"Civil. Mostly." I sip my coffee. "Patricia's distant but professional. Some members are respectful. Others are cold but functional. The company's thriving, which helps."
Luc nods. "Trial's starting soon."
"Yes. I testify in a few days."
"You ready?"
"I'm not afraid of him anymore." I set down my cup. "He can't hurt me. He's going to federal prison for the rest of his life. The evidence is overwhelming."
"Good." He reaches across the table, covers my hand with his. "You did that. You stood up to him, took back your company, and put him away."
"We did that."
"No. I protected you. You fought him." His thumb strokes across my knuckles. "Don't diminish what you accomplished."
I finish breakfast, rinse the dishes, grab my bag. Luc walks me to my car, kisses me once, hard and possessive.
"I'll be home by evening," I tell him. "Unless the board meeting runs late."
"Text me if it does. I'm coordinating with Remy this afternoon, but I'll be done by late afternoon."
I drive to LaCroix Petroleum, park in my reserved spot, and head up to the executive floor. My assistant greets me with messages and a schedule update. The board meeting's still on for this morning. Nothing unexpected.
Hours pass in emails and reports. When I head to the boardroom, I'm fully in CEO mode. Patricia's already there, reviewing documents. Other board members filter in. WalterBrandt gives a nod of acknowledgment. A few others murmur greetings.
The meeting runs smoothly. We cover quarterly reports, strategic planning, budget approvals. By midday, we're done.
I return to my office, handle calls, review contracts. The work feels normal again, stable, no longer overshadowed by threats or surveillance or fear.
Late afternoon, I pack up and leave. I head to Luc's estate, to the life we're building together.
Luc's in his office when I arrive, on a call with Remy. I change out of my suit, pull on comfortable clothes, and start dinner. It's domestic and strange and perfect.
He finds me in the kitchen soon after, wraps his arms around me from behind. "How was the board?"
"Functional. Professional. Boring, honestly."
"Boring's good."
"Boring's wonderful." I lean back against him. "How's Rapier Strategic?"
"We're busy. Remy's handling a corporate security audit. I'm consulting on a dignitary protection detail next month." He kisses my neck. "But it's manageable. We're making it work."
We are. Luc balances his work at Rapier Strategic with our relationship. I run LaCroix Petroleum and come home to him. I'm CEO in the boardroom, submissive in his bedroom, equal partner in everything that matters.
Dinner's simple. We have jambalaya with crusty artisan bread and wine. We eat together, talk about our days, plan the weekend. It's ordinary in the best possible way.
After dinner, Luc's phone rings. He glances at the screen, frowns. "It's Margot. I need to take this."
"Go ahead."
He steps into his office. I clean up the kitchen, start the dishwasher. When he emerges a short while later, his expression's shifted into tactical mode.
"Emergency at Rapier Strategic. Margot needs me to come in."
"What happened?"
"One of Dominion's staff members witnessed a murder last night. She's terrified, doesn't know who to trust, and NOPD's writing her off as unreliable." He grabs his keys. "Margot wants Rapier Strategic to handle protection and investigate independently."
