Contracting the Cold CEO

Chapter 4: Playing with Fire

The executive floor of Cross Tower on Monday morning was an arena, and every employee was waiting for blood.

When the private elevator doors opened, Elena stepped out arm-in-arm with Julian. She wore a tailored ivory dress with sharp lines, her dark hair swept up in a polished twist. Beside her, Julian exuded an aura of total authority, his hand resting over hers where it lay on his arm.

"Head high," Julian murmured under his breath as they walked toward the glass-walled conference room. "Marcus is sitting at the head of the table. He wants to see you sweat."

"Let him watch," Elena replied, maintaining a poised, effortless smile for the staff pretending not to stare.

Inside the boardroom, twelve board members sat around an oval glass table. At the far end sat Marcus Cross—Julian’s cousin—a man whose expensive suit couldn't hide the restless, predatory edge in his eyes.

"Julian," Marcus said, standing up with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And Miss Vance. What a surprise. I didn't realize today’s strategic audit was open to outside guests."

"Elena isn't an outside guest, Marcus," Julian said calmly, taking his seat at the head of the table and pulling out the chair beside him for Elena. "She is my fiancée, and as of this morning, a shareholder in Vance Logistics' newly restructured holding group."

Marcus’s smile tightened. "How sweet. A convenient partnership formed right as the grandfather’s trust deadline approaches. Some members of the board are asking if this engagement is genuine, Julian, or just a legal maneuver to secure voting control."

The room grew dead silent. Several older board members shifted uncomfortably, eyeing Elena with cold skepticism.

Elena leaned forward slightly, resting her hands on the table. She looked directly at Marcus, her tone light and conversational. "Mr. Cross, if you think Julian signed a marriage agreement just for votes, you clearly don't know your cousin very well."

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"

"Julian doesn't do anything purely for show," Elena said, her voice steady and carrying across the room. "Vance Logistics was struggling, yes. But under our new joint venture, Cross Global acquires exclusive logistics routes across the entire Midwest—routes your division failed to secure last quarter, if I recall correctly."

A quiet murmur rippled through the board members. Two of the senior directors looked down at their tablets, verifying the numbers.

Elena continued without missing a beat. "So whether you doubt our personal feelings or not, the business rationale speaks for itself. Unless, of course, you brought us here today to discuss your own division's underperformance?"

Marcus’s face flushed a dark red. He opened his mouth to retort, but Julian cut him off with an icy glare.

"That's enough, Marcus," Julian said, his voice quiet but commanding. "The board agenda for today is the quarterly revenue report. Unless you have a formal motion regarding my leadership, sit down."

Marcus stared at Julian, then at Elena, before slowly sinking back into his leather chair. "No motion," he muttered. "Not today."

An hour later, the meeting adjourned. As the board members filed out, several of them paused to congratulate Julian and exchange polite handshakes with Elena.

Once the heavy double doors clicked shut and they were finally alone in the massive room, Elena leaned back against the table, letting out a long breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"You handled Marcus brilliantly," Julian said, walking over to stand directly in front of her. The cold, calculated demeanor he wore for the board had vanished, replaced by an intense, focused gaze.

"I told you I could pull his teeth," Elena said, looking up at him.

"You did more than that. You completely disarmed him in front of the directors," Julian murmured. He reached out, his fingers lightly brushing a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. The touch was soft, entirely unscripted, and sent a sudden rush of warmth straight through her chest.

Elena's breath hitched as his hand lingered against her jawline. "Julian..."

"We put on a convincing performance today, Miss Vance," he whispered, his eyes dipping down to her lips before returning to her eyes. "Almost too convincing."

Before she could answer, Julian's phone buzzed loudly on the glass table, breaking the spell.

Julian pulled back, checking the screen. His expression instantly hardened. "It's my private investigator."

"Did he find something?" Elena asked, her pulse quickening.

Julian looked up at her, his eyes cold once more. "Marcus didn't just challenge the engagement today. He hired a team to track down your father's medical records—and he's planning to leak them to the press tonight to claim you're being blackmailed."