Bull Market Blues

Marcus swirled the ice in his glass, watching the amber liquid catch the afternoon light. His office on the 52nd floor usually felt like a sanctuary, but today the air was thick with unspoken accusations.

"They're calling it a correction," David said, not meeting his eyes. "The whole sector's down."

Marcus studied his protégé of three years. David had the look of a man who'd just seen a ghost—or become one. "A correction doesn't explain why you sold our position at the bottom. Not when you knew the earnings report was solid."

"I was protecting the fund. The bullish sentiment had been irrational for months." David's voice cracked. "Everyone expected a pullback."

"Not everyone sold three hours before the announcement," Marcus said quietly. "And nobody else had a brother working at the firm that released the early whisper numbers."

The truth hung between them like guillotine blade. David's face went pale.

"It's not what you think—"

"Save it." Marcus stood and walked to the window. Manhattan spread below them, a grid of ambition and compromise. "You know what they say about this business. Bull markets make geniuses out of fools and traitors out of friends."

He turned back to face David. "I covered your tracks. The audit won't find anything. But you're done here."

David's shoulders slumped. "Marcus, I—"

"Go. And David?" Marcus waited until the younger man looked up. "You want to know the difference between us? When the water rises, I learn to swim. You just learn to drown other people."

Hours later, alone in his office, Marcus poured another drink. His phone buzzed—a text from an old friend: "Market's turning. New opportunities coming. Same player as always?"

Marcus smiled sadly. Some things never changed. In a world of bulls and bears, he'd always been the one who refused to run with the pack—even when it meant watching the people he mentored tear each other apart like starving dogs. He clicked off his phone and walked to the window again, watching the city lights flicker on like promises waiting to be broken.