Bronze Bull, Faithful Dog

The bronze bull sat on Marcus's desk — a trophy for closing the largest merger in firm history. At forty-two, he'd finally become the man his father wanted him to be. His marriage, meanwhile, had quietly dissolved into two people sharing a mortgage and a bed.

Their golden retriever, Buster, slept at his feet. The dog was the only living thing that seemed genuinely happy to see him anymore.

"How was the meeting?" Elena asked from the kitchen, not looking up from her phone.

"Fine," Marcus said. "Petrovich is interested."

"Good." She'd stopped asking follow-up questions six months ago.

That evening, an anonymous email arrived: Petrovich isn't who he claims. He's a spy. Your firm is the target. Check the server logs from March 3rd.

His heart hammered. The Russian investor had been too eager, too perfect. Marcus had ignored the red flags — the probing questions about internal security, the requests for facility tours, the way he'd lingered after meetings to chat with junior staff. He'd wanted the deal too badly.

At midnight, Marcus drove to the office. The security footage showed Petrovich photographing documents, copying files from unlocked terminals. The server logs confirmed data exfiltration — client lists, financial projections, the crown jewels of the firm.

Marcus sat alone with the bronze bull, its surface cold under his fingertips. He'd built his career on reading people, on instinct, and he'd missed this. Elena had warned him months ago: "You only see what you want to see."

He could report Petrovich. Save the firm. But the scandal would destroy the merger, and with it, his partnership. His father would be disappointed. Again.

At home, Buster greeted him with tail thumping against the doorframe, the dog's world restored simply by Marcus's return. In the bedroom, Elena watched him in the mirror's reflection.

"You know," she said, turning to face him for the first time in weeks, "you're not the only one who's been pretending."

She knew. She'd always known what he was willing to trade for success.