Chapter 24
24
Victoria
I walk through the hallway of Danforth Steel headquarters, tablet pressed to my chest, hoping I don’t see my father when his yell echoes from behind the closed door to his office.
I freeze.
What the hell is going on?
And why is he so mad?
I inch closer, not wanting to be seen but needing to find out what’s happening at the same time.
“If you weren’t so damn busy trying to marry my damn daughter, none of this would have happened p>
“What the hell does that mean? I have nothing to do with this p>
“Sure, you do. If you had just agreed to the merger.. p>
“Victoria or nothing,” Grant Jameson fires back.
My stomach drops so fast I nearly sway.
“It’s not my problem you couldn’t seal the deal, Grant p>
“Well, she shouldn’t have been a problem. She was promised to me years ago.” There is a low growl, clipped by irritation.
Promised.
I grip the tablet harder.
“It’s not my fault she’s stubborn p>
“You could have forced her p>
I don’t wait for the rest. I shove the door open so hard it slams into the wall. Papers jump on the desk. Both men freeze like I just pulled a gun.
“Forced me?” I snap, stepping inside with the kind of righteous fury I didn’t know I still had. “News flash, gentlemen—I couldn’t have been forced to do anything p>
My father’s face tightens. Grant’s eyes narrow with that calculating, smug tilt I’ve hated since I was seventeen.
I walk in farther, heels clicking against the marble. “And while we’re making declarations, I already lost everything. The one thing I cared about was taken away. So did you really think I’d marry Grant because you said so p>
Grant adjusts his cufflinks, his smirk sharpening. “It wasn’t exactly a suggestion, sweetheart.” He tilts his head like he’s analyzing something. “It’s happening. It’s still the plan p>
My jaw locks so tight I could crack teeth. “You can take your plan,” I say, voice soft like silk, “and choke on it p>
My father slams his hand on the desk, rattling the pen set. “Enough. None of this matters right now p>
“Oh?” I lift a brow. “Forgive me for interrupting this riveting misogyny seminar p>
“If we don’t stop arguing,” he cuts in sharply, “we won’t be able to figure out what went wrong p>
That stops me.
The anger doesn’t leave, it just rises differently, colder, more alert. “What do you mean?” I ask, stepping closer.
My father scrubs a hand down his face. He looks older and tired. “Have you seen the news p>
I blink. “No p>
He gestures toward the wall-mounted TV. Grant grabs the remote and flicks it on.
The headline hits first.
FIRE AT DANFORTH STEEL FACILITY. BUILDING LOST. INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY.
My breath catches, and my pulse spikes as I watch the flames swallow the building.
“Is everyone okay?” I step forward until the images burn into my eyes. “What happened?” I whisper.
My father exhales like the air itself weighs too much. “Arson. Or negligence. Or a goddamn curse. I don’t know yet p>
“First things first, was anyone hurt?” I ask, and my father shakes his head.
“Okay, good. Objects can be replaced. People can’t p>
“We lost the whole facility, Victoria.” My father scoffs.
“I know, and it’s awful, but we have insurance. I’m sure everything will be okay p>
Grant’s laugh comes soft and smug. “Ah. See, that’s the problem p>
My father glares at him, then looks at me. “The policy on that building lapsed p>
My mouth falls open. “We let our insurance lapse on an entire facility p>
“It was supposed to be temporary.” He’s pacing now. “We were shifting assets during the merger with the Jamesons, and someone fucked up the paperwork. We didn’t catch it. And now p>
I swallow, the dread sinking deeper. “Now we’re liable p>
Grant taps the TV remote against his palm, eyes gleaming like he enjoys the drama. “Not just liable. Exposed. Vulnerable. Investors will panic. Rivals will circle. The competitors p>
“Enough,” my father snaps.
I cross my arms to steady myself. “What’s the plan? How do we fix it p>
“We don’t know yet,” my father admits, sliding his hands into his pockets. It’s the first honest thing I’ve heard him say in years. “We’ll weather the storm. We’ve done it before. Just have to tighten the reins. Cut nonessential spending. Delay a few expansions. We’ll get through it p>
Grant leans back casually against the edge of the desk. “Assuming it was just a fire.” His voice dipped in suspicion. “And not someone making a point p>
A chill spikes at the base of my spine. But I shove it down.
“No one is targeting us,” I say, too quickly.
Both men look at me. I glance away. Because the truth is—I don’t know. A fire starting on its own seems unlikely.
I don’t know anything anymore.
My father clears his throat. “Victoria, we need to be united. Image is everything right now p>
My laugh comes out rough and humorless. If a laugh could sound bitter, this one would be that. “United? You and Grant were just arguing about whose fault I was p>
My father stiffens. “We were discussing logistics p>
Grant’s lips curl. “Darling, you’re always a logistic challenge p>
I whip toward him. “Say one more word like that, and I’ll show you a logistic challenge p>
His smirk flickers. Just barely.
Good.
My father pinches the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t the time for dramatics p>
“Your definition of dramatics,” I say quietly, “is my definition of survival p>
Silence. Brief and heavy.
Grant pushes off the desk with a sigh. “Whether you like me or not doesn’t change anything. The merger is still standing. The market’s watching. Our names are tied together publicly. We need to make us official. We need to get married p>
“There is no us,” I hiss.
My father hits the desk with his hand. “Enough. We need to project stability until we get more information.” He turns to Grant. “While I agree we need to go public with your relationship p>
“We don’t have a relationship,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Victoria. We do. I’ve waited five years for you to finish college, and don’t think I don’t know you stalled. So this is happening. Your family needs me more than ever, so don’t piss me off p>
“Grant, I agree, and appreciate your family’s help…” My father turns to me. “I won’t hear another objection from you. You’ve always known what’s expected.” His words land in my belly like a punch. I’ll find a way out of this arrangement, but for now, I need to bide my time to come up with a plan.
I blow out a breath. “Fine.” I start to pace. The room suddenly feels too small. “But no more talking about a wedding. We have more important things to deal with. Like the burning buildings p>
“For now,” Grant adds. I want to punch his smug face, but instead, I turn to my father, who is kneading his temples.
My father’s jaw tics. “It was just one plant p>
“Just one plant,” I repeat, staring at the flaming building on the screen. “But what if it isn’t the last p>
No one answers, because there is no answer. There’s only tension. And fear.
My father rounds his desk. “We’ll figure out what went wrong,” he says firmly. “We always do p>
“And until then?” I ask.
“We stay quiet,” he replies. “We stay composed. And we stay in control p>
Grant nods like this is all a business seminar. “We’ll handle the PR. You handle being cooperative p>
I stiffen. “I’m not your puppet p>
Grant’s eyes gleam. “Oh, sweetheart. That’s where you’re wrong p>
My father gives him a sharp look. But not sharp enough. I inhale slowly, pushing the air deep into my chest.
If I speak now, I’ll explode.
So I don’t respond.
I turn and walk out.
Close the office door softly behind me, even though I want to rip it off the hinges.
Once I’m in the hallway, the breath I’ve been holding slips out in a tremor.
The fire. The insurance lapse. The fear in my father’s voice… How is this the same man who once bragged he could buy God if the price was right?
Something is wrong. I don’t know what, but I can feel that a change is coming, and I’m not sure what that means.
I force myself to breathe, then for my legs to move, and as I head down the hallway, I try to silence my thoughts.
But as I walk through the steel corridors of my family’s empire—shaking, pretending not to be afraid—one truth curls cold and certain in my chest.
If this is just the beginning…
We are not ready for the storm that’s coming.