Chapter 2 – Ghost of the Past

Aria

I pull up every article I can find about the accident. My laptop screen glows in the dark living room, and each headline feels like a punch to the chest.

Tech Entrepreneur's Negligence Kills Teenager in Factory Fire

Cross Family Loses Daughter, Business in Devastating Accident

David Holt Sentenced to Three Years for Corporate Manslaughter

Emily Cross smiles at me from a photo, sixteen and full of life she'll never get to live. Dark hair like her brother's. The same sharp jawline.

She died because my father cut corners on electrical wiring to save money. The fire spread through the Cross family's manufacturing facility in minutes. Emily had been there for a tour, excited about following in her father's footsteps.

She burned.

I can still remember the news footage - black smoke billowing, firefighters shouting, someone screaming for Emily. I was sixteen years old, eating cereal in our kitchen when my mother’s face went white at the television. That scream still wakes me up sometimes. I never told anyone that. 

And my father went to prison while our family lost everything to lawsuits. But that wasn't enough. It will never be enough.

I click on another article, this one more recent. Damien Cross at thirty-two, standing in front of his glass tower, looking like he's carved from ice and fury. Cross Technologies Surpasses $2 Billion Valuation.

He rebuilt what my father destroyed. And now he wants to interview me.

My vision blurs. I don't realize I'm crying until a tear hits the keyboard.

"Aria?"

I jump, slamming the laptop shut. Sophie stands in the doorway of her bedroom, wrapped in her bathrobe, her black hair mussed from sleep.

"It's three in the morning." She crosses the small living room and sits beside me on the couch. "What's wrong?"

Everything. The word sticks in my throat.

"I caught Tyler with Jessica." The confession comes out flat. "In his bed., earlier today."

"That piece of …" Sophie's eyes flash with anger. "Are you okay?"

Sophie pulls me into fierce hug. “I never liked him,” she mutters. “I always thought he smiled too much. Like a car salesman”

Despite everything, I almost laugh, she’s been saying that for months and she was right. 

"I got fired." I laugh, and it sounds broken even to my own ears. "Richard Chen figured out who my father was. Refused to work with the firm anymore. So they fired me."

Sophie grabs my hand. "Aria, I'm so sorry."

"And then Cross Technologies called." I meet her eyes. "Damien Cross wants to interview me tomorrow."

Her grip tightens. "No."

"I have to”

"No, you don't." Sophie's voice turns fierce. "That man has spent eight years building an empire on revenge. You know what he is. You know what he'll do to you."

"I don't have a choice, Sophie." I pull my hand away and stand, pacing to the window. Our apartment overlooks a busy Koreatown street, neon signs flickering in the darkness. "I have seventeen dollars in my checking account. Rent is due in two weeks. My dad's medication costs three hundred dollars a month."

"You'll find another job"

"Where?" I spin to face her. "Every time someone googles my name, they find the articles. They see my father's mugshot. I've been rejected from twenty-seven companies in the past two years. The only reason I got hired at the marketing firm was because I lied on my application and used my mother's maiden name."

Sophie's expression crumples. "This is different. This is Damien Cross. He's not offering you a job, he's offering you a noose."

"I know." The admission tastes bitter. "But I'm out of rope, Sophie. I'm drowning. And if he wants to watch me suffer, at least I'll have a paycheck while I do it."

"Aria”

"I'm going to the interview." I turn back to the window before she can see fresh tears forming. "I'll be careful. I promise."

Behind me, Sophie is silent for a long moment. Then I hear her stand, feel her arms wrap around me from behind.

"If he hurts you," she whispers against my shoulder, "I will burn his entire empire to the ground."

I almost smile. Almost.

My parents' house in Glendale looks smaller every time I visit. The paint is peeling. The lawn needs mowing. But it's home, even if it's a shadow of the mansion we lost eight years ago.

My father opens the door before I can knock. He looks thinner than last month, his hands trembling slightly - the Parkinson's getting worse.

"Aria, sweetheart." He pulls me into a hug that feels fragile. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I needed to see you." I follow him inside, where my mother is setting tea on the kitchen table. She smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes. She knows something's wrong.

We sit. I wrap my hands around the warm mug and try to find the words.

"I lost my job today." I keep my voice steady. "And I have an interview tomorrow morning."

"That's wonderful!" My mother reaches across the table. "Where?"

"Cross Technologies."

The mug slips from my father's hand. Tea spills across the table, but he doesn't seem to notice. His face has gone pale, almost gray.

The tremor in his hands has spread to his jaw. I watch him struggle to control it, watch him try to be strong for me. He is failing. We’re all failing. 

"No." His voice cracks. "Aria, no."

"David" My mother stands, grabbing paper towels, but she's staring at me with growing horror.

"I don't have a choice, Dad." I force myself to meet his eyes. "I need this job."

"That man" My father's hands shake violently now. "Damien Cross built his entire company on hate. On revenge. He wants to destroy us, Aria. He wants to make us suffer the way he suffered."

"I know who he is."

"Then you know you can't go." My father stands, agitated, pacing the small kitchen. "Don't take that job, Aria. Please. He wants to destroy you."

The desperation in his voice makes my chest ache. But I think about my empty bank account. The bills piling up. The medication he needs that we can barely afford.

"I'm going to the interview." I stand, leaving my tea untouched. "I'll be careful."

"Aria"