Chapter 5
Cross Capital occupied the top twelve floors of a black glass tower on Fifth Avenue. The lobby alone looked like it cost more than everything I'd ever owned combined.
I wore the nicest thing I had—a simple navy dress, no jewelry. I didn't want to look like I was trying to impress anyone. I wanted to look like a woman with information and nothing to lose.
The receptionist gave me a visitor badge without blinking. Whoever Julian Cross was, he ran a tight ship. No questions. No delays.
The elevator opened on the fortieth floor, and an assistant walked me down a long hallway into an office that was all clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows. The city spread below like a map—and at the center of it, behind a mahogany desk, sat Julian Cross.
I'd only ever seen him from a distance. Up close, he was taller than I expected, with dark hair pushed back and eyes so sharp they made me feel like every lie I'd ever told was visible on my face.
He stood. "Mrs. Hale," he said. Just that.
It hit me in the chest. Nobody had ever called me that. Not once in six years.
"Sienna is fine," I said.
He nodded. Gestured to a chair. "Sit. Talk."
No small talk. No pleasantries. Good. I didn't have time for them either.
I sat and laid it out. All of it. The contract marriage. Natasha. Lily. The six years of hiding. The fact that Victor had a secret wife and child that no one in his professional or public life knew about.
Julian listened without interrupting. His expression didn't change once.
When I finished, he leaned back in his chair. "Why come to me?"
"Because you're the only person in this city who has both the power and the motive to go against Victor."
One eyebrow lifted. "Motive?"
"Hale Industries tried to acquire your biotech subsidiary last year. Hostile takeover. You blocked it, but barely. You and Victor aren't friends."
A ghost of a smile. "You've done your homework."
"I don't have the luxury of being unprepared."
He studied me. Those sharp eyes moved across my face like he was reading fine print. It should have made me nervous. Instead, it made me feel oddly steadied. He was the first person in years who was actually paying attention to what I said.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
"Legal protection. A lawyer Victor can't buy or intimidate. And if things escalate—financial backing for a custody fight."
"And what do I get?"
I reached into my bag and pulled out a USB drive. "Victor's personal financial records for the last three years. Funneled through the account that pays for my apartment. The transfers show patterns that don't match Hale Industries' public filings."
Julian looked at the USB drive. Then at me.
"How long have you been planning this?" he said quietly.
*Since I died,* I thought. "Long enough," I said.
He took the drive. "I'll have my team review this today. If it checks out, you'll have your lawyer by tomorrow."
I nodded and stood to leave.
"Sienna."
I turned.
Julian was still seated, watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read. "Whatever he did to you," he said, "it must have been unforgivable."
My throat tightened. For one second, I saw Lily's hospital bed. The drawing she'd clutched in her small, cold hand.
"It was," I said.
And walked out.
By the time I got home, there was already a text from an unknown number. *Elaine Wu, Cross Capital Legal. I'll be your attorney going forward. Available 24/7. Don't talk to Victor without me present.*
I saved the number and allowed myself one small breath of relief.
Then my phone buzzed again. This time, it was Natasha.
*Victor knows you're planning something. He moved up his timeline. He's filing for an annulment tomorrow morning.*
My blood went cold.
An annulment. Not a divorce—an annulment. As if our marriage never existed. As if Lily had no father. As if I was nothing.
He was trying to erase me before I could expose him.
I wore the nicest thing I had—a simple navy dress, no jewelry. I didn't want to look like I was trying to impress anyone. I wanted to look like a woman with information and nothing to lose.
The receptionist gave me a visitor badge without blinking. Whoever Julian Cross was, he ran a tight ship. No questions. No delays.
The elevator opened on the fortieth floor, and an assistant walked me down a long hallway into an office that was all clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows. The city spread below like a map—and at the center of it, behind a mahogany desk, sat Julian Cross.
I'd only ever seen him from a distance. Up close, he was taller than I expected, with dark hair pushed back and eyes so sharp they made me feel like every lie I'd ever told was visible on my face.
He stood. "Mrs. Hale," he said. Just that.
It hit me in the chest. Nobody had ever called me that. Not once in six years.
"Sienna is fine," I said.
He nodded. Gestured to a chair. "Sit. Talk."
No small talk. No pleasantries. Good. I didn't have time for them either.
I sat and laid it out. All of it. The contract marriage. Natasha. Lily. The six years of hiding. The fact that Victor had a secret wife and child that no one in his professional or public life knew about.
Julian listened without interrupting. His expression didn't change once.
When I finished, he leaned back in his chair. "Why come to me?"
"Because you're the only person in this city who has both the power and the motive to go against Victor."
One eyebrow lifted. "Motive?"
"Hale Industries tried to acquire your biotech subsidiary last year. Hostile takeover. You blocked it, but barely. You and Victor aren't friends."
A ghost of a smile. "You've done your homework."
"I don't have the luxury of being unprepared."
He studied me. Those sharp eyes moved across my face like he was reading fine print. It should have made me nervous. Instead, it made me feel oddly steadied. He was the first person in years who was actually paying attention to what I said.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
"Legal protection. A lawyer Victor can't buy or intimidate. And if things escalate—financial backing for a custody fight."
"And what do I get?"
I reached into my bag and pulled out a USB drive. "Victor's personal financial records for the last three years. Funneled through the account that pays for my apartment. The transfers show patterns that don't match Hale Industries' public filings."
Julian looked at the USB drive. Then at me.
"How long have you been planning this?" he said quietly.
*Since I died,* I thought. "Long enough," I said.
He took the drive. "I'll have my team review this today. If it checks out, you'll have your lawyer by tomorrow."
I nodded and stood to leave.
"Sienna."
I turned.
Julian was still seated, watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read. "Whatever he did to you," he said, "it must have been unforgivable."
My throat tightened. For one second, I saw Lily's hospital bed. The drawing she'd clutched in her small, cold hand.
"It was," I said.
And walked out.
By the time I got home, there was already a text from an unknown number. *Elaine Wu, Cross Capital Legal. I'll be your attorney going forward. Available 24/7. Don't talk to Victor without me present.*
I saved the number and allowed myself one small breath of relief.
Then my phone buzzed again. This time, it was Natasha.
*Victor knows you're planning something. He moved up his timeline. He's filing for an annulment tomorrow morning.*
My blood went cold.
An annulment. Not a divorce—an annulment. As if our marriage never existed. As if Lily had no father. As if I was nothing.
He was trying to erase me before I could expose him.