Contracting the Cold CEO

Chapter 5: Countermove

The air in Julian’s private office felt suddenly thin. Elena stood rooted to the spot, the echo of Julian’s words hanging between them like a blade.

"Leak his medical records?" Elena’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the anger underneath was razor-sharp. "My father is in a fragile state, Julian. If the tabloids start hunting him down at the clinic..."

"They won't," Julian said firmly, taking two quick steps toward her. His hands came up, hovering just inches from her shoulders as if wanting to steady her, before he let them drop to his sides. "I gave you my word that your father’s care would remain private. I intend to keep it."

"How?" Elena demanded, crossing her arms tightly across her chest to stop them from shaking. "Marcus is desperate. If he leaks those documents to the press tonight, the headline tomorrow won't be about our strategic alliance. It will be about a cold billionaire preying on a desperate family."

Julian turned toward his desk, tapping his fingers against the polished wood in a fast, calculated rhythm. "Marcus is using a tabloid editor named Harrison at the City Chronicle. Harrison won't publish without a verified source or a massive payout. Marcus offered him exclusive rights to the story."

"Then we buy Harrison off?" Elena asked.

"No," Julian replied, his eyes flashing with a ruthless light. "We don't play defense, Elena. We turn his own trap against him."

He picked up his phone, dialing a number on speakerphone. After two rings, a gravelly voice answered. "Cross."

"Mark," Julian said smoothly. "Marcus tipped off Harrison at the Chronicle regarding Mr. Vance's medical files. I want you to release the preliminary filing for the Vance Logistics acquisition to the Wall Street Journal right now. Make sure the headline highlights the thirty-million-dollar cash injection as an official corporate investment, signed three days before any personal announcements."

Elena’s eyes widened as she pieced his strategy together. "If the investment was signed first as a pure business transaction, the narrative that you leveraged my father's illness completely falls apart."

"Exactly," Julian said, a cold smile touching his lips. "And Mark—send a cease-and-desist directly to Harrison's personal email from our legal firm. Inform him that possessor rights over stolen medical records carry a federal privacy violation penalty. If he touches the story, Cross Global will bankrupt his publication by noon."

"Consider it done, boss," Mark replied before hanging up.

Julian set the phone down and looked at Elena. The tension in the room was palpable, but the fear that had gripped her moments ago was fading, replaced by something far more dangerous: awe.

"You move fast," she said softly.

"In my world, if you hesitate, you get eaten alive," Julian said, walking over until he was standing directly in front of her. The distance between them shrank to nothing. He looked down at her, his expression softening into something uncharacteristically warm. "You were brilliant in that boardroom today, Elena. You didn't just back me up—you led the room."

"I told you," Elena whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs for a completely different reason now. "I play to win."

"So do I," Julian murmured, his dark eyes dropping to her lips before meeting her gaze again. "Which makes us a terrifying combination."

For a long moment, neither of them moved. The high-stakes game they were playing felt less like a fake contract with every passing hour.

"Come on," Julian said quietly, offering her his arm. "Let's go home. Tomorrow, the press will announce our engagement officially—and this time, Marcus won't have a single move left to make."