Page 61 of Mr. and Mrs. Novak

"That's not all," Nicolas continues, opening another folder. "Lists of names... port officials, customs agents. All with annotations of amounts paid."

"A list of bribes," comments Akim, already evaluating the legal implications.

"And here's the most interesting part..."

Nicolas displays an email.

A red alarm suddenly flashes on one of the screens.

"Shit! He launched an antivirus scan!" Nicolas shouts.

His fingers move frantically on the keyboard, copying files. The progress bar runs while our hearts stop...

"How long?" I ask.

"A few seconds... I'm transferring everything to our secure server."

The progress bar advances, reaches 80% just as the screens displaying Stanford's PC content go black.

"Shit!"

"What do we have?" I ask.

Nicolas quickly checks the transferred files.

"Enough to prove that Stanford has been manipulating us from the beginning."

As we're still trying to assess the extent of Stanislas's infiltration of our company through the list of bribes, my phone rings. Stanislas. Fear paralyzes me for a few seconds, then I pull myself together and answer.

"Stanislas, it's been a while. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Ah, Ruslan," he says in a falsely friendly tone. "You know, I regret not being able to attend your wedding, and I absolutely want to make up for that mistake. I wanted to invite you and your wife to dinner at my house. Come Saturday afternoon, I would be delighted to meet her."

Is this a trap? Does he know about the USB stick and the hacking of his files?

No. Impossible. The timing’s too tight—he hasn’t had time to consult an expert. And Natasha, smart as she is, must’ve formatted the drive the second she found the nude photos of herself, erasing all traces. This call is just a coincidence.

I wish I could say no, but you don’t refuse a man like Stanislas.

Not even when the idea of bringing Sophia there terrifies me.

Until now, the investigation I’ve been leading with my friends only involved the three of us. But now, Sophia is caught in the web too.

“Listen, Stanislas, not this week—we already have plans. How about next week instead?”

“No. I’m sure you can reschedule whatever it is. Listen, I’m expecting you. Don’t disappoint me.”

And he hangs up.

Fuck.

Akim and Nicolas try to talk me out of going, but I have no choice. If he suspects anything, refusing would paint a target on our backs. And it’s not like he’s going to have us killed in his living room.

As soon as I can slip away without raising suspicion, I leave the office and head back to the penthouse. I need to see Sophia—to make sure with my own eyes that she’s okay.

“Holy shit!”

The curse escapes my lips, echoing in the stifling silence of the car.