Chapter 5 : Deal to FIRE

The building's private elevator carried them swiftly to the thirty-second floor.

Althea stood beside the towering man, silent, watching the numbers climb. She had visited enough corporate offices with Julian to recognize the typical display of high-society wealth, but Victor Vanguard’s territory felt entirely different. There were no photographs of the CEO shaking hands with politicians, no oversized portraits celebrating the company's founder, and no walls plastered with superficial awards. Everything was sleek, understated, dark, and impossibly expensive.

When the doors slid open, a receptionist rose immediately from her desk. "Good afternoon, Mr. Vanguard."

"Good afternoon, Clara. Please have the PH files sent to my office. And arrange a temporary guest suite for our visitor."

“Of course, sir.”

“Mrs. Cross,shall we” Victor added.

Althea turned sharply at him. “My name is Althea Kristen Evance.”

For years, she'd carried Julian's name. Now, she wanted to reclaim her own.

Victor studied her briefly before inclining his head. “Ms. Evance, then.”

He led her into his office, where floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.

“Sit,” he said, gesturing toward a leather chair. “You look as though you've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“I'm fine,” Althea lied, sitting stiffly.

Victor didn't challenge her defensive answer. Instead, he picked up the desk telephone and ordered food, water, and a few basic necessities to be sent upstairs immediately.

Althea watched him hang up the receiver. "You really don't have to do all of this, Mr. Vanguard."

"I know," Victor said smoothly.

"Then why are you doing it?"

Victor leaned against the edge of his desk, watching her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken., his gaze tracing her figure as if he wanted to see past the very fabric of her clothes. “Because I know what it’s like to watch someone less capable take credit for work they didn’t do.”

The dry amusement had vanished from his voice, replaced by a chilling bitterness. Althea wondered who had betrayed him, but before she could ask, he straightened.

“Tell me about Project Helios.”

Althea stiffened. “I thought you wanted to discuss a job.”

“I do. But I need to understand what you bring to the table.”

“I can discuss my experience, skills, and the systems I’ve designed. But I won’t disclose confidential information belonging to Cross Industries.”

“Good.” His immediate agreement caught her off guard. “If you were willing to betray your former employer’s trust so easily, I’d reconsider hiring you.”

For the first time that afternoon, a genuine smile touched Althea’s lips. “Then perhaps we’ll get along.”

“Perhaps.”

A knock interrupted them, and Clara entered with a tray of food. Althea hadn’t fully recognized how desperately starved she was until the rich aroma hit her senses. She had barely eaten since walking out of the mansion. Sitting at the table, she began to eat, trying her absolute best to maintain her dignity and not show how famished she truly was.

Victor returned to his desk, giving her privacy without making a show of it. The simple courtesy touched her more than she cared to admit. Julian had made her feel insignificant in a hundred small ways....scrolling through emails while she spoke, interrupting her, dismissing her words. Yet here was a powerful tycoon who had arranged her lunch and quietly turned away to let her eat in peace.

When she finished eating, Victor placed an elegant leather folder in front of her.

“An unusual employment proposal,” he said. “Read it carefully before you decide.”

Althea opened the folder. The figures on the first page made her breath catch. The offer included an extraordinary salary, a generous housing allowance, access to the company’s elite research facilities, and the title of Director of a newly established technical division.

She read the numbers twice. “This is a lot of money.”

“It’s a competitive offer for someone with your talent,” Victor replied.

“You haven’t even tested my abilities,” Althea countered, meeting his gaze.

“I’ve seen enough of your architectural blueprints to know a standard interview would be a waste of time.”

Althea shifted in her chair. “And what happens when Julian finds out?”

A knowing smile touched Victor’s lips. “Your husband has spent four years assuming you have nowhere else to go. I imagine he’ll be shocked to discover otherwise.”

A thrill ran down Althea’s spine. She imagined Julian’s face when he learned she was leading a multimillion-dollar division instead of playing the invisible housewife. She didn’t want to destroy Cross Industries. She simply wanted him to realize that her worth had never come from him. It came from her own worth.

“I need time to think,” Althea said firmly.

“Take it.”

“I also want an independent lawyer to review the contract. No hidden clauses or strings attached. And I won’t sign away the rights to systems I’ve already created.”

Victor studied her for a moment. “You’re more cautious than I expected.”

“I’ve learned to be. I intend to stay that way.”

“Fair enough.” He collected a folder from his desk. “I have a board meeting in twenty minutes. Clara will show you to the executive guest suite. You can stay tonight while you consider the offer.”

Althea studied him, waiting for the catch that usually came with a billionaire’s generosity. When none appeared, she asked, “Why let me stay here when I haven’t even agreed to work for you?”

“Because I want you on my team, and you clearly need somewhere safe to rest,” Victor said, already walking out. “You don’t owe me an answer tonight.”

The executive guest suite was spacious and elegantly furnished. Even the wardrobe had been stocked with clothes in her size.

Althea’s phone finally powered on. Almost immediately, notifications flooded the screen.

One headline made her stomach tighten: Cross Industries Celebrates Major Project Helios Victory as CEO Julian Cross Prepares for a New Chapter.

She opened the article.

Julian stood on a gala stage, holding a golden trophy, with Vivienne Chen pressed against his side. The article praised Vivienne as his trusted advisor, crediting her with standing beside him throughout the project’s final six months. It even praised their close professional relationship and speculated about what the future held for the pair.

Althea’s name wasn’t mentioned once.

She turned the phone facedown, her fingers trembling with anger. Julian had taken credit for her work, discarded her, and replaced her with his pregnant mistress as though she had never mattered.

How dare him

Her eyes burned with determination. She was done letting him erase her.

Moving with lightning speed, she opened her personal encrypted cloud folder and began saving copies of her own work: dated Project Helios drafts, original code snippets, architectural notes, and timestamped records. She wasn’t taking company data; she was preserving proof of what she had created. If Julian tried to erase her contributions, she would have evidence to defend herself.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: Clara mentioned your phone needed charging. I hope you don’t mind her sharing your number in case you need anything tonight.

Althea studied the screen. She hadn’t explicitly permitted Clara to share her number, but the explanation seemed reasonable enough. Victor was a prospective employer, and she was staying in his corporate building.

She typed a brief reply.

Althea: Thank you, Mr. Vanguard. I’m settled in for the night.

His response came almost immediately.

Victor: Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.

Althea set her phone aside, trying to ignore the faint unease stirring within her. She told herself it was just stress.

By ten that evening, sleep remained elusive. Unable to settle, Althea stepped out of her guest suite to stretch her legs.. She stepped into the dimly lit executive corridor, hoping a little walking would clear her head. She assumed the floor was empty and Victor had gone home.

As she turned the corner near the glass atrium, a deep voice caught her attention.

The lights in Victor’s executive office were still on.

He was still there.

Althea hesitated, unwilling to interrupt a late-night business call. She turned to return to her room, but the sound of her own name drifting through the heavy doorway made her freeze completely.

"She’s finally under my roof," Victor's voice carried a chilling, deep vibration through the cracked door. The professional, polite tone was entirely gone

A raspy, low laugh came through the speakerphone on his desk. "Well, well. Finally, you’ve captured your obsessive little prize. Your beautiful baby is finally right where you want her."

"She has no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this," Victor murmured, his shadow shifting against the glass wall inside the office. "Four years of watching that idiot Julian ignore a literal goddess. Four years of tracking her network signatures just to catch a glimpse of her mind. Julian thought he was hiding a ghost, but I was building a cage."

Althea’s breath caught violently in her throat. Her heart hammered against her ribs so loudly it felt deafening. The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

"So what’s the play, boss?" the voice on the phone asked with a twisted chuckle. "Are you going to reuse her brilliant brain to crush Cross Industries first, or are you just going to force her to marry you and lock her away forever?"

"Both," Victor said with complete certainty, and his terrifying voice left no room for doubt. "I am never letting her out of my sight. She will completely belong to me. Build the security detail around the suite. She doesn't take a single step without my permission."

Panic-pure, freezing fear rushed through Althea’s veins.

This was not a great job opportunity. This was not a lifeline. Victor Vanguard was not a savior. He was a dangerous, obsessed hunter who had been following her from the shadows for four long years. He didn't just want her skills; he wanted to own her completely.

Suddenly, heavy, hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.

"Mr. Vanguard!" a security guard called out, rushing toward the office.

Althea’s heart dropped. She couldn't run back to her suite…she would be caught in the open hallway. Acting on pure instinct, she darted into the deep shadows behind a massive marble pillar near the atrium, pressing her back against the cold stone and holding her breath.

The guard burst past her hiding spot and marched straight into Victor’s office.

“Sir, I just checked the residential security monitors,” the guard reported urgently. “I went to double-check the locks on the guest suite you told me to keep an eye on, but Mrs. Evance isn’t in her room. She’s gone.”

Inside the office, the atmosphere turned menacing.

“What do you mean, she’s gone?” Victor hissed. A moment later, glass shattered against the floor.

“Lock down the elevators! Seal every exit! She couldn’t have left the building yet!”

“Sir, she might have just stepped into the corridor”

“I don’t care where she is. Find her!” Victor roared, his composed corporate façade crumbling. “She’s the perfect weapon to destroy Julian, and she belongs to me! Search every floor. Do not let her escape!”

Hidden behind a marble pillar, Althea stared into the darkness, tears of terror sliding down her cheeks.

She had come here believing Victor was offering her a way out. Instead, she was trapped thirty-two floors above the ground, surrounded by the security team of a man who had just declared her his possession and absolutely nowhere left to hide.