Progress
Dante
Bianca took medical leave. I’m not sure she’ll ever set foot in the office again. Not after the public denial. Not after the online lynching she endured. Her image as the loyal woman, the flawless COO, the abandoned mother-to-be—it all collapsed.
I’ve decided to file a fraud complaint.
This isn’t about money. I couldn’t care less about that.
But by trying to secure housing and financial support on the grounds that I’m the father of her child, she gave me an opening.
And I intend to use it.
The objective is simple: force her to defend herself on multiple fronts at once.
People fighting too many battles at the same time always end up making mistakes.
Though she’s already made the biggest one of all: getting herself caught on camera stealing trade secrets.
The only reason she isn’t behind bars yet is that we still have Gaspard and Wald to bring down.
And it’s time I started dealing with Wald seriously.
I’m having lunch with Henri again today. Our strategy is ready. All that’s left is to negotiate the final details of our agreement.
I met Henri de Louvencourt during college. The heir to one of the largest fortunes in France, he lets very few people get close to him. People describe him as cold, distant, emotionally unreachable.
That’s not true. Or rather, it’s only part of the truth.
His parents spent his entire life teaching him that emotions were a weakness, that a man should never burden himself with feelings. So he learned to wear that mask perfectly.
But behind that facade, Henri is fiercely loyal and capable of loving deeply. He simply doesn’t know how to show it.
It took us time to understand each other.
Around me, he occasionally lets his guard down. Sometimes, he even makes jokes.
Coming from him, that already means a lot.
He pockets his phone and walks over to me.
“Thank you for giving me an answer so quickly,” I say, pulling him into a brief embrace.
“I haven’t forgotten our pact.”
The pact.
Graduation night. For the first time since I’d known him, Henri had agreed to drink more than two glasses.
Frederik, Yann, Henri, and I spent the night wandering through Paris singing like four drunken idiots fresh out of university, waking entire streets at three in the morning.
We ended up in custody for disturbing the peace.
It was sitting on a metal bench inside a holding cell that we made our pact: no matter what, if one of us ever needed help, the others would show up. No conditions.
Life eventually pulled us in different directions. I wasn’t sure he’d even remember.
“We carefully reviewed your proposal,” he continues. “It’s a very attractive offer. My father has given his approval. We can officially announce the partnership at the Pharmaceutical Convention.”
“Perfect. The timing couldn’t be better.”
Henri watches me for a few seconds before asking:
“Do you really think Wald will take the bait?”
“He’s a proud man. After everything he’s invested in this operation, he’ll never accept being beaten at the last minute.”
Henri nods slowly.
“In that case… see you next week.”
“Yes. See you next week.”
By the time I return to the manor that evening, I set down my briefcase and, without even taking off my coat, cross the room and pull Valeria into my arms.
We simply hold each other in silence.
For two years, I believed I’d never be able to do this again. So ever since we found each other again, we’ve created a ritual.
No departures. No returns. Not without a real kiss—slow and deep.
For me, it’s proof that she’s alive.
For her, proof that she’s really back.
And for both of us… it’s my silent promise never to take a single moment for granted again.
I lower my head slowly until my lips find hers.
Her mouth parts immediately to welcome me.
My arms tighten around her as I deepen the kiss, savoring the warmth, the softness, the certainty of having found her again.
A smile tugs at my lips when a small, inarticulate sound escapes her. Suddenly, I want much more.
But the sound of someone clearing their throat brutally tears us away from the moment.
Mara and Stephen are standing there.
Damn it.
I reluctantly let go of my wife, still affected by the taste of her lips.
Andrea joins us a few seconds later, followed closely by Inspector Sanders. We all sit around the table.
Inspector Sanders opens his laptop and turns the screen toward us.
“We still haven’t found the hitman,” he says. “But we do have a lead on his intermediary. My men are still investigating. And, I’ve got new information on Wald. I think I finally understand how he operates.”
A diagram appears on the screen: circles, lines, company names, percentages.
“There’s a well-known method in industrial espionage, especially in biotech and pharmaceutical industries. It’s discreet, effective… and difficult to prove because it relies on perfectly legal mechanisms.”
He pauses before continuing.
“The principle is simple. Someone wants access to high-potential research without paying its true value. Instead of approaching the target directly, they use an intermediary.”
“Human assets,” Andrea says.
“Exactly,” Sanders confirms. “Become a minority shareholder. Get a seat on the board of directors. Observe, collect information, report strategic developments. And once the research becomes valuable enough…”
“He moves on to the next phase,” Andrea finishes.
“Yes. That’s when Wald steps in with a massive investment to gradually take control of the company.”
“That’s what he wanted to do with Aurenza,” Valeria says.
The inspector turns toward her.
“Yes. But you were extremely secretive about your research, which explains why Peltier approached Bianca instead.”
“He learned about NRX-889 through her.”
“Peltier studies people,” Mara continues. “That’s his job. He quickly understood the dynamic between all of you: Bianca’s jealousy toward Valeria, the way she looked at Dante… What she wanted. What she never would’ve dared to take on her own. He spotted a weakness. And he exploited it.”
“So that’s why Wald wanted to buy into the company,” I realize aloud.
“But instead of signing right away,” Valeria continues, “I started having doubts, and the negotiations dragged on. I told Bianca about my concerns… and that’s how I ended up at the bottom of the Seine.”
The conversation dies instantly.
“The goal now,” Sanders says, “is proving everything we just laid out.”
He closes his laptop before continuing:
“Hector Wald is protected by legal structures spread across three different countries. To personally bring him down, we’ll need proof that he directly ordered these acts. Taking him down will take time and likely require coordination with other agencies.”
“Can’t we do anything to speed things up?” I ask.
“Not directly. But we do have other leverage.”
“Bianca and Peltier,” Mara guesses. “If they fall…”
“They may want to negotiate,” Sanders finishes.
Mara and Sanders exchange a knowing smile.
“And they’ll hand us Wald to reduce their sentence,” Mara says.
Sanders nods.
“Exactly.”
It’s unsettling how easily they understand each other without needing to explain anything.
“As it happens, we have something for you,” I say, handing him the USB drive.
The inspector studies it suspiciously before plugging it into his computer.
Two video files appear on the screen.
He clicks on the first one.
The footage shows Bianca copying files from Valeria’s research computer.
Sanders immediately straightens in his chair.
“This video hasn’t been tampered with?” he asks at once, clearly on guard.
“No. You can analyze the metadata, verify the source files, and check the chain of custody whenever you want.”
My answer seems to make him even more thoughtful.
“And the second video?”
“A screen recording covering the entire transfer process. You can see exactly which files were opened and copied.”
For several long seconds, he says nothing, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Then he finally speaks.
“Excellent. We’re finally starting to build a solid case against her. Between Ms. Delorme’s testimony…”
“Ivanov,” I correct him.
Every head turns toward me.
I repeat calmly:
“Ms. Ivanov.”
A smile crosses the inspector’s face before he immediately corrects himself.
“Between Ms. Ivanov’s testimony and the evidence attached to this case, we may finally have her.”
“Bianca is pregnant,” Valeria says quietly, almost wearily.
I immediately turn toward her.
She’s looked exhausted lately. Paler. More distant too. And it’s starting to seriously worry me.
She’s also become more guarded around me.
Is she hiding something about her health?
“That doesn’t change what she’s done,” Sanders replies. “It may affect the conditions of her indictment, but not the facts themselves.”
Silence settles briefly over the room.
Then Valeria speaks again, thoughtful.
“In the recording… there was a certain intimacy between them. More than just a strategic relationship.”
Inspector Sanders looks at her with renewed interest.
“You think Peltier could be the father?”
It’s not really a question. He’s already following the logic further.
“If that’s the case, then they were meeting privately on a regular basis. Which raises another question: why was Bianca still so determined to marry Mr. Ivanov?”
“The pregnancy probably wasn’t planned,” Valeria replies after a moment. “And judging from their conversation… I think she always wanted Dante.”
For a moment, all remain silent.
“What conversation?” the inspector asks in an oddly neutral tone.
Damn it. He caught the slip.
“The conversation Valeria had with Bianca,” Mara immediately corrects.
Sanders raises an eyebrow slightly.
He isn’t fooled.
His gaze moves from one of us to the next—assessing, waiting, searching for the crack.
The discomfort settles heavily over the room.
“Whatever you attempted to do,” he finally says more sharply, “you stop immediately. I assume none of you want them walking free because of procedural misconduct.”
Mara answers first.
“No, Inspector.”
“All right. Even if I don’t agree with the approach, I agree with the principle. Monitoring their communications is no longer sufficient. I’ll be requesting more intrusive surveillance measures, including wiretaps on their homes.”
He stands.
“Until then, you stay out of it. Understood?”
I take responsibility immediately.
“Yes, Inspector.”
He grabs his coat and pulls Mara aside.
“You and I are going to have another conversation about this,” he adds under his breath.
Stephen, having recovered some confidence, grins.
“Yes, Inspector. Put the handcuffs on her.”
Mara bursts out laughing. Her partner shakes his head in amusement before leaning down to steal a brief kiss.
“See you tonight, Mara.”
“See you tonight.”
That night, sleep comes hard.
Every time I close my eyes, Sanders’s words come back to me. The network Wald built. The complicity between Gaspard and Bianca. The fact that they were capable of planning Valeria’s death to achieve their goals.
Then my mind inevitably drifts back to our own plan. To the possibility that everything could still collapse because of a single mistake.
Eventually, sleep still manages to claim me.
By morning, I already feel exhausted.
And the day that follows feels endless.
Between meetings, phone calls, and a pharmacovigilance committee meeting, I don’t have a single minute to myself.
By the time I finally return to the manor the following evening, all I want is five minutes of peace.
Instead, I find Valeria asleep on the couch.
Without a word, I scoop her up and carry her to bed.
She immediately curls up against me without fully waking up.
I grab my tablet and settle beside her.
Around nine o’clock, she finally starts to stir. When she notices me next to her, she moves closer and presses herself against me.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, kissing her hair.
“A little.”
“What are you in the mood for?”
“A pizza with Parma ham, arugula, and a drizzle of olive oil,” she murmurs, still half asleep.
I smile despite myself.
If there’s one thing Valeria knows, it’s what she wants.
Three minutes later, the order is placed. I set the tablet aside before turning back to her.
“Are your migraines getting worse lately?”
“No. Why?”
“You seem more tired than usual. It worries me.”
She turns to face me.
“I am a little tired, that’s true, but it’s nothing serious. Probably a magnesium deficiency. You know I deal with that every winter. And if it’ll reassure you, I already made a doctor’s appointment for next week.”
The explanation makes sense. So why do I feel like she’s hiding something from me?
“Tell me when it is. I’ll come with you.”
She opens her mouth to protest. Then changes her mind.
Good.
Satisfied, I start telling her about my day.
“Now all we can do is wait,” I conclude.