gentlemen."
I walked out without looking back.
In the elevator, alone for the first time since the meeting began, I allowed myself one moment to feel the weight of the photographs. Someone had watched us. Recorded us. Tried to weaponize the most honest moments of my existence.
The rage was still there, banked but burning. I would find them. I would make them understand exactly what they'd touched.
