CHAPTER 3 — The Morning Everything Changed
At precisely seven o'clock, the boardroom overlooked the city's skyline.
Damian entered confidently.
He expected another routine meeting.
Instead, every director stood.
Not for him.
For the man entering behind him.
Alexander Montrose.
Founder of Montrose Global.
Isabella's father.
Damian stopped walking.
"What is he doing here?"
The chairman folded his hands.
"Mr. Cross..."
"You've operated under a misunderstanding."
A large monitor illuminated.
Corporate ownership charts filled the screen.
Holding companies.
Investment funds.
Preferred shares.
Voting trusts.
Every line led upward.
Every path ended in one name.
Montrose Global Holdings.
The chairman continued.
"The Cross Group has never been independently controlled."
"It has operated through financing, guarantees, and licensing agreements provided by Montrose Global."
Damian laughed nervously.
"That's impossible."
Alexander calmly placed a folder on the table.
"Your wife asked us never to reveal it."
"She believed you would build something worthy of standing beside her."
Silence.
Then another page appeared.
The original investment agreement.
Signed four years earlier.
Damian's signature.
Isabella's.
Alexander's.
May you like
He remembered signing dozens of legal documents without reading every page.
Now every shortcut returned at once.
