But Ste''s path was far more treacherous.


    Not only was no one there to give her a helping hand-some people were even hell-bent on cing obstacles in her way, using every trick in the book to trip her up as she tried to move forward.


    She might hold a significant share of thepany, but she was still a long way from having true control.


    The shares Nora left her were likely just ast resort-a reluctant backup n. If Nora had her way, Ste probably would have been free to chase her dreams, to do what she loved, rather than being thrust into this corporate battlefield.


    Nora had spent enough time inside the Williams Group to know how toxic it was. Even those at the top were forced topromise. Men like Joshua, Leonard Lerman, Haynes O''Brien-they may have eventually taken the reins, but it had taken them years of maneuvering. Who knows what underhanded tactics they''d had to use behind closed doors just to get there.


    And even after finally iming the throne, they still had to fight tooth and nail to keep their grip on it. One misstep, one sign of weakness, and the vultures would be circling, ready to tear them down.<fnbc03> Follow current nov?ls on </fnbc03>


    That''s why Joshua had rushed home to deal with the family crisis-there was no room for hesitation. That''s why Leonard had been thrown into chaos by Ste''s live broadcast.


    If Ste didn''t have the stomach for ruthless decisions, her climb to power would take forever. And in the end, whatever power she had could easily be stripped away.


    Aurora, on the other hand, had the full backing of the Williams family. With their support, she could build her own power base in record time.


    While Aurora was being lifted up, Ste was being dragged down at every turn. The road ahead of her was long-and lonely.


    Joshua nced at the stack of documents on the table. "Have you decided whichpany you want to pick?"


    Ste replied, "I''ve narrowed it down to three. I think any of them could work, but I want to make a careful choice."


    She hesitated, then added, "I''ve sent the information on all three to Neville Connolly. I want to get his opinion before I decide."


    Ste was still new to the business world and keenly aware she had a lot to learn -she wasn''t about to bluff her way through on gut feeling alone.


    Aurora had always had Israel and Coleman lending her a hand with business matters. Ste wasn''t foolish enough to think she could manage on her own.


    As for asking Jonathan for help...


    She dismissed the thought immediately. She didn''t trust any of the Williams brothers—and she certainly wasn''t about to give Jonathan a chance to set her up.


    Joshua asked, "Mind if I take a look?"


    Ste handed him the file. After all, he''d be working with her at the newpany; there was no reason to keep secrets.


    Joshua started flipping through the pages just as Ste''s phone rang-Neville was calling.


    He''d already shifted most of his workload from Novaris to Solmaris, and was only two days into the new job, still busy settling in. He hadn''t had time to meet Ste in person yet, but the moment she''d asked for his help, he''d dropped everything to review the information she''d sent.  s


    "Star," Neville said, "I''ve gone through all the documents you sent me. You''ve got a sharp eye those threepanies really are the best picks out of the bunch, and each has strong growth potential."  s


    He paused before continuing, "But if you''re only giving yourself a year to turn things around, two of them probably won''t show the results you want in that timeframe."


    Neville went on, "I''ve marked up eachpany''s strengths, weaknesses, and future prospects for youve also highlighted the key ports you should focus on Take your time looking it over, and if you have any questions, just let me know."  s