Chapter 5 - The Weight of the Crown
Damian was gone, held in custody pending bail. The mansion felt hollow, silent, and haunting. Evelyn had retreated to her quarters, defeated and broken.
Isabella sat in the library, the very room where she had spent four years being ignored. Mr. Aldridge entered, looking more concerned than he had at the dinner.
"The board is pressuring you, Ms. Montrose," he said. "They want to dissolve the Cross empire and sell the assets to the highest bidder. They want to see the name 'Cross' erased from the market."
Isabella traced the grain of the mahogany desk. "I promised your grandfather I would save the family, not destroy it. If I dissolve them, I lose the very thing I worked so hard to preserve."
"The family has shown no gratitude," Aldridge reminded her. "Damian is trying to pin everything on you as we speak."
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"I know," she sighed. "But if I save them, I save the thousands of employees whose livelihoods depend on this company. My duty isn't to the heirs who took it for granted; it's to the legacy itself."
She stood up, her resolve hardening. "Prepare the press conference. I’m not just saving the company. I’m reinventing it."
