Married To My Father's Enemy

I had spent five years avoiding Damian Cross. Five years of changing restaurants when I saw a familiar black car outside. Five years of leaving parties the moment someone mentioned his name. Five years of telling myself that whatever I felt when I remembered him was hatred. It was easier that way. Hatred was clean. It didn't ask questions. It didn't make me remember the boy who used to sit beside me at family dinners and steal food from my plate when he thought no one was watching. It certainly didn't make me remember how he'd once looked at me. I pushed the memory away as I stepped through the doors of the Grand Meridian Hotel. I hadn't come here to remember anything. I had come for answers. The ballroom glittered beneath enormous crystal chandeliers. Men in tailored suits stood around tables covered with champagne glasses, laughing over conversations about mergers and investments. Women in expensive gowns moved between them, smiling as cameras flashed. Everyone looked comfortable. Everyone belonged. I tightened my fingers around the black folder beneath my arm. I didn't. Five years ago, my family had belonged in rooms like this. My father had owned Vale Industries. We had lived in a house with too many bedrooms, driven cars I never bothered to learn the prices of, and attended dinners where people smiled at my father while secretly calculating how much his company was worth. Then everything disappeared. One accusation. One investigation. One week was all it took. Fraud. Embezzlement. Financial misconduct. The headlines had called my father a criminal before he'd even had the chance to defend himself. Three months later, he was dead. Heart attack, they said. I had never believed it was that simple. My father had spent his final weeks telling me one thing. He hadn't stolen anything. Someone had framed him. And tonight, for the first time in five years, I had something that might prove he was telling the truth. I glanced down at the folder. A bank transfer. Three days before Vale Industries collapsed. Money had moved through an account connected to one of the companies that had worked closely with Cross International. It wasn't enough to prove anything. But it was enough to make me come here. I took a breath and walked farther into the ballroom. My eyes searched the crowd. Not him. Good. Maybe I would get what I needed and leave before— “Still looking over your shoulder?” My entire body went cold. I knew that voice. I would have recognized it in a room full of a thousand people. Slowly, I turned. Damian Cross stood several feet behind me. Black tuxedo. Dark hair. That same controlled expression that had once made him impossible to read. He looked older than I remembered. Harder, too. But somehow, that made him more dangerous. His eyes met mine. For one ridiculous second, I forgot how to breathe. Then I remembered who he was. Or who I believed he was. “Damian.” His name felt strange on my tongue. His gaze moved over my face before settling on the folder in my hand. “You shouldn't be here.” I almost laughed. Five years. That was all he had to say? “You don't get to tell me where I can go.” His jaw tightened slightly. “I wasn't talking about the hotel.” “Then what were you talking about?” His eyes dropped to the folder again. “That.” My fingers tightened around it. “You recognize it?” “I recognize the seal.” “Good.” I smiled without humor. “Then we're saving time.” I pulled the folder open. His expression changed. Just slightly. But I saw it. Damian had always been good at hiding his emotions. He'd never been good enough to hide them from me. I held out the first document. “This transfer was made three days before my father's company collapsed.” He didn't take it. His eyes remained on the page. “Where did you get this?” “Does it matter?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because if you stole confidential financial records, you could be in serious trouble.” I stared at him. “Is that what you're worried about?” “What should I be worried about?” “My father's name.” Something flickered across his face. Gone almost immediately. But I saw it. “You're still investigating.” “I never stopped.” His eyes returned to mine. “You should.” The words hit harder than they should have. I closed the folder. “Why?” He didn't answer. “Because my father was guilty?” Silence. “Because the Cross family has something to hide?” His expression hardened. “Be careful, Elena.” I stepped closer. “Why? Are you going to threaten me too?” Something changed in his eyes. “No.” The answer came quietly. “That isn't a threat.” “Then what is it?” “A warning.” I wanted to hate the concern I heard in his voice. I wanted to hate him. It would have been much easier if he had looked at me with the same coldness I had spent five years imagining. Instead, he looked almost— I stopped myself. No. I wasn't doing this. Not again. I opened the folder and pulled out another document. “My father's signature was forged.” Damian's eyes narrowed. “You're certain?” “I grew up watching him sign documents.” He finally took the paper from me. His eyes moved over the signature. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his expression changed. “You're right.” My heart stumbled. “You know who forged it?” “No.” “But you recognize something.” He looked at me. “My father did business with yours.” I stared at him. “You never told me that.” “You never asked.” “Because five years ago, when my father was being dragged through the courts, you disappeared.” His face went still. “I didn't disappear.” “You did.” “I was sent overseas.” “Convenient.” His eyes hardened. “I came back.” “After the company was gone.” “Yes.” “After my father was dead.” His jaw tightened. “Yes.” I swallowed. There were a hundred things I wanted to say. Instead, I asked the one question that had lived inside me for five years. “Did my father ever tell you he was innocent?” Damian looked away. My heart began pounding. “Damian.” He said nothing. “Answer me.” His gaze returned to mine. “Yes.” The word barely left his mouth. Everything around me seemed to fade. “He told you?” “Before the company collapsed.” “Why didn't you tell me?” “I tried.” “When?” “After the funeral.” I shook my head. “You never came.” “I did.” “No.” His expression changed. “I stood outside your house for almost an hour.” I stared at him. “What?” “You weren't there.” I didn't know what to say. Five years of anger suddenly developed a c***k. Before I could ask another question, a security officer approached. “Mr. Cross.” Damian turned. “We found someone inside the restricted office.” His expression immediately hardened. “Who?” “We don't know. They left before security arrived.” Damian looked toward the ballroom entrance. Then back at me. “What were they looking for?” “We're not sure.” My stomach tightened. Damian's eyes dropped to my folder. “Neither are you.” It wasn't a question. I hated that he was right. My phone vibrated. Once. Then again. I pulled it from my bag. Unknown number. I opened the message. STOP DIGGING INTO THE PAST. My pulse quickened. Another message appeared. Some things should stay buried. I stared at the screen. Then the final message arrived. Especially if you want your family safe. My fingers went numb. Damian noticed. “What happened?” I locked the phone. “Nothing.” “Elena.” “I said nothing.” His eyes narrowed. Then his phone rang. He glanced at the screen. “My grandfather's attorney.” He answered. I watched his expression change as he listened. Whatever the attorney said, Damian didn't like it. “I'm coming.” He ended the call. “What is it?” I asked. He looked at me for a long moment. Then his gaze shifted toward the private elevator. “My grandfather changed his will.” I frowned. “And?” His expression was unreadable. “I'll tell you when I know what it means.” He started walking away. I watched him disappear into the elevator. Something told me the conversation upstairs had something to do with me. I didn't know why. I didn't know how. But after five years of searching, I had learned one thing. Whenever Damian Cross appeared, nothing remained simple for long. And tonight was no different. Because I had come to the Grand Meridian looking for the truth about my father's death. I had no idea I was about to become part of the Cross family's biggest secret.