The boardroom of the Cross Holding Group was perched on the eightieth floor, a sprawling sanctuary of glass and mahogany that hovered above the city like a glass cage.
At exactly 9:00 AM, the atmosphere inside was thick with tension. The twenty members of the board sat rigidly in their high-backed leather chairs.
Standing at the head of the massive table, holding a polished wooden gavel, was Elias Cross.
He didn't look like an eighty-year-old man today. He looked like an emperor reclaiming his throne.
"The recent scandals surrounding my grandson have put this company in unacceptable peril," Elias announced, his raspy voice echoing off the glass walls. "Alexander has gone into hiding. He has dragged the Vance murder investigation to our doorstep, and the federal government is currently freezing our liquid assets. For the survival of our legacy, I am calling for an immediate vote of no confidence to strip Alexander Cross of his CEO title, effective immediately."
He raised the gavel, his eyes gleaming with greedy triumph.
"All in favor—"
CRASH.
The heavy mahogany double doors didn't just open. They were kicked off their electronic hinges.
The heavy wood slammed against the marble floor with a sound like a gunshot, making half the board members physically jump out of their seats.
Liam stepped through the dust first, a matte-black assault rifle strapped to his chest, his eyes dead and professional. Four of Alexander's elite personal guards followed, instantly fanning out and securing the exits.
Then, the shadows parted.
Alexander Cross walked into the boardroom. He wore a bespoke, pitch-black suit, his broad shoulders practically blocking out the light from the hallway. He didn't look like a fugitive on the run. He looked like the Grim Reaper arriving to collect a debt.
And walking perfectly in step beside him, her hand resting lightly on the crook of his arm, was Elara.
She wore a razor-sharp, blood-red powersuit. Her chin was held high, her stormy gray eyes scanning the terrified board members with the icy, calculating gaze of an apex predator.
Elias's gavel froze in mid-air. The color drained from his ancient face.
"Alexander!" Elias barked, forcing a mask of outrage over his sudden panic. "You dare interrupt a secure board meeting? You are a wanted fugitive! Security! Call the building security and have them removed!"
Alexander let out a low, dark chuckle that vibrated through the silent room.
"I am the CEO of this building, Elias," Alexander said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, lethal register. "My security detail just locked down the elevators, disabled the helipad, and jammed the cell signals on this floor. No one is coming to save you."
He walked slowly down the length of the table. The board members aggressively leaned back in their chairs, trying to distance themselves from the sheer, suffocating violence radiating off him.
Alexander stopped at the head of the table. He looked down at his grandfather.
"Get out of my chair," Alexander commanded. It wasn't a request.
Elias's hands trembled, but he held his ground. "You arrogant boy. The Federal Audit Bureau—"
"The Federal Audit Bureau is currently raiding the home of Deputy Director Thomas Thorne," Elara interrupted, her voice slicing through the air like a silver blade.
She stepped forward, pulling a sleek black tablet from her folder. She tossed it onto the center of the mahogany table. It connected instantly to the room's holographic projector, displaying a series of offshore bank accounts on the massive glass wall for everyone to see.
"Last night, I forwarded a heavily encrypted package to the United States Attorney General," Elara announced, her eyes pinning Elias in place. "It contained the digital ledgers of Thomas Thorne, detailing eighty-five million dollars in bribes. Bribes paid by you, Elias, to sabotage your own company's subsidiaries and fund an international arms syndicate."
A collective gasp ripped through the boardroom. The board members stared at the projected ledgers, recognizing the account numbers.
"Lies!" Elias shouted, his voice cracking. He slammed his cane against the floor. "Fabricated garbage! You think you can walk in here with forged digital documents and steal my company? Where is your proof?!"
"Proof?" Alexander mused, a wicked, devastating smirk curling his lips. He looked back at the ruined doorway. "Liam. Bring out the trash."
Liam stepped into the hallway and dragged a figure into the boardroom.
Chloe.
She was still wearing her ruined cashmere sweater, her hands zip-tied in front of her. She looked broken, terrified, and completely stripped of her sociopathic glamour.
When Elias saw her, his jaw actually dropped. He took a physical step backward, hitting the edge of the leather chair.
"Elias Cross," Elara said, walking slowly toward her stepsister. "Meet your loose end."
Elara grabbed Chloe by the shoulder, forcing her to face the board of directors.
"Tell them, Chloe," Elara ordered, her voice completely devoid of mercy. "Tell them who gave the order to poison Margaret Vance."
Chloe sobbed, a pathetic, wet sound. She looked at Elias, then at the terrifying man standing beside Elara. The choice was clear.
"He did," Chloe wept, her voice echoing in the dead-silent room. "Elias paid my father to do it. He wanted the Vance assets to cover the money he lost to the European syndicates. And... and he gave me the bomb. He told me to blow up the pier to kill Alexander."
The boardroom erupted.
Directors were out of their seats, shouting in horror. The grand patriarch of the Cross family hadn't just committed fraud; he was a domestic terrorist and a murderer.
Alexander reached out and effortlessly plucked the wooden gavel from Elias's trembling hand.
"The vote of no confidence is canceled," Alexander stated quietly, just for his grandfather to hear. "You are completely, utterly ruined."
The heavy double doors at the back of the room opened again. This time, it wasn't Alexander's men. It was a dozen federal agents wearing windbreakers with the letters DOJ printed in bright yellow on the back.
"Elias Cross," the lead agent announced, holding up a federal warrant. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, grand treason, and corporate espionage. Put your hands behind your back."
Elias stared at the handcuffs. The empire he had built, the power he had hoarded, vanished in the span of five minutes. He slowly turned his venomous, ancient eyes to Elara.
He didn't look at Alexander. He looked at the woman in the red suit who had orchestrated his entire downfall.
"You think you've won, little girl?" Elias hissed, spittle flying from his lips as the federal agents grabbed his arms. "You think cutting off the head kills the snake? The European syndicate already has the Vance Corporation's proprietary blueprints. I sold them weeks ago. They aren't going to audit you. They are going to slaughter you."
The agents hauled Elias away, his raspy, bitter laughter echoing down the hallway until the elevator doors closed.
The boardroom was dead silent. The remaining directors stared at Alexander and Elara in absolute, terrified awe.
Alexander casually tossed the wooden gavel onto the table. He turned to the board, his pitch-black eyes sweeping over the twenty wealthy men and women.
"Take your seats," Alexander commanded.
Every single director scrambled to sit down.
Alexander didn't sit in the CEO's chair at the head of the table. He pulled it out, gesturing gracefully with one hand.
Elara looked at him, her heart doing a violent, thrilling flip. This was the chair her mother had fought for. This was the seat of supreme power in the city.
She walked forward, her heels clicking methodically against the marble floor, and sat down at the head of the Cross Holding Group.
Alexander stood right behind her, resting his massive hands on her shoulders, cementing their absolute, unified rule.
"Now," Elara said, looking out at the terrified board, a cold, beautiful smile touching her lips. "Let's talk about the future of my company."