The Last Good Day

The corporate retreat was Julian's idea—a day of padel and forced camaraderie to boost morale after the layoffs. Elena watched from the sidelines as her colleagues laughed, chasing the small blue ball across the court. She'd forgotten her racket on purpose. Some performances didn't require an audience.

Three weeks earlier, she'd discovered the truth about Marcus. The fox had been clever—too clever. While everyone praised his innovative market analysis, Elena had noticed the discrepancies. His data matched their competitor's unreleased projections with mathematical precision. Industrial espionage dressed up as genius.

She'd become a spy in her own workplace, copying his hard drives while he swam laps at the company gym. Marcus loved swimming—said the rhythm cleared his mind. Three kilometers every morning in the chlorinated water, leaving his workstation unguarded for forty-seven minutes. Precisely.

The vitamin supplements on his desk told the rest of the story. Expensive, imported Swiss formulations not available locally. Someone was paying him well. Not their company.

"Elena?" Marcus's voice interrupted her thoughts. He stood courtside, sweaty and smiling, paddle in hand. "You're missing all the fun."

She met his eyes—warm, friendly, utterly deceptive. "Just enjoying the sun."

Tomorrow she would submit her evidence to HR. The fox would be caught, the espionage exposed. But for now, she watched him laugh with their colleagues, wondering how many of them he'd already sold out. The vitamin bottle on his desk probably cost more than her monthly rent.

Marcus waved her over to join the game. Elena smiled back, already composing her resignation letter in her head. Some victories felt too much like defeat.

"Maybe next round," she called, and meant: never again.