ternoons in tense meetings with her father's key executives, and her evenings poring over old records, trying to make sense of the empire her father

s the lingering question of who she could trust. Her father had surrounded himself with loyalists, men and women who had been in his circle for

e past few days-whether in the boardroom, on calls, or in casual discussions in the mansion's corridors. Rosa wasn't sure if she w

ng her temples as the weight

ity in his eyes. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, then

ours," he observed, his vo

ered in front of her. "I can't afford to

d, his tone more insistent now. "You won't be a

ned. "If I don't do this, no one will. This company

said he understood the pressure she was under. "I know. But I'm not talking about

s. It was easy to forget, in the midst of all the corporate chaos, that Rosa was still a person. Still someone with emotions,

d, though her voice

ched for the chair across from her, pulling it out and sitting down withou

w close he was to the truth. How much she felt like she was losing hersel

indow, where the soft glow of the city lights illuminated the sprawlin

he silence. "I can't

always been independent, always believed she could handle anything on her own. But the reality of her situation was dif

n't have to. I'm here, Rosa. I've been here for a long time.

guard. She hadn't expected this-hadn't expected him to offer suc

uiet. "Why are you helping me

steady. "Because, despite everything, I still believe in what your father built. And I belie

. Before their paths had diverged. Back then, it had been easy to think that Alex was just another player in her father's world, someone who would always be there, someone she could rely

ds. "I don't even know where to start," she admitted. "There are so m

step. We'll start with the most urgent things first. We'll focus on the company's immediate

ime in a long time, she felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, with Alex by her side, she could n

you. But we need to be careful. The board is watching,

his eyes. "Let them watch. They won't see what's coming. W

e of confidence. She wasn't alone in this fight. And maybe, just m