CHAPTER 6: THE FIRST MOVE
Day three.
Exactly when I'd predicted.
Two days ago, I'd sat in Damian's office and told him everything about Northbridge Logistics.
"Richard Northbridge doesn't care about money," I'd said, spreading documents across his desk. "He cares about legacy. He built that company from dirt and sweat and he won't let anyone erase his name from it."
Damian had been skeptical. He was a man who trusted data, not instinct.
"Marcus will offer him twenty percent better rates. Faster delivery. International access." I'd met his eyes. "But Marcus will also absorb Northbridge completely. Rebrand it. Make it disappear into Westwood Holdings."
"And you know this how?"
"Because I watched it happen."
Damian had studied me for a long moment.
Then he'd picked up the phone.
"Set up a meeting with Richard Northbridge. Tomorrow. Tell him I want to discuss a partnership. Not an acquisition. A partnership."
Now, sitting in his office on day three, I watched the clock.
9:15 AM.
Right now, Marcus was walking into Northbridge Logistics.
Right now, he was smiling that perfect smile.
Right now, he was pulling out a contract.
And right now, he was about to discover he was too late.
Marcus stood in the lobby of Northbridge Logistics at 9:17 AM.
Confident. Relaxed. Already celebrating in his mind.
"Mr. Westwood." Richard's assistant appeared. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Northbridge won't be able to meet with you."
Marcus's smile didn't falter. "I have an appointment."
"Yes, sir. But Mr. Northbridge finalized a partnership agreement with Sterling Enterprises yesterday. He asked me to extend his apologies."
The world tilted.
"What?"
"Sterling Enterprises. The papers were signed yesterday afternoon."
Marcus stared at her.
"That's not possible."
"I'm sorry, sir."
She walked away.
Marcus stood frozen in the lobby.
Through the glass walls of the conference room, he could see them.
Richard Northbridge. Laughing.
Shaking hands with Damian Sterling.
A contract on the table between them.
Sterling's logo at the top.
For the first time in his professional life, Marcus Westwood was too late.
His phone was in his hand before he realized he'd pulled it out.
He called Elena.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
She didn't answer.
I watched my phone light up on Damian's desk.
Marcus.
I let it ring.
Damian glanced at it. Then at me.
His mouth curved into that dangerous smile.
"Let it go to voicemail," he said.
So I did.
The ringing stopped.
Started again immediately.
This time I declined the call.
"He's going to lose his mind," I said.
"Good." Damian stood. Walked to the whiteboard on the far wall. "What's next?"
I joined him. Picked up a marker.
Started writing.
Dates. Names. Numbers. Companies Marcus would target. Contracts he'd try to steal. Moves he'd make in the next sixty days.
I wrote fast, connecting dots, drawing lines between events.
"Here." I tapped the board. "Two weeks from now, Marcus will approach Silverton Tech. He'll offer them capital for expansion in exchange for exclusive distribution rights."
"And?"
"And Silverton's CEO, David Park, is drowning in debt his board doesn't know about. Marcus found out through a private investigator. He'll use it as leverage."
I kept writing.
Kept talking.
Mapping out the war Marcus didn't know he was already losing.
I was so focused I didn't notice Damian had gone quiet.
Didn't notice he'd stopped looking at the board.
When I finally turned around, he was sitting on the edge of his desk.
Watching me.
Not the whiteboard.
Me.
"You're not writing any of this down," I said.
"I don't need to."
"You have a photographic memory?"
"No." His eyes held mine. "I just remember things that matter."
The words hung in the air between us.
Heavy.
Charged.
I couldn't look away.
Couldn't breathe.
Finally, I turned back to the whiteboard.
Stared at the marker in my hand.
Didn't write anything.
Couldn't.
Not for several long seconds.
Behind me, I heard Damian move. Heard his footsteps.
Felt him stop just behind my shoulder.
"Elena."
I turned.
He was close. Too close.
"We're going to destroy him," he said quietly.
"I know."
"Together."
Something in the way he said it made my heart race.
"Together," I repeated.
His phone buzzed.
The moment shattered.
He stepped back. Checked the screen.
"Richard just sent confirmation. The partnership is official." He looked at me. "You were right."
"I told you."
"You did." He pocketed his phone. "I'm starting to think you're always right."
"Get used to it, Mr. Sterling."
He laughed.
And for the first time since I'd died in that river, I felt something other than rage.
I felt alive.
That evening, Marcus used his key.
The key to the Ashford family home that he'd kept from the engagement.
He let himself in without knocking.
Found Elena's father, Thomas Ashford, sitting in the study reading reports.
"Thomas."
Thomas looked up. His face went hard. "You need to leave."
"I think we should talk." Marcus sat down in the chair across from him. Uninvited. "About Elena."
"There's nothing to discuss."
"She's made a terrible mistake." Marcus leaned forward, all charm and concern. "And I'm here to help fix it."
"She's made her choice."
"She's confused. Sterling has manipulated her, turned her against me—"
"Get out of my house, Marcus."
"Thomas, listen—"
Thomas pulled out his phone.
Dialed.
It rang twice.
"Dad?" Elena's voice came through.
Thomas kept his eyes on Marcus. "Elena, Marcus is here. He's claiming you've made a mistake and he wants to fix it."
There was a pause.
Then Elena's voice, cold and clear: "Tell him that if he doesn't leave in the next five minutes, my husband's lawyers will file a harassment claim before he reaches his car."
Thomas repeated it word for word.
Never breaking eye contact with Marcus.
Marcus's jaw clenched.
He stood slowly.
"This isn't over, Thomas."
"Yes, it is."
Marcus walked toward the door.
Stopped.
Looked back.
Thomas was still holding the phone.
And on the screen, visible even from across the room, was the caller ID.
Damian Sterling - Mobile
Marcus stared at that name.
At the proof of exactly who Elena had married.
His face went white.
Then red.
Then something cold and terrible.
He turned and walked out.
The door closed behind him.
In his car, Marcus sat in the darkness.
Hands gripping the steering wheel.
Breathing hard.
She'd married Sterling.
Married him.
Within hours of walking out on their wedding.
Within hours.
His phone buzzed.
A news alert.
Sterling Enterprises Announces Major Partnership with Northbridge Logistics
He threw the phone at the dashboard.
It cracked.
Fell to the floor.
Marcus sat in the silence.
And smiled.
Not a nice smile.
A broken one.
"You want to play, Elena?" he whispered to the darkness. "Let's play."
He started the car.
And drove away.
Already planning his next move.
Already obsessed.
Already lost.