Chapter 2 The Hidden Agenda

Emma Collins sat at her desk, reviewing her latest piece for The New York Times. As a journalist, she was known for her sharp instincts and even sharper pen. Emma had worked her way up from the bottom, building a reputation as a tenacious reporter, unafraid to uncover the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. But this latest assignment was different.

This wasn't just another story, this was personal. For years, Emma had listened to her father's complaints about the Cross family, and over the years, she had internalized the narrative. Aaron Blake, her father, had lost everything when Damian's father, Peter Cross, had betrayed him and ruined his business. According to her father, it was Peter Cross's greed that led to his downfall, and Emma had believed it.

Her entire life had been built around that belief. She had witnessed her father's bitterness, his slow descent into financial ruin, and the anger that festered within him for years. The Cross family was to blame, and Emma was determined to take back what was rightfully her father's. The Cross empire had been built on a lie, and she was going to tear it down, piece by piece.

Her father, Aaron, had lost everything in a business deal gone wrong with Gary Salvatore, and he had blamed the Cross family ever since. The company, once a symbol of prosperity, had been left in ruins when Damian's father betrayed Aaron and sided with Salvatore. The long-standing partnership between Aaron and Peter had dissolved in blood and betrayal, and the scars had never healed.

As Emma sat at her desk, typing up her latest article, her eyes flicked over the headlines about Cross Enterprises. It was undeniable, Damian Cross had rebuilt the empire his father had left behind, turning it into one of the most powerful conglomerates in the world. But Emma was certain that Damian's rise to power had been built on lies, manipulation, and, most importantly, his father's ruthless betrayal of her own family.

Emma had never been one to back down from a challenge, and this time, the stakes were higher than ever. Her father had sacrificed too much, and it was time to reclaim what was lost. Emma wasn't just looking for a story. She was looking for a way to bring down Cross Enterprises, to destroy the legacy that Damian's father had left behind. And she knew just how to do it.

The assistant position at Cross Enterprises was the perfect opportunity. The job was a stepping stone, Emma had made sure of that. She would infiltrate the company, work closely with Damian Cross, and uncover the truth that had been buried for years. Her father's betrayal and the Cross family's role in it would no longer be a secret.

But Emma also knew that getting close to Damian wouldn't be easy. The Cross family had a history of distrust, especially after the fallout with her father. Damian was a shrewd businessman, a man whose intelligence and ruthlessness had built the empire her father once had a stake in. If Emma was going to succeed in her mission, she couldn't afford to reveal who she was too soon.

She had a plan, one that involved changing her identity. It wasn't enough to simply infiltrate the company; she needed to shed her connection to her father. The Blake name was too synonymous with betrayal, too tied to the scandal that had ruined her father. She would have to distance herself from it if she wanted any chance of earning Damian's trust.

For months, Emma had been preparing for this. She had consulted with a lawyer and arranged for a legal name change. She would now go by Alexandra Collins, a name that held no ties to her father's past or the bitter history between the Blakes and the Crosses. It was a fresh start, a clean slate that would allow her to get closer to Damian without raising suspicion.

But the decision to change her name wasn't easy. Emma had spent years living with the Blake legacy, the good and the bad, and it had shaped her into who she was. However, if she was going to succeed in taking down the Cross empire, she needed to become someone else. Alexandra Collins would be an anonymous assistant, someone who wasn't burdened by the weight of family history.

Her father wouldn't approve, but that didn't matter. This wasn't about him. This was about justice, about getting back what was taken from them and exposing the truth. She would become someone new, someone Damian wouldn't see coming, and she would take down the empire he had inherited.

The assistant position at Cross Enterprises was the perfect opportunity to get close to Damian, to find the cracks in the empire that could bring it all down. Emma wasn't sure how long it would take to gain his trust, but she was willing to do whatever it took. Her father's bitterness, the ruined family name, all of it, Emma was determined to rewrite their story.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. This was just the beginning.