Chapter 5 The devil's warning

Cassidy held Alexander's gaze, her pulse pounding in her ears. She had been in tense situations before-staring down politicians, walking into boardrooms filled with men who thought they could intimidate her-but nothing compared to this.

Nothing compared to him.

The room felt too small, the air too thick. Alexander Cross wasn't just powerful. He wasn't just dangerous. He was something else entirely-something more calculated, more deliberate, and more unreadable than anyone she had ever encountered.

And yet, Cassidy knew he wasn't unaffected. She could see it in the slight tension in his jaw, the way his fingers curled subtly against his desk. He was trying to remain composed, but she had hit a nerve.

"You don't scare me, Mr. Cross," she said, keeping her voice measured.

Alexander's lips quirked in something resembling amusement, but his eyes were dark-too dark. "No?" His voice was dangerously soft. "Then that's your first mistake."

A shiver ran down her spine, but she straightened in her seat. She wasn't about to let him play mind games with her.

"I came here to give you a chance," she said. "To explain yourself before I go public with what I know."

"You came here to accuse me of crimes I haven't committed," he countered, his voice smooth but laced with steel. "Which means you either have an agenda... or you have no idea what you're doing."

Cassidy's fingers tightened around the file she had placed on his desk. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

He leaned back in his chair, studying her like a puzzle he was trying to solve. "If that were true, you wouldn't be here."

Something in his tone made her hesitate. She had been expecting denial, maybe even an attempt at manipulation. But this-this was different. There was something unsettling about his confidence.

"You're bluffing," she said, testing him. "You think I'll back down."

He exhaled, slow and measured, as if he were dealing with an impatient child. "Miss Lane, if I wanted you to back down, you wouldn't have even made it up here."

Her stomach tightened, but she refused to let it show. "And yet, here I am."

A flicker of something-admiration? Amusement?-flashed in his eyes, but it was gone before she could be sure. "For now."

Cassidy leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Tell me, Mr. Cross. If you're not involved in the human trafficking ring, then why are there financial transactions leading back to your company? Why do your private shipments go off the books? Why are people disappearing under your watch?"

He didn't react. Not immediately. Instead, he stood, walked over to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the city skyline as if contemplating something far bigger than the conversation they were having.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter. "Do you really think you have the full story, Cassidy?"

Her breath hitched at the way he said her name-so deliberate, so intimate, as if he was testing how it felt on his tongue.

"I have enough of the story," she said, forcing herself to stay focused.

He turned then, his expression unreadable. "No. You don't."

Cassidy narrowed her eyes. "Then enlighten me."

Silence stretched between them, long and suffocating. Then, finally, he said, "There are things in this world, Miss Lane, that are bigger than you. Bigger than me. If you keep digging, you won't just be putting yourself in danger. You'll be putting everyone you care about in danger."

A warning. A threat. But there was something else beneath it-something raw. Was it concern?

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, but the words felt less convincing now.

Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe you should be."

Something in the way he said it made her pause. There was no arrogance, no bravado. It was almost... regretful.

Cassidy shook her head. "If you expect me to believe that you're somehow not responsible for what's happening, you're going to have to do better than vague warnings."

He studied her for a long moment, then walked back to his desk. "You think I'm involved," he said. "That I run this operation."

"You don't?" she challenged.

His jaw tightened. "No."

She stared at him, searching his expression for any sign of deception. "Then why are the transactions traced back to your company? Why are-"

"Because I'm cleaning up a mess I didn't make," he interrupted, his voice sharp.

Cassidy's breath stalled. "What?"

His eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw something there. Frustration. A hint of something deeper, something darker. "Do you really think I'd let that happen under my roof?" he asked. "That I'd profit from it?"

"You're expecting me to believe you're innocent?" she scoffed.

"I'm expecting you to think before you make accusations that could get you killed," he snapped.

Cassidy's fingers curled into fists. "So that's what this is? You're threatening me now?"

He exhaled through his nose, visibly restraining himself. "No, Cassidy. I'm warning you."

She hated that he used her name like that. Hated that, despite everything, it sent an unwanted shiver down her spine.

"I don't need your warnings," she said, voice firm.

"You need something," he countered. "Because right now, you're standing at the edge of a cliff, and you don't even see it."

Cassidy refused to back down. "If you're so innocent, then prove it. Give me something. Anything."

Alexander studied her, his gaze unreadable. "You want proof?"

"Yes."

His lips pressed into a thin line. Then, after a long pause, he reached into the drawer of his desk, pulled out a small USB drive, and slid it across the table.

Cassidy hesitated before picking it up. "What is this?"

"Evidence," he said simply.

She frowned. "Of what?"

His eyes held hers. "That you're chasing the wrong villain."

Her heart pounded. "And why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't," he said, stepping back. "But if you really want the truth, you'll watch it."

Cassidy stared at him, conflicted. This was not how she had expected this meeting to go. She had come here prepared for a battle. But instead, she was leaving with more questions than answers.

Still, one thing was clear: Alexander Cross was hiding something. Something huge.

And for the first time since she started this investigation, Cassidy wasn't entirely sure she was ready for the truth.

But she would find it. No matter what it cost her.