Market Forces

The bull market had been good to Marcus—corner office, views of the harbor, the kind of life that made old friends wonder if they still knew you at all. That's why Elena came over that Tuesday night, wine and grievances in hand, their monthly tradition surviving even as Marcus's world expanded upward.

His cat, a judgmental Russian Blue named Boris, regarded Elena from the top of the bookshelf as she paced the expensive carpet.

"He's tracking me," Elena said, setting her iPhone on the marble counter with a shake in her hands. "My phone lights up at random times. The battery drains when I'm not using it. Last week, my location history showed I was at a warehouse I've never visited."

Marcus swirled his scotch. "You think your husband hired someone?"

"Worse." Elena's voice dropped. "I think it's corporate. I've been interviewing with competitors, Marcus. Someone knows."

What Marcus didn't say—what his new life had taught him to conceal—was that Elena wasn't wrong. She also wasn't right about who was watching. The spyware on her phone hadn't come from her husband or a rival corporation. It came from Marcus, installed at the request of his company's security division when Elena's name appeared on a list of potential leakers.

He'd wanted to believe she was innocent. That's why he'd done the surveillance himself instead of passing it to professionals. To protect her, he'd told himself. To give her a chance to explain before the hammer fell.

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," Elena whispered, reaching out to pet Boris, who for once leaned into her touch. "You're the only person I trust anymore."

Marcus's phone buzzed in his pocket. A message from security: *CONFIRM. MEETING TOMORROW 9AM.*

The bull market had been good indeed. But this—betraying the only person who'd known him before the money, before the corner office, before everything—this was the cost of doing business.

He smiled, the expression feeling foreign on his face. "You're safe here, Elena. You can stay as long as you need."

Boris leapt from the shelf and wound between her legs, purring. Some secrets, the cat seemed to say, should stay buried. Marcus watched his friend breathe, watched her shoulders finally relax, and wondered how much his soul was worth in current market conditions.