Chapter 1 The Takeover

The glow of my phone screen was the first thing I saw when my eyes flickered open. It was barely 5 a.m., and my bedroom, usually my calm little sanctuary of white sheets and soft morning light, felt like a war zone. Notifications poured in like dominoes toppling - emails, texts, alerts. Then I saw it.

The headline sliced through my half-sleep like a blade:

CROSS GLOBAL HOLDINGS LAUNCHES HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF GREENSPHERE INNOVATIONS.

My company. My life's work.

I sat up so quickly the sheets tangled around my legs. My heart thumped hard enough to hurt. There, beside the headline, was a photo of him - Damian Cross. Even on a news site, he managed to look like a poster boy for power: sharp gray eyes, jaw like a sculpture, a hint of a smirk that said he always got what he wanted.

And now, apparently, what he wanted was me.

Or at least my company.

My phone rang. Sofia, my COO, didn't even bother with hello.

"Elena, you've seen it?"

"Yes." My voice was steady, but my hand was trembling as I pressed the phone to my ear. "How bad is it?"

"Bad. He's already bought up thirty percent of our shares overnight. The board's in a panic. Emergency meeting at nine. Damian Cross himself will be there." She exhaled shakily. "They want you to... you know... keep it professional."

I barked a short, humorless laugh. "Play nice with the man trying to steal my company?"

"Elena..." Sofia's voice softened. "They're scared. If Cross injects capital-"

"He's not injecting capital," I snapped, throwing off the sheets and heading for the shower. "He's injecting control."

The water did nothing to wash away the fury simmering under my skin. By the time I was dressed - navy sheath dress, black heels sharp enough to be weapons - my mind had already built a fortress of arguments and counterarguments.

When I stepped into GreenSphere's glass-and-steel headquarters, the building buzzed like a shaken hive. Employees whispered in tight little clusters, glancing at me as I strode past. Outside, reporters and cameras were already gathering, the vultures scenting a story. I ignored them all. My heels clicked like gunfire on the polished floor as I marched to the boardroom.

It was full when I arrived. Twelve faces turned toward me - some sympathetic, some cold, all nervous. At the far end of the table sat Damian Cross.

He rose when I entered, a polite gesture that somehow felt like a challenge. In person, he was even more imposing than in the photographs. Perfectly tailored navy suit, white shirt, silver cufflinks catching the light. Everything about him radiated composure and control.

"Ms. Grant." His voice was low, smooth, confident. "Thank you for joining us."

I dropped my bag on the table and took my seat opposite him. "Mr. Cross. I didn't realize thieves introduced themselves so politely."

A murmur rippled around the table. Damian's mouth curved, not quite a smile. "Hostile takeovers aren't theft, Ms. Grant. They're... opportunities."

"For you, maybe." I held his gaze. "For me, it's sabotage."

The chairman cleared his throat nervously. "Perhaps we should get started."

And so it began. Damian laid out his "vision" for GreenSphere - capital infusion, expanded distribution, cost-cutting measures. Every sentence felt like another claw in my company's flesh. I countered point for point, my voice sharp, my mind running hot. Around us, the board shifted uncomfortably, caught between admiration and fear.

Finally, the chairman slid a folder toward me. "Elena, the board has voted. To stabilize the company during this transition, you and Mr. Cross will serve as co-CEOs for six months. After that, the merger terms will be finalized."

My pulse thundered in my ears. "You can't be serious."

Damian folded his hands on the table. "I am. I think it's an elegant solution."

"It's a leash."

"Call it what you like." His gray eyes never wavered. "But it's either this, or you risk losing the company entirely."

I wanted to throw the folder back at them, to storm out and never return. But I saw the fear in Sofia's eyes, the desperation in the faces of board members who had once believed in me. Walking away would mean letting everything I'd built crumble.

I inhaled slowly, locking my rage behind a brittle smile. "Fine. Six months. But don't think for a second I'm going to make it easy for you."

Damian's smirk deepened just enough to be infuriating. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

After the meeting, cameras swarmed the hallway. Reporters shouted questions - "Elena, are you stepping down?" "Mr. Cross, is this a full acquisition?" - flashes popping like fireworks.

I felt someone's hand brush my elbow. Damian, steadying me as a microphone shoved too close. I jerked away from his touch.

"I don't need your help," I hissed under my breath.

"You're going to," he murmured, eyes forward, as security cleared a path. "This is just the beginning."

I turned to glare at him, but he was already striding ahead, every inch the conqueror.

Back in my office, I shut the door and pressed my palms against the cool glass of the window. Down below, a crowd of journalists and onlookers filled the street, hungry for drama. Behind me, Sofia entered quietly.

"You okay?"

"No," I said. "But I will be."

Sofia hesitated. "He's... not what I expected. In person."

"He's worse," I muttered. But even as I said it, I remembered the flicker I'd seen in his eyes during the meeting - something like interest, or respect. It unsettled me more than his power ever could.

My phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number:

Looking forward to working with you, Ms. Grant.

- D.C.

I stared at the screen, then out at the crowd below. Six months. I'd fought my way up from nothing. No billionaire, no matter how ruthless, was going to take me down quietly.

If Damian Cross thought he could outplay me, he was in for a surprise.