A PROPOSITION
1519 Words
“The press is having a field day with this, Mr. Cross.” Emma stormed into his office, clutching a tablet in her trembling hands. “Three more outlets picked up the story in the last hour.”
Damian didn’t flinch. His voice was a cold blade as it cut through the tension in the room. “I don’t pay you to state the obvious, Miss Carter. Solutions. Not problems.”
“We need a declaration, now,” Emma shot back, barely keeping her voice steady. “We need to get ahead of this before it spirals out of control.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed. “Not. Interested.”
“Then what’s your brilliant plan?” Her frustration broke through. “Hide in your office while Vanessa systematically destroys everything?”
The silence between them crackled with electricity. Damian’s gaze darkened. “Careful, Miss Carter. You’re treading dangerous ground.”
“No,” Emma said, stepping closer, her voice a raw whisper of fury. “You’re the one failing to see how serious this situation is. And my reputation? It’s being destroyed right along with yours.”
“Your reputation?” Damian’s voice was deceptively calm, but the threat behind it was unmistakable. “You’ve been here two weeks. I’ve been building this company for fifteen years.”
“And Vanessa’s about to tear it all down in fifteen minutes unless we act.” Emma’s eyes flashed with determination.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Damian muttered, but Emma could see his expression shift, the weight of her words sinking in.
“Don’t I?” she said, shoving the tablet in his face. “An emergency meeting has already been scheduled by three board members. The stock has dropped twelve percent. And now I’m hearing about your ex-fiancée.”
Damian’s eyes went dark, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Who told you that?”
“Everyone in the office is talking,” she spat, her pulse quickening. “The scorned woman is seeking retribution. Tell me, Mr. Cross: am I the only one you’ve betrayed, or did you pull this stunt with all your assistants?”
Damian’s expression hardened. He stood slowly, his voice dangerous, a warning in every word. “Watch your step, Miss Carter.”
“Or what? You’ll fire me?” she snapped, her patience fraying. “Do it. At least then I can get out ahead of this story—”
“Before what?” Damian’s voice was low and predatory as he circled the desk. “How did you have access to restricted files, Miss Carter? How did you investigate things that didn’t concern you?”
“I followed your instructions!” she retorted, feeling the sting of his accusation. “Don’t act like this wasn’t your idea in the first place!”
Suddenly, Damian reached forward and gripped her arm, pulling her in with such intensity that her breath hitched. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “You want the truth? Vanessa wasn’t just a bookkeeper. She sold trade secrets. She killed people.”
Emma’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”
“Project Phoenix was never just financial,” Damian continued, voice hollow with regret. “It was experimental weaponry. Vanessa sold the plans to the highest bidder.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. “Why didn’t you report her?”
“Because she has evidence that I knew about it. I allowed it to happen.” Damian let go of her, his shoulders tense. “I was blind.”
Before Emma could respond, Damian’s phone buzzed on his desk, cutting the silence like a knife.
“Speak of the devil…” He glanced at the screen, then swiped to answer.
“Put it on speaker,” Emma demanded, her voice sharp.
Damian hesitated, but complied.
“Damian, darling,” Vanessa’s voice slithered through the speaker, sweet but venomous. “How’s your little pet project doing?”
“What do you want?” Damian’s tone was frigid, a chill creeping into the room.
“Oh, right to the point? No time for pleasantries?” Vanessa chuckled darkly. “All right then. I want what’s mine: the business. The seat on the board. Everything you promised me before you decided to change your mind.”
“Delusional,” Damian muttered under his breath.
“Am I?” Vanessa’s voice dripped with mockery. “When the board sees the evidence of your involvement in Project Phoenix, let them know. And I know you’re there, Miss Carter. How does it feel to be his latest pawn?”
The line went dead, leaving a heavy silence hanging in the air.
Emma met Damian’s gaze. “She’s bluffing.”
Damian didn’t respond immediately. His jaw clenched. “Vanessa doesn’t bluff.”
“Verify the secure server,” he ordered sharply, his voice tight.
Emma’s fingers flew over the tablet, her heart sinking with each click. “Sir… there’s a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Everything’s gone. All of it. Erased. Even the backups. Everything.”
Damian’s face darkened. “That’s impossible. The servers are—”
Before he could finish, the intercom buzzed, cutting him off.
“Mr. Cross? Your brother Alexander is here.”
“Not now,” Damian growled.
“He claims it’s urgent,” the secretary insisted. “Something about Vanessa and Project Phoenix.”
Damian exchanged a tense look with Emma before nodding. “Send him in.”
Alexander Cross entered with a grim expression, his usual smirk replaced by a lethal focus.
“We have a problem,” Alexander stated, no preamble.
“You think?” Damian’s temper flared, his patience slipping.
“Worse than you know.” Alexander handed Damian a flash drive. “Vanessa didn’t just steal the files. She altered them. She’s created a paper trail that implicates both of you.”
Emma’s stomach churned. “Implicates us? What do you mean?”
Alexander met her gaze. “Half the documents have your signature on them. Backdated, but convincing.”
Damian cursed under his breath. “She’s trying to force our hand.”
“No,” Emma interjected suddenly. “She’s trying to force us together.”
Both men turned to look at her, confused.
“Think about it,” she pressed. “She could’ve set Damian up alone. But no—she dragged me into this mess. Why?”
Damian’s expression shifted, realization dawning. “So we can’t turn on each other. We either sink together… or we swim together.”
Emma lifted her chin, meeting his gaze. “So, what’s it going to be?”
Before Damian could respond, every phone in the office began buzzing, a cacophony of alerts.
Alexander glanced at his phone and grimaced. “She’s released everything.”
“No,” Damian muttered as he snatched up his iPad, scanning the headlines. “This is worse.”
On the screen, the headline screamed:
CROSS ENTERPRISES CEO LINKED TO INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALING — FORMER FIANCÉE NAMED AS KEY WITNESS.
Emma’s stomach dropped. “Mr. Cross, what do we do?”
Damian’s gaze was ice as he turned toward her. “Do you trust me?”
“What?” Emma blinked, taken aback.
“Do you trust me, Miss Carter?” His voice was cold, direct.
She hesitated, her mind racing, before answering softly, “No.”
A slight, dangerous smile tugged at Damian’s lips. “Good. Because what I’m about to propose will either save us both… or destroy everything you think you know about right and wrong.”
Her pulse quickened as he took a step closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Tell me, Miss Carter, how far are you willing to go to bring down a woman like Vanessa?”
“That depends,” she replied, her throat tight.
“On?”
“On whether you’re finally going to tell me the truth about Project Phoenix.”
Damian studied her for a long moment. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “The truth could get you killed.”
“And lies have already marked me as your accomplice,” Emma shot back, standing her ground. “So start talking.”
He pressed a button on his desk, his gaze never leaving hers. “Clear my schedule for the next twenty-four hours.”
“Sir?” the voice of his secretary crackled.
“Sarah’s handling the PR crisis. Miss Carter and I have more pressing matters to attend to.”
“Where are we going?” Emma asked, her voice uncertain as Damian reached for his coat.
“Somewhere Vanessa can’t reach us,” he replied, holding out his hand. “Last chance to walk away.”
Emma stared at his outstretched hand, knowing this decision would change everything.
“Miss Carter?” His voice softened, but the finality was clear. “Are you in, or are you out?”
With a glance toward the door, Alexander silently shut it behind them, leaving the two of them alone to face the storm they had no choice but to weather together.
- Writer
