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Chapter 63: David Holt's Name Restored
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2026-03-01 22:26:51
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HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO Chapter 65: A New Platform
Aria POVJulian put the invitation on my desk on a Thursday morning without any preamble, which was how I knew he thought it was a big deal."The National Corporate Accountability Conference," he said, tapping the letterhead. "Keynote speaker slot. They want you specifically—they mentioned the Cross Technologies case by name in the ask."I stared at the paper. "How long have you had this?""Since Tuesday." He sat down across from me. "I wanted to think about it before I brought it to you."That told me everything. Julian had been in my corner since day one of this mess—he'd backed my public statement, he'd approved every TechVista initiative I'd proposed, he'd shown up at the hospital without being asked. If he'd waited two days to show me this, he had concerns."Say what you're thinking," I said.He folded his hands on my desk. "Accepting this makes you the public face of corporate whistleblowing in this country for the next several years. That's either a platform or a cage, dependin
HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO Chapter 64: One Day at a Time
Aria POVI didn't expect him to be standing in the lobby.Damien Cross, three days post-surgery, arm in a sling, looking slightly less like a ghost than he had in the hospital bed—standing by the entrance of the building with a coffee in his good hand and watching the elevator doors like he had nowhere else to be."How did you even get here?" I said. "You're supposed to be on bed rest.""I took a car." He held the coffee out toward me, a peace offering and an argument at the same time. "I'm not going back to the penthouse.""That's not—Damien, you got shot.""The bullet passed clean." The corner of his mouth curved, like he was quoting me back to myself. "No permanent damage."I should have sent him home. Any reasonable person would have sent him home.Instead I took the coffee.We ended up at a café six blocks away—his suggestion, neutral territory, a place that had nothing to do with either of our lives. Exposed brick and mismatched chairs and a chalkboard menu, the kind of place no
HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO Chapter 63: David Holt's Name Restored
Aria POVMy father had the television on when I got to his room at Cedars-Sinai, the volume low, some morning news anchor cycling through overnight stories. He didn't look up when I came in—he was watching the screen with an expression I'd never seen on him before, something careful and held very tight.Then I looked at the screen and I understood why.Richard Hastings named primary responsible party in Emily Cross wrongful death. David Holt exonerated—DA's office releases official filing."Dad." My voice came out wrong—too thin, too high.He finally looked at me, and his eyes were wet, and he said, very quietly, "Eight years, Aria."My mother had been sitting in the chair by the window and I hadn't even noticed her until she made a sound that wasn't quite a word and pressed her hand over her mouth, and then the three of us were all just sitting there with the news anchor's voice filling up the silence.Henry arrived twenty minutes later with paperwork, real paperwork with the DA's se
HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO Chapter 62 - Between Pain and Promise
Aria POVThe first thing I heard when finally let me into Damien’s room was the sound of machines beeping and Damien's awake. Groggy and pale, but awake.His voice, rough and dry, asking a question that made my heart stop."Hey," he says when he sees me."Hey." I move to his bedside, taking his good hand carefully. "How do you feel?""Like I got shot." He tries to smile. "But alive. Thanks to very fast paramedics and excellent aim on Victoria's part. A few inches right and—""Don't." I press my fingers gently over his lips. "Don't finish that sentence.""Sorry." He kisses my fingertips softly. "Did you mean it? What you said in the ambulance?"My heart stutters. "Every word.""Say it again." His gray eyes are clear now, focused entirely on me. "Please.""I love you, Damien Cross." I lean down, pressing my forehead to his. "I love you, and you scared me to death, and if you ever take a bullet for me again I'll kill you myself."He laughs, then winces. "Noted. Aria?""Yeah?""I'm going
HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO Chapter 61 – “Say it Again When I’m not Bleeding”
Aria POVThe sound of the gunshot splits reality in two.One second, Victoria is screaming, the gun pointed at me. The next, Damien is throwing himself between us, and the world explodes into noise and chaos.He staggers backward into me, his hand going to his shoulder. Blood seeps between his fingers, dark and spreading fast."Damien!" My scream doesn't sound like my own voice.Everything happens at once. Security floods the room, tackling Victoria to the ground. The gun skitters across the floor. Henry's shouting orders. My father is yelling something I can't process.But all I see is Damien, falling to his knees, blood soaking through his shirt.I catch him before he hits the ground completely, lowering him as gently as I can. My hands are shaking so badly I can barely hold him."You're okay." I'm crying, pressing my hands over the wound even though I don't know what I'm doing. "You're going to be okay.""Aria." His voice is strained but conscious. "Are you hurt?""Am I—" I can't b
HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO Chapter 60 – If She Pulls the Trigger, It Hits Me First
Damien POVVictoria's breakdown is tragic, but I won't let her hurt Aria or David.I keep myself positioned between her and Aria, my body a shield. The gun in Victoria's hand shakes, her finger too close to the trigger for comfort."Victoria." I keep my voice calm, steady. "Let's talk about this. Just you and me.""Talk?" Her laugh is shrill, broken. "We're past talking, Damien. Way past it."Behind her, David Holt lies in the hospital bed, his face pale but his eyes alert. He's trying to stay still, not to provoke her."You're right." I take a small step forward. "We should have talked months ago. Years ago, maybe. About Cross Technologies. About your role in rebuilding it."Her eyes flicker with something—surprise, maybe. Or suspicion."What are you doing?" she asks."Telling the truth." I hold her gaze. "You did help rebuild Cross Technologies. You worked alongside me when everything was ashes. You put in the hours, made the connections, handled the finances.""I did more than help
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