CHAPTER 7 — THE SECRET THAT BROKE THE CROSS FAMILY
The confidential report sat on Isabella Montrose’s desk for nearly ten minutes.
She didn’t open it immediately.
Not because she was afraid of what it contained.
But because she already knew.
Some truths didn’t change anything.
They only confirmed what people had spent years hiding.
Her father stood across from her, watching her carefully.
“Are you ready?”
Isabella looked at the sealed folder.
“No.”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
She continued.
“Not because I’m afraid.”
A pause.
“Because I already know this will hurt people who don’t deserve it.”
Her father nodded.
That was always Isabella’s weakness.
Not her lack of strength.
Her compassion.
She opened the file.
The first pages contained financial records.
Transfers.
Hidden accounts.
Private agreements.
Names.
Dates.
Numbers.
But one name appeared more than any other.
Evelyn Cross.
At the Cross mansion, Evelyn sat alone in the grand dining room.
The same room where she had accused Isabella of theft.
The same room where Damian had raised his hand against his wife.
The same room where everyone had laughed.
Now, there was no laughter.
No guests.
No celebration.
Only silence.
Her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Then immediately ignored it.
A second later, it rang again.
She answered.
“What?”
The voice on the other end was nervous.
“Mrs. Cross, the auditors are requesting access to the private foundation records.”
Evelyn’s expression changed.
“No.”
“They have legal authorization.”
She stood.
“Who approved that?”
A pause.
“Ms. Isabella Montrose.”
Evelyn slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time, she understood.
Isabella wasn’t attacking them.
She was exposing them.
And exposure was far more dangerous.
Damian arrived at the mansion an hour later.
He found his mother standing in the library.
“You knew.”
Evelyn didn’t turn around.
“I knew you would find out eventually.”
His expression hardened.
“You used company money.”
“I protected the family.”
“No.”
His voice shook.
“You protected yourself.”
Evelyn finally looked at him.
“You think running an empire is easy?”
“You think your father built everything honestly?”
Damian stared.
“What are you talking about?”
She walked toward the fireplace.
“Your father made mistakes.”
“What mistakes?”
“The company was failing years ago.”
Damian froze.
“But you told me he built a billion-dollar empire.”
Evelyn smiled bitterly.
“Every wealthy family has secrets.”
The words made his stomach turn.
“How much did you hide?”
She didn’t answer.
“Mother.”
Her silence was enough.
At Montrose Headquarters, Isabella continued reviewing the documents.
One of the lawyers placed another file in front of her.
“There’s more.”
She looked up.
“What?”
“Your marriage agreement.”
Isabella frowned.
“My marriage agreement?”
The lawyer nodded.
“Damian’s father included a clause before your wedding.”
She opened the file.
Her eyes narrowed.
The document stated that if Isabella Montrose ever revealed her identity or activated her family’s ownership rights…
The Cross family would lose control of all Montrose-backed assets.
But there was something else.
A handwritten note attached.
If Damian ever humiliates Isabella or uses the Cross name against her, she has the right to walk away without consequences.
Isabella stared at the words.
Her father had known.
He had protected her.
Even when she refused to protect herself.
That evening, Damian returned to Montrose Headquarters.
This time, he wasn’t angry.
He looked exhausted.
“I found out.”
Isabella didn’t look surprised.
“My mother.”
“Yes.”
“She moved money.”
“Yes.”
“She used the company.”
“Yes.”
Damian sat down.
For the first time, he looked like a man carrying the weight of his own mistakes.
“I defended her.”
Isabella remained quiet.
“I defended her when she insulted you.”
“I believed her when she said you weren’t good enough.”
His voice became lower.
“I made you feel small because I wanted to believe I was bigger.”
Isabella looked at him.
That was the closest thing to honesty she had ever heard from him.
“I’m sorry.”
The words were simple.
But this time…
They were real.
However, Isabella knew something.
A sincere apology could heal pain.
But it could not erase history.
The next morning, the board of Cross Global Holdings gathered again.
But this time, the atmosphere was different.
Damian walked in alone.
No assistant.
No confidence.
No performance.
The board members looked at him.
“Mr. Cross.”
He nodded.
“I’m here to resign.”
The room went silent.
Nobody expected that.
One executive asked:
“Are you sure?”
Damian looked down.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He took a deep breath.
“Because I spent years taking credit for things I didn’t build.”
A pause.
“And blaming others for mistakes I refused to see.”
He placed the resignation letter on the table.
“For the first time, I’m accepting responsibility.”
Later that afternoon, the media received another shocking announcement.
DAMIAN CROSS RESIGNS FROM CROSS GLOBAL HOLDINGS AMID FINANCIAL INVESTIGATION
But the biggest surprise was not his resignation.
It was the statement attached.
“I failed to recognize the person who stood beside me and saved everything I had.”
— Damian Cross
When Isabella read the statement, she felt no victory.
No satisfaction.
Only sadness.
Because the man she once loved was finally becoming the person she wished he had been.
But he had become that man…
After losing her.
That night, Isabella received a call.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A woman’s voice spoke.
“Isabella.”
She immediately recognized it.
Evelyn.
“What do you want?”
There was silence.
Then a sentence Isabella never expected to hear.
“I need your help.”
Isabella frowned.
“Why?”
Evelyn’s voice trembled.
“Because someone else is coming for the Cross family.”
A pause.
“And this time…”
“They’re not trying to take the company.”
“They’re trying to destroy everyone connected to it.”
Isabella stood still.
“Who?”
Evelyn whispered one name.
A name Isabella had never heard before.
May you like
But one that would change everything.
“Victor Hale.”
