“Your cyber team missed it.”
Petros swallowed.
“I take full responsibility. I—”
“I’m not asking for excuses.”
My tone sharpened like steel.
“I’m asking if you’re still mine.”
Silence.
That question carried more weight than punishment.
More weight than threats.
More weight than loyalty declarations.
Petros lowered his head slightly.
Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead to the marble.
“Yes.”
The word came out firm.
Unwavering.
“Yes, boss. I failed operationally. Not loyally.”
His eyes lifted again.
“If you punish me, I accept it.”
“But I will spend the rest of my life making sure this never happens again.”
I stared at him for a long moment.
Measuring sincerity. Measuring loyalty.
Measuring usefulness.
In my world — mistakes were fatal.
But loyalty was rare.
And replaceable men were easier to punish than proven ones.
I finally spoke.
“Get medical treatment.”
His eyes flashed with surprise.
“After that — you personally lead the internal investigation.”
His posture straightened slightly.
