Crossed Fates

1 – New

Cross Industries from the ground up with a mix of ruthless precision and calculated charm. By the age of thirty-six, he was a billionaire, feared, respected, and envied in eq

a brief, grim check of the news that might hint at a competitor's weakness. Nothing, he thought, could disrupt the

said, crisp and professional. "She's the last we have f

not out of surprise but out

er previous positions, she increased productivity by fifty percent

Cross Industries machine. One had leaked a minor detail to a competitor, another had dared to question a decision during a board meeting, and the third... well, the

ed to m

rns nervously clutching stacks of paper. Leonard moved through it all like a shadow, his tailored suit impeccable,

in five minutes,

ot for a person, but for the unexpected, for the variable that

and then the door o

nfident, assessing, yet oddly warm. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her outfit-professional, elegant, and

ce even, calm, almost melodic.

ressive credentials. But as you know, Cross Industries isn't

e playing at the corner of her lips. "I understa

wasn't arrogance. It was measured, intentional. Leo

he said abruptly,

enough for him to notice, and repl

into his office. She moved as though she had rehearsed every motion, every detail, every expectation, but there was s

he liked it. "And the latest market analysis for our competitors. I've sum

He rarely took it. And yet, every insight in

do this?" he asked,

on, Mr. Cross. You tend to think ahead

a faint smirk. She was te

You might last lon

n't shake a growing unease. There was a sharpness to her attention, an awareness of him-hi

ms before they occurred, she never hesitated to challenge him with tactful correcti

ffice, looking at a framed photograph on his desk. It was an old photo of him with Daniel Hart,

this day," s

d cautiously. "Yes, of course.

ys that change their lives forever. Some things c

d destroyed years ago. He glanced at her, searching for a hint of mockery, of judgment. The

to dispel the tension. "You

ntly. "I observe. It

t day to anyone, never mentioned it outside of confidential meetings

re was something about her that felt... wrong, yet magnetic. He was drawn to her precision, her confidence, the way she seemed

laced neatly atop his keyboard. It was wr

rom the past. It

indication of who had left it. The handwriting was unfamiliar,

ce was empty. She had vanished, without a trace, and yet he could a

ive. Something told him that this new assistant, this Stephanie Reed, was far more than

f fear that promised every

s more about Leonard's past than she should, settin