Page 136 of Angel Eyes

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” His laughter faded as he scrubbed a hand over his jaw, thoughtful ridges forming between his brows. “You know, you don’t always have to mask your feelings. You’re allowed to have a bad day sometimes.” I stilled, my eyes springing to his as he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You’re only human, after all.”

Tucking the folder under his arm, he turned and disappeared through the doorway, leaving me to stare after him. After a moment, a grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Maybe the kid was finally growing up.

I was still lost in thought when my phone pulsed, and I answered it without looking down.

“Lucien, you fucking bastard.” Elise’s frantic voice careened through the phone, her tone pitching dangerously. “What the hell have you done?”

“What I should have done a long time ago.” I paused, picking up on the sound of a car engine followed by an ear-piercing screech of tires on pavement. “Based on your background music, am I correct in assuming you’re fleeing the police?” I tsked, adjusting my cufflinks. “Well, I hope you took the BMW. I hear it’s one of the best vehicles for long-distance driving.”

“Fuck you,” she seethed, and I relaxed back in my chair, crossing an ankle over my knee as my mind conjured a delightful image of her foaming at the mouth. “You had better watch your back, Lucien. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

“Empty threats will get you nowhere, Elise,” I said, throwing her words back in her face.

“Go to hell.”

“Ladies first.”

I disconnected the call, letting my head fall back as a deep laugh broke free of my chest.

An hour later, the sound of footsteps drew my attention away from a pile of invoices I’d neglected to review, and I glanced up just as Marcel appeared in the doorway. I straightened, my eyes trailing over him. He looked tired, more tired than I had ever seen him. His suit was wrinkled and his jaw unshaven, but there was still a sharpness in his gaze. I rose as he closed the door, buttoning my jacket as though suiting up for battle. And in a way I was, except I already knew how it would end.

With my defeat.

“No need to stand.” He lifted a hand as he lowered himself into the chair opposite mine. “I can’t stay long anyway. I have to meet with the attorneys to discuss the next steps.”

I nodded, the weight of his words settling in my gut like an anvil. “Can I get you anything to drink? Water, or perhaps something stronger?” I gestured to the whiskey bottle still open on the desk, but he waved me off, his gaze lingering on the pile of papers.

“Hard at work, as always, I see.”

“Just finishing up a few things.” Whatever happened, I didn’t want to leave my successor with a mountain of paperwork.

Marcel lifted his eyes again, resting them on me, and I drew in a slow inhale.

This was it. The moment I would finally pay for all I had done.

I should have been resentful as I waited for judgment, but in a twist of irony, all I felt was relief. Relief that all of this—the lies and the secrecy, the guilt I’d been harboring for years—would be behind me at last. And even if I ended up behind bars, I would finally be free.

“I have just one request,” I said, clearing my throat. “I would ask that you keep Caleb and Amélie on at the restaurant. They’ve both contributed a great deal to the success of this operation.”

Marcel arched an eyebrow. “And why would I dismiss your staff?”

“Because …” I’m about to be fired, arrested, or some combination of the two.

Marcel studied me before speaking again. “I have spoken with Gabriel, and he is due to meet with the attorneys next week to prepare a sworn statement to submit to the authorities.” I bobbed my head numbly but said nothing. “We have discussed what he plans to disclose. Perhaps you would like to hear it?”

And what would be the point in that? I already knew what Gabriel would say—after all, I’d been in possession of all the facts much longer than he had.

“He will attest,” Marcel went on without waiting for a reply, “to the fact that Elise Lemieux, with whom he was in a romantic relationship, asked him to withdraw half a million euros from our business account. But when she refused to disclose the purpose for such funds, he denied her request. A week later, that exact amount of money was transferred using his credentials to an offshore account of a shell company owned solely by Elise.”

I worked to keep my face impassive. Why was he making me listen to all this?

“In addition to confirming he did not initiate nor authorize the transaction, he will attest that at the time of the transfer, he was attending a seminar on brushwork technique. As it happens, the professor hosting the seminar has a no-technology policy, and thus, Gabriel left his phone at home that day. We have already contacted the professor who will affirm both Gabriel’s presence at the seminar and that he was not in possession of any electronic devices.”

I shifted uncomfortably. I was already well aware of this—it was how I had been able to access his phone and complete the transfer myself.

“When Gabriel learned what had happened, he suspected Elise used his device without his consent to make the transfer in his name. However, because he had no proof, he refused to implicate her when I questioned him, thus leading me to make an erroneous conclusion. However, thanks to the evidence you provided, we now know Elise was involved in an illegal gambling ring and used the money to pay off her debts.”

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