Bound by the Boy I Ruined

Dangerous Alliance

Following Xavier’s sharp exit from the tense boardroom showdown, Julian had stormed out in a bitter scowl, leaving Madam Beatrice and Victoria alone to calculate their next moves. Secure in his victory over his siblings but fully aware of the ticking clock, Xavier made his way back up to his private executive suite on the top floor of the Sterling Global skyscraper. The moment the heavy glass doors closed behind him, cutting off the rest of the corporate world, he bypassed his waiting emails and walked straight to his desk. He needed to establish the next phase of the contract immediately. He pulled out his phone and dialed Kate’s number.

A few miles away, back in the cramped apartment, the rhythmic hum of the washing machine filled the room. Kate was in the middle of doing the laundry, her hands damp, when her phone began to vibrate on the counter. She wiped her hands quickly on a towel and picked it up, her heart doing a familiar, nervous flip when she saw his name on the screen.

"Xavier?" she asked, smoothing down her hair out of habit.

"Good afternoon, Kate," Xavier's deep voice resonated through the line, perfectly controlled and businesslike. "I'm calling to give you a heads-up. You are going to be meeting my family in exactly one week."

Kate’s breath caught in her throat, a sudden wave of anxiety washing over her. "In a week? Xavier, I don't know if—"

"Listen to me carefully," Xavier interrupted, his tone shifting into a calculated, strategic register. "Getting past my mother and sister will be easy enough if we play our cards right. It's my meathead of a brother, Julian, who is going to be the real obstacle. He's no different from Marcus Vance. He will look for any excuse to tear you apart and expose the contract."

Kate gripped the phone tighter, her entire body tensing at the thought of facing a boardroom full of elite, hostile billionaires. "Xavier, this sounds dangerous. What if I mess up?"

For a brief second, the icy corporate exterior melted over the line. "You won't," Xavier said, his voice dropping into that surprisingly warm, steady register from the night before. "You handled an entire ballroom of reporters without a script. You've got this, Kate."

A small, hesitant breath escaped her lips. "Okay."

"Good. I'll have Noah send over the background dossiers on them tonight. Stand by."

The line went dead. Kate slowly lowered the phone, letting out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to carry the entire weight of the upcoming week.

"Was that Xavier?"

Kate turned around to see her mother watching her from the living room sofa. She paused for a moment, swallowing her anxiety, before nodding with clear hesitation. "Yes, Mom. It was him."

Walking over to the couch, Kate sat down beside Eleanor and explained exactly what Xavier had just told her about the high-stakes family dinner. "Mom, I don't know if I can actually do this," Kate admitted, her voice cracking as the pressure built up inside her. "These people are ruthless. If they find out the truth about where I come from, or why I'm really there..."

Eleanor reached out, placing her warm, fragile hands over Kate’s. Her eyes were filled with an unyielding maternal strength. "Katherine, look at me. You are far stronger than you give yourself credit for. Look at what you’ve already survived to keep this family afloat. You have the brains, you have the grace, and you have every right to stand in any room you walk into. Don't let their money intimidate you. You can handle this."

As the sheer weight of her mother's encouragement sank in, the suffocating panic in Kate’s chest finally began to ease. A small, genuine smile touched her lips, and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Eleanor’s neck. "What would I ever do without you, Mother?" she whispered, burying her face in her mother's shoulder, feeling grounded for the first time all day.

Back at the Sterling Global headquarters, the prestigious atmosphere of the ground-floor lobby was currently shattered by a commotion near the security barriers.

A young man in his mid-twenties was standing by the reception desk, his knuckles white as he clutched a leather portfolio. He was neatly dressed, but his face was flushed with a mix of desperation and anger as the corporate security guards stood in a wall before him.

"Please, just look at the references again," the young man pleaded, his voice carrying across the polished marble floor. "I have the qualifications. I've passed every assessment metric on your portal, but this is the third time your HR department has rejected my physical application without an interview! I just need five minutes with a hiring manager."

"Sir, your application has been processed and denied," the head receptionist said, her voice dripping with robotic condescension. "Step away from the desk or we will have security remove you from the premises."

Julian Sterling happened to be striding through the lobby at that exact moment, flanked by two subordinate executives. Hearing the noise, he stopped, his brow furrowing in irritation as he walked over to the desk. "What is the meaning of this scene? Why hasn't this trash been cleared out yet?"

The reception staff immediately straightened up, bowing their heads in deep respect. Seeing the sudden shift in the employees' demeanor, the young man instantly realized that this newcomer was someone of immense power and repute within the dynasty.

Desperate, and seeing his final chance slipping away, the young man completely dropped his pride. He threw himself forward, grabbing Julian by the knees, his voice cracking with raw emotion. "Sir! Please, I beg you! Just look at my resume. I am qualified, I passed the engineering trials, and I desperately need this job to support my family. Please, just give me a chance!"

Julian’s face twisted into an expression of pure, unadulterated disgust. Without a shred of hesitation, he sneered and kicked his leg back, shoving the young man off him with enough force to send him sprawling across the slick linoleum floor.

"Get your filthy hands off me," Julian barked, adjusting the fabric of his expensive trousers as if he had just been contaminated. "Sterling Global is an elite, world-class institution. It isn't a charity ward fit for lowlifes and beggars like you. Security, throw him into the street."

"Hold on."

The freezing, authoritative command echoed across the lobby, halting the security guards in their tracks.

Coincidentally, Xavier was walking toward the main entrance on his way out of the building, his personal assistant, Noah, keeping pace beside him. Xavier had witnessed the entire display—Julian kicking a desperate stranger was a common, repulsive habit of his older brother's—and he decided to step in.

Xavier walked over, his towering presence immediately shifting the power dynamic in the room. He looked down at the young man on the floor, then turned a piercing gaze onto his brother. "What is the issue here?"

Julian retorted instantly, crossing his arms with a defensive glare. "Hey, I've got this handled, Xavier. Go play CEO somewhere else. This street trash is making a scene in my lobby."

Xavier completely ignored Julian, treating his brother's outburst like background noise. He turned his attention back to the floor and nodded at the stranger. "Speak. What is the problem?"

The young man scrambled to his feet immediately, brushing off his jacket, though his hands were still shaking. "Sir, I am looking for a position in the systems engineering department. I have the credentials, I passed the baseline exams, but the hiring staff won't even grant me an interview. I'm qualified, sir. I know I am. And I desperately need this job."

Xavier didn't say a word. He simply gestured with his hand, and Noah stepped forward seamlessly, collecting the documents from the young man's portfolio. Noah scanned the certificates, the university transcripts, and the official assessment scores, his eyes widening slightly.

Noah turned to Xavier and gave a firm, definitive nod. "He's telling the truth, sir. His technical scores are in the top five percent of the quarterly applicant pool. He is completely qualified."

Xavier’s dark eyes shifted slowly toward the reception staff and the HR handlers who had gathered near the desk. The gaze was so utterly cold and heavy that several employees visibly shook, lowering their heads in terror. Then, Xavier turned his eyes to Julian, looking at his older brother with an open, quiet disappointment that stung worse than a physical insult.

Julian’s jaw tightened, his face flushing with immediate humiliation as Xavier dismantled his authority in front of the entire lobby.

"Follow me to my office," Xavier commanded, turning his back on Julian without another word. As he began to walk back toward the private executive elevators, he glanced over his shoulder at the stunned young man. "What is your name, young man?"

The young man blinked, a sudden spark of hope igniting in his chest as he hurried to keep up with the billionaire's stride. "Gregory, sir. Gregory Walter."

Xavier gave a single, definitive nod as the elevator doors slid open. "Well, my friend Gregory... you've gotten the job."