"Henry Castellanos. He's been on the board since my grandfather's time. He mentored my father. Supported my appointment as CEO when others wanted Armand." I stand, needing to move after sitting through an hour of the facade. "He'll want to know what's really going on. He's not going to accept vague references to security concerns."
"Tell him the truth."
I stare at Luc. "You want me to tell Henry that I'm being stalked?"
"Tell someone you trust. Someone with authority to protect your position while I handle the threat." He turns from the window, meets my gaze. "You can't fight this alone. You need allies."
He's right. Henry would understand. He'd help me manage the board's perception, counter Armand's subtle sabotage. But telling him means showing weakness. It means acknowledging that the unshakeable CEO facade is cracking.
"I'll think about it." The words come out automatic. Corporate speak for 'I'll avoid this decision as long as possible.'
"Don't think. Decide." Luc's voice carries that command I'm learning not to argue with. "You have until one o'clock. If you trust him, tell him. If not, we find someone else."
My first instinct is to push back. Tell him that my business decisions aren't his to command. But I remember last night's dinner. The way following his commands gave me structure when panic threatened to overwhelm me.
The ones who survive follow protocols.
"Yes, Sir." The words slip out automatically, even though we're technically discussing business rather than personal protocols.
His expression doesn't change, but something shifts in his eyes. Recognition that I just submitted to his authority in a professional context. Chose to trust his judgment instead of fighting for control.
"Good girl." The praise is quiet, but it hits me harder than it should. "The executives who opposed you. Start with the ones who had the most to lose."
I sink into the chair and try to organize years of corporate warfare into coherent threat assessment. "Patricia Moreau wanted my job. The board seriously considered her—she had a decade of operational experience to my handful of years. But she wasn't family, and tradition runs deep at LaCroix Petroleum." I shrug. “Besides which, at the end of the day, I own 51 percent of the company.”
"Technical skills?"
"Operations management, process optimization, supply chain logistics. Nothing that screams surveillance installation." I pull up her personnel file on my laptop and turn the screen toward him. "She stayed on as COO. She's excellent at her job, professional in every interaction. But there's always been tension beneath the surface."
Luc studies the file. "Your CTO?"
"Mateo Santos. He's brilliant but awkward. Doesn't care about politics or power, just wants to solve technical problems." I close Patricia's file and navigate to Mateo's. "He absolutely has the knowledge to plant cameras. But motive? He's more interested in refining algorithms than destroying me. And he's been instrumental in implementing security upgrades across our facilities."
"Obsession changes people." Luc makes a note on his phone.
"Sally Bene might be the better bet." I hesitate. "She's Head of Exploration. Geology background, not IT, but field ops require sophisticated monitoring equipment. And she's been the most openly skeptical of my leadership. She questions my decisions regularly, pushes back on strategic direction."
"Enough to want you gone?"
The question hangs between us. "I don't know. She's aggressive, ambitious. She probably resents that I leapfrogged over her. But stalking? It doesn't fit what I know about her."
"Or working with someone." Luc sets down his phone. "Two angles. Corporate. Personal. Might be separate. Might not. What about personal?"
The idea that multiple people might be trying to destroy me makes my stomach turn.
"Julien LaSalle. Former Dom. Got possessive. Started stalking your sessions at Dominion. Comments about how no one else could give you what you needed."
I remember Julien. He was intense, controlling, too invested in my submission. I cut ties with him months ago when his behavior crossed from dominant to disturbing. "Margot banned him from the club after he tried to force a scene I didn't consent to. I haven't seen him since."
"Banning him from the club doesn't stop him from watching you." Luc pulls up something on his phone, shows me a photograph. Dark-haired, sharp features, the kind of intensity that had felt compelling before it turned threatening. "He's on our list. Other former partners who showed boundary issues. Club members present during multiple sessions where you booked private rooms."
My throat tightens. "You think someone I scened with is behind this?"
"Someone watched you submit. Wanted more. Couldn't accept it ending." He pockets his phone. "Corporate angle's justas strong. Your uncle wants you destroyed. So do executives who lost out when you became CEO. Andy's pulling financial records. Margot's reviewing club access logs."
The investigation feels overwhelmingly complex. Too many suspects. Too many connections I can't see yet. "How do you even begin to narrow it down?"
"Watch how people react when we apply pressure. Follow evidence when forensics come back. See if anyone escalates at Dominion." His expression hardens. "Keep you alive long enough to figure out who wants you dead."
