Alex’s brows twitched as she leaned forward across the sleek glass table. “What do you mean, ‘what can I offer’?”
Mr. Gale smiled politely, but there was something sharp beneath it—like a dagger wrapped in silk. He folded his hands neatly in front of him, as if they weren’t negotiating over something that could burn down two corporate empires.
“You didn’t expect I’d hand you confidential documents for free, did you?” he asked mildly.
She scoffed, crossing her arms. “What do you want then? A blank check? My PR team to make you a household name? A Rolls Royce delivered by Monday?”
He chuckled, not in the least offended. “None of that. I’m not greedy, Miss Steel. What I want is… one favor. At a time I choose, not now.”
Alex’s smirk disappeared. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not,” he said evenly. “You’ll sign a contract stating that when the time comes, you’ll do one thing I ask. I’ll sign the terms too. It won’t be inappropriate, illegal, or anything that harms your company. But it will require your cooperation.”
She hesitated, tapping her fingers against the edge of the table. “That sounds like something a Bond villain would say.”
“Then think of me as a very polite one,” he replied smoothly. “And let’s be honest, Miss Steel. You don’t have any other leads, do you?”
He was right, and he knew it. Zade had gone quiet. Arthur was chasing ghosts. Brenda had a literal threat thrown through her window. And Michael—Michael was... complicated.
Alex leaned back in her seat, staring at the ceiling for a long moment. She hated this—being boxed into corners, pushed into desperate moves. But wasn’t that the cost of truth?
“Fine,” she said at last. “But I want to read every line before I sign anything. If there’s even one vague clause in there, I walk.”
Gale inclined his head. “Of course. I’ll bring it within the hour.”
Half an hour later, the door clicked open again. Gale returned with a manila folder and placed it on the table between them. “Take your time,” he said, gesturing toward the document inside.
Alex flipped through the pages carefully. Every paragraph, every subclause, every line spacing—she read it all. It was oddly… clean. The terms were firm but fair: one request, to be made at Gale’s discretion, not business-related, not reputational, not indecent, and not involving the Steel empire or its direct competitors. She could refuse if the favor crossed any of those lines.
Ten minutes later, she reached for the pen.
Both of them signed. She felt something tighten in her chest as she handed the paper back.
Gale tucked it into his briefcase with a smile, then unlocked the bottom drawer of the cabinet beside him. He pulled out a thick file and slid it across the table.
“Happy reading,” he said. “And fair warning—you’ll be more surprised than you expect.”
Alex didn’t answer. She stood, tucked the file under her arm, and left without another word.
***
That evening, back in her room, Alex curled up in her reading chair with the folder on her lap. The city buzzed below her windows, but her mind was fixed on what lay inside the documents. Luca was out to solve something at the company, something that involved investors and "wasn't much of work", as he assured her. Nova was long asleep in her room. Luca asked Alex to look after her while he'd be out of home, but there wasn't much to look after. Nova slept a lot. Too much, perhaps.
Alex flipped through the first few pages. Contracts, hidden payment records, internal memos. She frowned. Gale hadn’t exaggerated—these weren’t rumors. They were receipts.
It was enough to destroy the Stewarts, and by extension, Zade. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the next page.
Unreported financial flows. Bribes dressed up as donations. “Missing” tax records. A shell company acting as a laundering front. It was the jackpot.
She blew out a low whistle. “You’re done, Zade,” she muttered.
But then, halfway through the file, her stomach dropped.
There it was—page 17, section 3: a partnership record signed six months ago between Stewart’s EXO and another company.
Steel Group Industries.
Her family’s company.
Alex blinked, rereading the name twice, three times, hoping it was a coincidence. But there was the signature at the bottom—Luca Steel.
Her father.
Her throat tightened.
She flipped ahead, faster now, pages flying under her fingers. More contracts. More deals. A six-month steady business partnership. Shared investments. Co-financing on overseas development. Not once flagged. Not once questioned.
Because no one knew Stewart’s EXO was dirty. Not the board. Not the accountants. And certainly not Luca.
But now she did. And it changed everything.
Alex gripped the folder like it might dissolve in her hands. If she used this, if she exposed Stewart’s EXO… she’d bring down Zade and the Stewarts, yes.
But she’d also ruin her father. The company. The legacy. Everything.
All because she went digging.
Her hand darted for her phone. She called Arthur before her panic could swallow her whole.
“Alex?” he answered after two rings.
“Arthur…” Her voice cracked.
“What happened?”
She stared at the folder on her lap. At the future unraveling in her hands.
“I’m so fucked.”