I look up.
Sergei stands at the entrance of the dining room.
Over the past week, he’s made himself indispensable. While my attention keeps drifting back to Ellie, he quietly holds the rest of my world together. He handles logistics personally, brings updates without being asked, and adjusts security operations when he notices I’ve missed something.
“Yeah?” I say.
He walks closer to the table.
“The guards at the gate noticed something,” he says. “Minor activity for now. The same car has been driving past the estate every day this week.”
My body stills. “Identified?”
“Not yet,” Sergei replies. “But they’re watching.”
That is enough for me.
I push my chair back and stand.
“Increase surveillance,” I say immediately. “Double the guards at the outer perimeter. Cameras on the north and west approach need to be monitored live.”
Sergei nods once.
“Also, reroute internal communications through the secure channel,” I continue. “No casual radio chatter. I want everything logged.”
“Understood.”
He turns to leave.
“Sergei,” I call.
He pauses at the doorway.
“Move quickly.”
He nods and steps into the hall.
Then he stops.
Slowly, he turns back toward me.
“There’s something else, Boss,” he says.
I wait.
His expression is calm, but there’s something measured in his eyes.
“I think Ellie is destabilizing your judgment.”
I frown. “What?”
Sergei purses his lips.
“It’s true,” he says evenly. “You’ve been distracted this week. I’m saying it because I care. You need to focus and return to business as usual.”
My eyes narrow slightly.
I straighten in my chair, letting the weight of my authority settle back into the room.
