CHAPTER 3: THE BILLIONAIRE ENEMY — SARAH STERLING’S DANGEROUS ALLIANCE
CHAPTER 3: THE BILLIONAIRE ENEMY — SARAH STERLING’S DANGEROUS ALLIANCE
The name Victor Cross had always been spoken inside the Sterling family like a warning.
Not a person.
Not a businessman.
A threat.
For years, Sarah had heard the same stories.
Victor Cross was ruthless.
Victor Cross destroyed his competitors.
Victor Cross never forgave betrayal.
Victor Cross had built his empire by taking down anyone who stood in his way.
Julian used to say it casually during dinner.
"Men like Victor Cross don't have friends, Sarah. They have weaknesses they exploit."
At the time, she believed him.
Now, sitting alone inside her father's abandoned cabin, Sarah questioned every single thing Julian had ever told her.
Because there was one truth she had learned in the last twenty-four hours:
The people who smiled at her had been the ones holding the knife.
And the people she feared might be the only ones willing to help her.
Morning arrived slowly.
The storm had passed, but Sarah barely noticed.
She had spent the entire night watching her father's hidden files.
Every document.
Every recording.
Every piece of evidence.
And every discovery made her anger grow stronger.
Julian hadn't just planned to steal her company.
He had been working with Eleanor for months.
They had manipulated board members.
Created false reports.
Moved company funds through hidden accounts.
And the worst part?
They had prepared a legal strategy to prove Sarah was mentally unstable.
They wanted the world to believe she was an emotional woman who couldn't handle pressure.
A woman who attacked her own family.
A woman who needed to be removed.
Sarah closed the laptop.
Her reflection stared back at her in the dark screen.
The woman looking back seemed different.
Her hair was messy.
Her clothes were ruined from the storm.
There was a cut across her cheek.
But her eyes...
Her eyes were no longer the eyes of a woman asking for approval.
They belonged to someone who had survived betrayal.
Someone dangerous.
She picked up the phone Marcus gave her.
There was only one number saved.
A name.
Victor Cross.
Sarah stared at it.
Calling him meant admitting she needed help.
And Sarah Sterling hated needing anyone.
But her father had trusted him enough to leave his name behind.
That meant something.
She pressed call.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then a deep voice answered.
“Who is this?”
Sarah immediately recognized it.
Calm.
Cold.
Powerful.
“Victor Cross?”
A pause.
“Who is asking?”
“My name is Sarah Sterling.”
Silence.
Not surprise.
Not shock.
Just silence.
Then:
“Interesting.”
Sarah frowned.
“What?”
“I was wondering how long it would take.”
Her grip tightened.
“What does that mean?”
Victor's voice remained emotionless.
“It means Richard Sterling was right.”
Sarah froze.
“You knew my father?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“That’s not a conversation to have over the phone.”
Sarah looked around the empty cabin.
“Then where?”
Another pause.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
“Are you being followed?”
“No.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
The question irritated her.
“I escaped my husband's private security team in the middle of a storm. I think I can tell if someone is following me.”
A faint sound came through the phone.
Almost a laugh.
Almost.
“You still sound like Richard’s daughter.”
Sarah frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re brave.”
A pause.
“But you’re still underestimating your enemies.”
The words bothered her because they sounded exactly like something her father would say.
“Where do we meet?”
Victor answered immediately.
“Cross Tower. Thirty minutes.”
Sarah looked at the clock.
“That's impossible.”
“No.”
His voice became colder.
“It’s necessary.”
Cross Tower stood in the center of the city like a monument.
A sixty-story building made entirely of glass and steel.
The symbol of everything the Sterling family hated.
Power.
Independence.
Control.
Sarah entered the lobby wearing borrowed clothes and carrying nothing except her father's drive.
Every eye turned toward her.
Not because they recognized her.
Because she looked like someone who didn't belong.
The receptionist immediately approached.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m here to see Victor Cross.”
The receptionist looked surprised.
“Do you have an appointment?”
Sarah almost smiled.
“No.”
The woman hesitated.
“I’m afraid Mr. Cross doesn’t accept unexpected visitors.”
Before Sarah could respond, a voice came from behind.
“She does today.”
Everyone became silent.
Sarah turned.
And for the first time, she saw Victor Cross.
The rumors had been incomplete.
They described the billionaire.
They forgot the man.
He was tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, with sharp features and an expression that revealed nothing.
He didn't look angry.
He didn't look surprised.
He looked like he had been waiting.
“Sarah Sterling.”
She studied him.
“Victor Cross.”
His eyes moved briefly to the cut on her cheek.
Then back to her face.
“Eleanor?”
Sarah's expression hardened.
“You know?”
“I know enough.”
The answer bothered her.
“How much?”
“Enough to know you’re not the one who started the fight.”
His private office was unlike any billionaire office Sarah had ever seen.
No unnecessary luxury.
No gold decorations.
No attempts to impress.
Just simple furniture, books, and a massive window overlooking the city.
Victor motioned toward a chair.
“Sit.”
Sarah didn't move.
“I’m not here for sympathy.”
“I know.”
“I’m not here because I trust you.”
“I know that too.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Then why did you agree to meet me?”
Victor looked toward the city.
“Because your father asked me to.”
Sarah stopped.
“My father?”
Victor nodded.
“Six months before he died.”
The room became silent.
“What did he say?”
Victor hesitated.
For the first time, Sarah saw emotion in his face.
Regret.
“He told me if something happened to him, I had to protect you.”
Sarah looked away.
“Why?”
“Because he knew Julian would eventually betray you.”
Hearing his name made her chest tighten.
“How long did my father suspect him?”
“Years.”
Sarah's eyes widened.
“Years?”
Victor nodded.
“Your father wasn't blind, Sarah.”
“Then why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he thought you needed to discover it yourself.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe.”
Victor looked at her.
“But he believed something.”
“What?”
“That a person who never faces betrayal will never understand how dangerous trust can be.”
Sarah was silent.
Because she hated admitting it.
But her father was right.
Victor placed a folder on the desk.
Sarah looked at it.
“What is that?”
“Information about Julian.”
She opened it.
Inside were photographs.
Bank records.
Emails.
Contracts.
Her stomach turned.
“You were investigating him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victor leaned back.
“Because Julian Sterling destroyed my company.”
Sarah looked up.
“What?”
“Ten years ago, my father’s company was forced into bankruptcy.”
Sarah flipped through the documents.
“Your father blamed mine.”
“He was wrong.”
Victor's voice became colder.
“Your father tried to stop it.”
Sarah looked confused.
“Then who did it?”
Victor looked directly at her.
“Eleanor Whitmore.”
The name hit hard.
“She was behind it?”
“Yes.”
Sarah stared at the documents.
Everything was connecting.
Eleanor didn't just want her company.
She wanted revenge.
For something that happened years ago.
“She destroyed your family.”
Victor nodded.
“And now she’s trying to destroy yours.”
Sarah closed the folder.
“So we have the same enemy.”
Victor didn't answer immediately.
Then:
“Yes.”
Sarah stood.
“I need your help.”
Victor looked surprised.
Not because she asked.
Because she finally admitted it.
“What exactly are you asking for?”
“I want my company back.”
“More than that.”
Sarah looked at him.
“I want everyone who betrayed me exposed.”
Victor studied her.
“You understand what that means?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll lose everything.”
“I already did.”
A long silence.
Then Victor stood.
“Good.”
Sarah frowned.
“Good?”
“The woman who walked into this room wanted justice.”
He stepped closer.
“The woman standing here wants revenge.”
Sarah didn't deny it.
Victor extended his hand.
“Then we have a deal.”
Sarah looked at his hand.
The man her family feared.
The man Julian warned her about.
The man who might be just as dangerous as her enemies.
She shook it.
The moment their hands touched, Sarah knew something had changed.
This wasn't just an alliance.
It was a declaration of war.
That evening, Julian Sterling stood inside his office, watching security footage.
Sarah escaping.
Sarah meeting Victor Cross.
His face became pale.
“No…”
Eleanor looked over his shoulder.
“What?”
Julian replayed the footage.
Victor opened the car door for Sarah.
Protected her.
Helped her.
Eleanor's expression changed.
“That's impossible.”
Julian whispered:
“She found him.”
Eleanor's confidence disappeared.
For years, they had controlled every move.
Every person.
Every situation.
But they forgot one thing.
Sarah was no longer alone.
And Victor Cross was the one person they couldn't manipulate.
Julian clenched his fists.
“Call everyone.”
Eleanor looked at him.
“Why?”
His eyes darkened.
“Because this is no longer about taking her company.”
May you like
A pause.
“This is about stopping a war.”
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