Chapter 6; The application

(Gabriel POV)

It's impossible, Claire Laurent, an applicant in my company?

The name stays on my screen longer than it should, as different thoughts swirl in my head.

I have read thousands of profiles in my life, filtered through even more, rejected most within seconds. But this one stands out because she's my biggest rival’s wife.

I read it again to be certain I'm not hallucinating.

Claire Laurent, still the same name. There is no mistake in the spelling or confusion in identity, everything matches what it should match on paper.

Her credentials are strong, her technical background is impressive and her experience is more than enough to qualify her for a role in Arnaud Enterprises.

And yet I do not like it, not because of what she is but because of who she is connected to.

Damien Laurent’s wife.

I lean back in my chair, eyes still fixed on the screen as the thought settles properly.

Damien does not make random moves. Everything he does is calculated, even when it looks emotional on the surface. That is what makes him dangerous in business, he never acts without expecting a reaction.

This application feels wrong and intentional as though they're trying to get under my skin. If that is the purpose, then it's working because I can't think properly right now.

I glance at her file again, slower this time, as if reading it from a different angle will expose what is hidden underneath the structure of it. Claire Laurent wants to work for me.

The idea should be simple to dismiss but it's not.

My fingers rest lightly on the edge of the desk as I think through it. The most obvious explanation is also the most irritating one. Damien is trying to place his wife inside my company, a controlled entry point. This is totally senseless.

I exhale slowly, nothing escapes me, I'll definitely find out. He must think I'm stupid.

But something about it still does not sit right.

I stand and move toward the glass wall behind me. Paris spreads out below in soft layers of light and movement, a city that never fully sleeps. I usually find clarity here but my thoughts do not settle easily.

Why would Damien’s wife apply to my company?

I let the question sit without forcing an answer, then another thought interrupts it.

What if it is not Damien? I pause slightly at that.

What if I am reading this incorrectly? What if Claire Laurent is not a piece being moved by someone else? What if she is moving herself?

The possibility is not comforting. I return to my desk and reopen her file. The details remain unchanged but now I look at them differently.

There is something too controlled about it, just too carefully arranged like someone decided what should be visible and what should never surface.

That alone is enough to make me uneasy.I press a key on my secure line.

“Leo,” I say.

His voice comes through immediately. “Yes, sir.”

“I want a full background check on Claire Laurent,” I continue, keeping my tone steady. “Everything, personal records, financial history, education, employment. I want anything that exists outside of what I am seeing here.”

There is a brief pause.

“Understood, I will prioritize it,” he replies.

The line cuts.

I sit back slowly but I do not look away from the screen.

The application is still open, Claire Laurent, Damien’s wife.

What if they're just playing pranks on me? I tighten my jaw as anger surge through me. If that is what it is, I'll make Damien pay for it.

So he wants to use his wife to play games with me? So be it, game on.

My system alerts me to the encrypted trace still running in the background. The anonymous email that appeared earlier today is still there, buried under layers of rerouted security paths. I tried to trace it once, It collapsed before I could reach anything meaningful.

That alone should not bother me but it does. I need to know who sent that evidence to my inbox, whoever that's behind it must be really good because I can't track them down.

I reopen the trace and attempt again, pushing through secondary routes, then deeper into the structure of my own security network. Each layer folds in on itself the moment I get close, like the system is refusing to reveal its origin entirely.

I stop after a moment not because I cannot continue but because continuing feels pointless right now.

Someone built this properly, irritation claws through me.

I lean forward slightly, eyes narrowing at the screen as I let the thought form fully.

A controlled breach, carefully constructed, designed not to be traced. My blood boils in rage, Sophia has been selling me out.

I should be grateful to who sent that evidence but I'm not, I feel threatened by the breach in my system. I sigh in deep frustration.

My gaze flicks to my laptop screen, studying Claire's file again. There's something about it that does not look like normal professional history.

There's no visible instability or mess that usually exists in real careers. Everything looks too clean.

A knock breaks my focus.

“Sir,” Leo says as he enters.

“Report,” I say without looking away from the screen.

He steps inside and closes the door behind him, tablet in hand. His expression is controlled but I know him well enough to notice the slight shift in his posture. He would not come here personally unless something stood out.

“I ran the preliminary background check on Claire Laurent,” he says.

I finally turn slightly toward him.

“And?”

He hesitates, just for a fraction of a second, before answering.

“Her background is too clean.”

My gaze sharpens.

“Explain.”

He scrolls on his tablet. “There are expected gaps in her early records that do not match her level of expertise. Her academic history exists but supporting documentation is minimal. Her employment records are consistent on paper but difficult to verify in full detail.”

I listen without interrupting.

He finished in a low voice as if scared of speaking further. “It feels constructed, sir. Almost manufactured.”

The word settles in the room. I look back at the screen where her name still sits.

Claire Laurent.

A woman connected to my biggest rival. An application that appears too clean to trust and a digital intrusion I cannot trace. Nothing about this aligns properly.

And that is exactly what makes it dangerous. I lean back, eyes still fixed on her file as my mind begins to shift around the problem instead of trying to solve it directly.

My suspicion says Damien is behind this digital intrusion but then, why would Damien send that evidence against Sophia, when he can use the information there to his advantage?

I shake my head, this doesn't make sense to me.

I need to track the anonymous sender but first, I need to find out why Claire Laurent is interstate in working for me.

Leo looks up from his tablet. “Sir, you haven't said anything about the application. We need to fill Sophia's position immediately. Have you decided yet on who will fill her position?”