Chapter 2 First Clash

By the time I reached the hotel ballroom, my nerves were steel wrapped in satin.

The investor conference was Damian Cross's idea, not mine. "Reassure the market," he'd said with that infuriating calm. "Show them we're aligned."

Aligned. As if he hadn't just hijacked my company.

The ballroom was a chandeliered ocean of suits, glittering jewelry, and clinking glasses. Cameras perched like vultures at the edges of the crowd. The event had been organized in less than 48 hours, yet it looked like a coronation - his, not mine.

Sofia fell into step beside me as we moved through the crowd. "You've got this," she murmured, handing me a glass of sparkling water. "Smile. Investors can smell blood."

"I'm not bleeding," I said, even though I could feel my pulse in my throat. "I'm sharpening my knives."

At the far end of the room, Damian stood on a small stage, talking to a cluster of investors. The gray of his suit looked almost silver under the chandeliers. He laughed at something one of them said, and they leaned in as if he were the sun.

I hated how good he looked under the lights.

I hated even more that I noticed.

When he saw me, his expression shifted - just slightly, but enough. A flicker of awareness. He excused himself from the investors and crossed the room with the smooth confidence of a man who'd been born to own it.

"Ms. Grant." His voice was lower here, almost intimate despite the crowd. "You're on time."

"Of course." I sipped my water. "Wouldn't want to keep you from your admirers."

His mouth curved. "Jealous?"

"Of your boardroom fan club? Hardly."

His smirk deepened but his eyes stayed cool. "We're speaking together at the podium in ten minutes. I'll start with an overview of the merger. You'll follow with a statement about GreenSphere's future under joint leadership."

"Under joint leadership," I repeated, sweet as poison. "Right."

He tilted his head. "You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?"

"Every second."

He chuckled, low and amused, as if my defiance entertained him. That smile - it was dangerous, the way a cliff edge is dangerous. "Good. I'd hate for this to be boring."

Before I could retort, a young woman with a tablet rushed up. "Mr. Cross, Ms. Grant - you're on in five."

He extended his arm toward the stage, a mock-chivalrous gesture. "Shall we?"

I brushed past him without taking it.

The stage was blinding under the lights. A sea of faces stared up at us - investors, journalists, competitors, all waiting to see the power couple of the hour. The phrase made my stomach twist.

Damian spoke first. He was smooth, of course, his baritone wrapping around words like "synergy" and "global reach" as if they were poetry. The room hung on every syllable.

Then it was my turn.

I stepped to the microphone, spine straight, smile fixed. "Good morning. GreenSphere was built on innovation, sustainability, and integrity. Those values remain unchanged. While recent events have created uncertainty, I want to assure you that our vision - my vision - remains strong. This partnership represents an opportunity to scale responsibly, without sacrificing the principles that built this company."

A polite ripple of applause followed. Cameras flashed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damian's mouth twitch - approval? Amusement?

We fielded questions. A journalist asked if the rumors of a personal relationship between us were true. My pulse spiked. Damian's gaze flicked to me, unreadable.

"That," he said smoothly, "is an unfounded speculation. Our relationship is entirely professional."

I leaned in to the mic. "Very professional," I echoed, my smile sharp enough to cut.

More polite laughter. More flashes. I wanted to melt into the floor.

As soon as we were offstage, I beelined for the exit. I needed air.

"Ms. Grant," Damian's voice called behind me. "Wait."

I didn't. I pushed through a side door and out onto a terrace overlooking the city. The cool air hit me like a slap. I gripped the stone railing, staring at the traffic crawling below.

A moment later, the door opened again. Footsteps. Damian.

"You handled the question well," he said, coming to stand beside me. "Quick thinking."

I turned to glare at him. "Do you enjoy this?"

"Enjoy what?"

"Humiliating me. Parading me around like some trophy while you gut my company."

His brows drew together, just slightly. "If I wanted to gut your company, Ms. Grant, I wouldn't be standing here on a terrace explaining myself."

I laughed, but it sounded brittle. "You expect me to believe you're the good guy in all this?"

He leaned a little closer, voice dropping. "I expect you to believe I'm not your enemy. Not if you're smart."

"Smart?" My heart beat faster - with anger, I told myself. Only anger. "I built GreenSphere from nothing. I know exactly who my enemies are."

Something flickered in his eyes - frustration? Respect? Both? "And yet you agreed to the co-CEO arrangement."

"I agreed to save my company, not to play house with you."

The corner of his mouth lifted, but it wasn't a smirk this time. More like... interest. "House?"

"You know what I mean." I stepped back, needing distance from the way he was looking at me. "You may have bought shares, Mr. Cross, but you haven't bought me."

He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Good."

I blinked. "Good?"

"I don't want someone I can buy." His voice was low, almost a growl. "I want someone who can stand next to me."

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. The city roared below, the terrace door clicked shut behind us, and suddenly it felt like the whole world had gone quiet except for the space between us.

Then I stepped back, breaking the moment. "This conversation is over."

Damian's jaw tightened, but he inclined his head. "As you wish. We have another press event tomorrow. I'll send you the details."

He turned and walked back inside, leaving me alone on the terrace with the sound of my own heartbeat and a strange, unwelcome heat creeping under my skin.

I gripped the railing harder. I would not be another one of Damian Cross's acquisitions.

Not my company.

Not me.

But the way he'd looked at me just now - like I was a challenge, not a conquest - it unsettled me more than anything else.

Six months. That was all I had to survive this merger. Six months to outmaneuver him.

I squared my shoulders and headed back inside. Let him think he was in control.

He had no idea what was coming.