Hostile Hearts

Chapter One

Elena’s heels clicked against the marble floor of Voss Tower’s lobby like a countdown. Sixty days. That was all she had negotiated—a fragile truce in a war she was already losing.

She adjusted the strap of her leather portfolio, the same binder from yesterday now updated with fresh counter-proposals and employee retention plans. Sleep had been nonexistent. Instead, she’d spent the night reviewing every public filing on Voss Tech, searching for weaknesses. There weren’t many.

The elevator ride to the executive floor felt eternal. When the doors opened, a sleek, minimalist kingdom stretched before her: glass walls, abstract art worth more than her house, and an atmosphere so quiet it felt oppressive.

A polished assistant greeted her with a professional smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Ms. Reyes? Mr. Voss is expecting you. This way.”

Elena followed her down a wide corridor to a corner office that made her old one look like a broom closet. The assistant knocked once, then opened the double doors.

Damien Voss sat behind a massive desk of dark walnut, reviewing documents on multiple screens. He didn’t look up immediately, forcing her to stand there like a supplicant. Power move. Classic.

“Ms. Reyes,” he said finally, voice flat. “You’re three minutes late.”

“It’s 8:03, Mr. Voss. I was held up by security while they scanned my bag for the third time.” She kept her tone even, professional. Barely.

He glanced at her then, eyes cool and assessing. “Security protocols apply to everyone. Especially new… advisors.” The pause before the word was deliberate. He gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit.”

Elena sat, spine straight, refusing to sink into the expensive leather. She placed her binder on the desk like a gauntlet.

Damien leaned back, studying her the way a strategist studies a chessboard. “Let’s be clear about the terms. You are here to observe, advise when asked, and facilitate the integration. You do not make decisions. You do not countermand my directives to your former employees. You do not leak information, stall progress, or attempt any heroic last stands. Are we understood?”

“Understood,” Elena replied. “And let me be equally clear: I’m not here to watch you dismantle a company my father spent his life building. I’m here to prove it’s worth saving. If that means challenging bad decisions, I will.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Challenging me is a waste of your limited time. And mine.”

He slid a thick folder across the desk. “Your first assignment. Review the proposed restructuring plan for the R&D division. I want your notes by end of day. Highlight any ‘fatal flaws’ you see.” The sarcasm was razor-sharp.

Elena opened the folder and scanned the first page. Her stomach dropped. Entire teams—people who had been with Reyes for over a decade—were slated for elimination. Key projects, including her flagship sustainability AI, were marked for termination or heavy pivots that would strip their soul.

“This is a m******e, not a restructuring,” she said, voice tight with anger. “You’re keeping the patents and killing the talent that created them. That’s not efficiency. That’s shortsighted arrogance.”

Damien’s expression didn’t change. “It’s business. The numbers are clear. Your division has been bleeding cash for eighteen months.”

“Because we were investing in long-term innovation while you were busy buying up competitors like trophies,” she shot back. “My father believed technology should serve people, not just profit margins. Clearly, that’s a foreign concept here.”

He steepled his fingers, eyes narrowing. “Your father’s idealism is exactly why the company was vulnerable to takeover. Sentimentality has no place in survival.”

Elena’s hands clenched in her lap. The casual dismissal of everything her family stood for stung more than she wanted to admit. “And crushing people who built something real—that’s your idea of strength?”

For a moment, the air between them thickened with pure hostility. Damien’s gaze was ice, unyielding.

“Strength is results, Ms. Reyes. Not pretty speeches.” He glanced at his watch. “You have until 6 PM. My assistant will show you to your office—right next door. I expect efficiency, not emotional appeals.”

Elena stood, gathering the folder. “You’ll get my honest assessment. Whether you like it or not.”

She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her at the door.

“One more thing.”

She looked back.

“Disloyalty will not be tolerated. If I find you undermining this process, the deal is off. Every employee you’re fighting for gets nothing. No severance. No references. Nothing.”

The threat landed like a slap. Elena met his stare head-on, refusing to flinch.

“Then I suggest you get used to honest feedback, Mr. Voss. Because I’m not going to stay silent while you destroy what’s left of my father’s legacy.”

She walked out before he could respond, pulse racing with fury.

Her new office was sleek, modern, and completely soulless—glass walls offering a perfect view of Damien’s domain next door. She set her things down and opened the restructuring file again, highlighter in hand.

Sixty days.

She would use every single one to make Damien Voss regret ever setting his sights on Reyes Innovations.

Even if it meant going to war with the most ruthless man in the city.