Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 308

Willa stood quietly before him, perfectly aware that her speech had been an incredibly dangerous gamble.

A man as deeply calculating as Julian absolutely despised having his true intentions dragged out into the light.

She had publicly flipped over all of his hidden cards, an action considered an unforgivable taboo in the business world.

But rather than remaining a passive pawn waiting to be moved, she decided it was better to flip the entire chessboard and carve out a path for herself.

After a painfully long pause, Julian finally spoke. "Do you have any idea what the consequences would be if Harrison heard what you just said?"

Willa's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained impossibly calm.

"I do. But you won't say a word, because you still need me right now."

Julian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you really that confident?"

"I'm not certain," Willa replied. "But I'm betting that you're a smart man. And a smart man doesn't hand a highly advantageous pawn over to his enemies."

Julian suddenly let out a low, rumbling laugh. "You're becoming more fascinating by the minute, Ms. Vance. You can tell Randal that all I've ever wanted is to take back what rightfully belongs to me."

Willa seized the opportunity to push her luck. "I can run interference for your alliance. However, once you regain total control of Vanguard, I want every single file you have on The Empyrean Towers accident."

Julian's brow furrowed. "Are you trying to get something for nothing?"

"It's not for nothing." Willa shook her head. "I will use my own methods to help you secure exactly what you want."

"And what methods would those be?"

"I will publish a series of in-depth, front-page features on Vanguard's urban revitalization projects."

"How does that benefit me?" Julian asked.

"Public opinion." Willa pinpointed the crux of the issue. "The devastating PR crisis surrounding The Empyrean Towers was the biggest trump card Harrison used to strip you of your power."

"As long as I can stabilize the company's public reputation and rebuild Vanguard's corporate image, your odds of winning the internal power struggle will more than double."

Julian leaned against the window, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, staring at her with a heavy, penetrating gaze.

Willa gave a curt nod, turned on her heel, and walked out.

When she finally reached the elevators, she stopped, slumped against the wall, and let out a massive, shuddering breath. Her hands were still trembling uncontrollably.

The high-stakes psychological warfare she had just endured had utterly drained every ounce of her nerve.

Over the next few days, Willa completely buried herself in organizing the Vanguard project files.

While Florence was a nightmare to get along with, her professional competency was undeniably top-tier.

Chloe was incredibly diligent as well, working late into the night every single day to help Willa comb through all of Vanguard's public press releases from the past five years.

Everything was progressing exceptionally smoothly. The first draft of the feature was seamlessly finalized, just waiting for Julian's ultimate review and confirmation.

Willa truly believed everything was falling into place exactly as she had meticulously planned.

That was, until she walked into the office one morning and immediately realized the atmosphere was completely toxic.