THE DEPUTY

POV — Catriona

The night was quiet when I finally left my apartment, but the city below hummed with energy—lights, traffic, and a subtle pulse of movement that never stopped. Reid Capital never truly slept, either. And neither did the problems that seemed to follow Shawn like a shadow.

I arrived at the office early, before even the security team completed their rounds. My heels clicked softly against the polished floors, echoing off the walls as I made my way to the legal department. A report from one of our junior associates had caught my eye—something that didn’t add up.

Shawn’s office door was ajar, the light spilling into the hallway. He was there already, sleeves rolled up, reviewing contracts with a precision that made the early hour feel normal.

“Miss Agreste,” he said without looking up, voice calm, controlled. “I assume you’re not here for idle curiosity.”

“Something in the acquisition reports,” I said, keeping my tone measured. “I need a second look. There’s a discrepancy in disclosure timelines. It could be minor—or it could be a leak.”

He finally looked at me, expression unreadable. “And you think it’s serious?”

“Potentially,” I said. “It aligns with patterns from the Laurent probe. Someone may be testing our internal controls. Or worse—feeding information outward.”

He studied me for a long moment, one that made my pulse quicken. Then he leaned back, hands steepled. “Show me what you’ve found.”

I spread the documents across his desk, careful to keep everything orderly, professional, precise. He leaned over, examining every page, every highlighted clause, every annotation I had made. The office was silent except for the rustle of paper and the faint hum of the city outside.

“This is why you are here. You belong here,” he said finally, voice low, almost private. “Your eyes see what others overlook. Your mind catches what most don’t anticipate.”

I felt warmth at his words—not from flattery, but from recognition. He wasn’t giving praise lightly. Every word carried weight. Every detail. Spoken and unspoken.

Together, we traced the discrepancy, cross-referencing contracts, emails, and meeting notes. Hours passed with only brief exchanges, small comments, and the occasional nod. The rhythm between us was seamless. It was no longer mentor and intern—it was strategy and execution in perfect alignment.

At one point, my hand brushed his as I passed a file. Nothing overt. Nothing inappropriate. But the contact sent a subtle current through me, an acknowledgment of something private that neither of us would voice aloud. I caught his eyes briefly, and there it was again—a flicker of approval, attention, and something more. Something not just professional.

“Catriona,” he said quietly, almost hesitantly, “if this leak exists, we need to contain it before it affects the acquisition timeline. You’re with me on this?”

“Of course,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “We handle it together.”

The hours blurred. We tracked communications, compared notes, and traced internal movements like detectives threading a web. Shawn’s calm presence grounded me, even as the stakes escalated. Every decision mattered. Every oversight could be costly.

Finally, late into the night, we isolated the source—a junior analyst named Yuna who had inadvertently shared sensitive details with an external consultant. It wasn’t malicious, but it had the potential to cause significant exposure if left unchecked.

“Good work,” Shawn said, standing and stretching briefly. “Contain it discreetly. No alarms, no rumors.”

I nodded, feeling both exhaustion and exhilaration. The relief wasn’t just about resolving the leak—it was about how seamlessly we had worked together. The trust between us was no longer just implied. It was proven, in action, and unspoken in every glance and gesture.

But as I gathered my things, another realization struck me. The consultant who had received the information wasn’t random. He was directly tied to Laurent’s deputy—the same figure who had been circling the boardroom in recent weeks, whispering, maneuvering, probing for weaknesses.

I froze, scanning the final line of the report again. The deputy’s name was there, buried in the consultant’s firm.

“Shawn,” I said quietly, handing him the page. “It’s not just a leak. It’s obvious. It’s targeted. Laurent’s deputy is behind this.”

His eyes narrowed, the calm shifting into something sharper. He read the line, then folded the paper deliberately. “So it begins,” he murmured.

The deputy. A shadow player. Not as visible as Laurent, but perhaps more dangerous. He operated in silence, using intermediaries, disguising intent. And now, he had reached into our circle.

Shawn’s gaze met mine, steady, deliberate. “This changes everything. We’re not just patching leaks. We’re countering strategy.”

I felt the weight of it settle in my chest. This wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate pressure, designed to destabilize.

“What do we do?” I asked.

He moved closer, lowering his voice. “We watch him. We anticipate. And we make sure he learns that probing Reid Capital comes with consequences.”

The office was empty around us, shadows stretching across the floor. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to feel the weight of alignment, trust, and unspoken connection. The world outside didn’t see it. Reid Capital didn’t see it. But it was there, quiet, undeniable, and entirely ours.

When I finally left the building, the night air was cool against my skin. I walked to my car thinking not about the hours, the contracts, or the minor threat we had just neutralized—but about the deputy. About the way Shawn had looked at me when the truth surfaced. About the way our hands had brushed, the way the silence between us carried a language all its own.

I wasn’t just learning the inner workings of Reid Capital anymore. I was learning the rules of this private, unspoken partnership—one that balanced strategy, ambition, and the slow, careful build of something that is dangerously intimate.

And I knew, deep in my chest, that the stakes had never been this higher. Not for the company. Not for Charles Laurent.

For us.