VIVI'S POV
I drive straight to Victor's office instead of the coffee shop.
If Damien Cross wants to meet me, he can wait. I need answers first. Real answers from someone I actually trust.
Victor's office is in a old building in Chinatown, hidden above a restaurant. Most people don't even know it exists. That's the point. When you're a financial detective, you don't advertise.
I climb the stairs and knock three times. Our signal.
The door opens immediately. Victor Chen stands there, looking worried. He's forty-five but seems younger, with sharp eyes that miss nothing. He's wearing his usual simple shirt and jeans.
"I got your text about my father," I say, pushing past him into the office. "How bad is it really?"
"Worse than bad." Victor closes the door and locks it. Three different locks. "Sit down, Vivi. You need to see this."
His office is filled with computer screens and papers. He's been working all night. I can tell from the coffee cups everywhere and the tired look on his face.
"Damien Cross contacted me," I say, sitting in front of his main computer. "He knows everything. About Aria Chen. About me. He hacked my phone and my laptop. He wants to meet."
Victor's face goes pale. "When?"
"Ten AM. That's in thirty minutes."
"Are you going?"
"I don't know yet. That's why I'm here. Tell me what you found."
Victor pulls up files on his screen. Numbers and charts fill the monitor.
"Laurent Tech's collapse wasn't an accident," he says. "Someone orchestrated it. Look at this."
He shows me a timeline. Three weeks ago, Laurent Tech's biggest supplier suddenly canceled their contract. The reason? A "better offer" from a competitor.
Two weeks ago, two major investors pulled out. Both claimed they "lost confidence" in the company's future.
One week ago, the SEC announced an audit. Someone sent them an anonymous tip about possible fraud.
"Each event by itself could be normal," Victor explains. "But together? In this exact order? It's an attack. Someone is destroying your father's company step by step."
My detective brain kicks in. I lean forward, studying the data.
"Show me the financial patterns," I say.
Victor pulls up another screen. This one shows money trails. Payments. Transfers. Connections between companies.
And I see it. The pattern.
"This happened before," I whisper. "This exact pattern."
"Yes." Victor pulls up two more cases. "Morrison Industries. Collapsed six months ago. Blake Technologies. Collapsed last year. Same pattern. Suppliers leave. Investors pull out. SEC investigation. Bankruptcy."
"What connects them?"
"That's the interesting part." Victor highlights certain names on the screen. "Both companies were competitors of Cross Global Enterprises. Both refused to sell to Damien Cross when he made offers. Both were destroyed within months of saying no."
My stomach drops. "You think Damien Cross is destroying companies that won't work with him?"
"I think someone connected to Cross Global is doing it," Victor says carefully. "But here's where it gets weird."
He pulls up more data. Financial records from Cross Global itself.
"I hacked into their system last night," Victor admits. "Don't look at me like that. You needed to know the truth. And I found something strange."
He points to irregular transactions. Small amounts of money missing. Contracts that were changed slightly. Deals that fell through for no clear reason.
"Someone inside Cross Global has been sabotaging Damien's company for years," Victor says. "Little things. Nothing big enough to notice unless you know what to look for. But it's there. A pattern of someone working against him from the inside."
"Who?"
"I don't know yet. But whoever it is, they're smart. They're patient. And they've been doing this for a long time."
I stare at the screens, my mind racing.
"So Laurent Tech was destroyed by someone connected to Cross Global," I say slowly. "But Damien Cross's own company is also being sabotaged from the inside. By someone he probably trusts."
"Exactly." Victor looks grim. "Which means Damien might not even know about the attacks on other companies. Someone could be using his name and resources without his knowledge."
"Or he's lying about everything and setting a trap for me."
"Also possible."
I check my phone. 9:45 AM. Fifteen minutes until I'm supposed to meet Damien.
"He said he could help me," I tell Victor. "He said if I don't meet him, he'll make sure Julian and Gianna get everything I was supposed to have. But if I do meet him—"
"He could destroy you," Victor finishes. "Vivi, this man hacked your personal devices. He knows about Aria Chen. He has evidence that could ruin you. Meeting him is dangerous."
"Not meeting him is also dangerous."
"True."
I stand up, pacing. My mind works through the possibilities.
"What if I meet him but wear a wire?" I suggest. "Record everything he says. If he threatens me, I'll have proof."
Victor shakes his head. "He'll scan for that. A man who can hack your phone can definitely detect a recording device."
"Then what do I do?"
Victor is quiet for a moment. Then he pulls something from his desk drawer. A small device that looks like a regular pen.
"This is a location tracker," he says. "Put it in your pocket. If anything goes wrong, I'll know exactly where you are. I can send help."
I take the pen, feeling its weight in my hand.
"You really think he's that dangerous?"
"Vivi, Damien Cross built a billion-dollar empire before he was thirty. His parents died when he was nineteen, and within five years, he was one of the most powerful men in New York. People who cross him disappear from the business world. Completely. He's brilliant, ruthless, and always three steps ahead of everyone else."
"Sounds like someone I know," I say quietly, looking at Victor.
He smiles sadly. "That's what worries me. You're too similar. When people like you and Damien meet, either you become unstoppable together, or you destroy each other. There's no middle ground."
My phone buzzes. A text from Damien:
"Five minutes, Miss Laurent. The coffee is getting cold. Don't keep me waiting. I hate waiting."
I look at Victor. "I have to go."
"I know." He hugs me quickly. "Be careful. Be smart. And remember—trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, leave."
I nod and head for the door.
"Vivi?" Victor calls after me. "One more thing. I ran a background check on Damien Cross last night. His parents' death fourteen years ago? The police said it was a car accident. But I found the original accident report. It was buried deep, but it's there."
"And?"
"The brakes were cut. Someone murdered his parents. And the case was closed too quickly, like someone with power made it disappear."
My blood runs cold.
"Damien has been hunting his parents' killer for fourteen years," Victor continues. "And I think whoever destroyed Laurent Tech might be the same person who killed them."
I stare at him, my mind exploding with new possibilities.
"Go," Victor says. "Meet him. Find out what he knows. But Vivi? Don't trust him completely. People seeking revenge will use anyone to get it. Even you."
I run down the stairs and jump in my car.
I drive to the coffee shop, my heart pounding.
When I walk in at exactly 10 AM, I see him immediately.
Damien Cross sits in the back corner, wearing a dark suit, watching the door like he knew exactly when I'd arrive.
Our eyes meet across
the room.
And I know, in that moment, that my life will never be the same.