Fortune favors the bold, Ste thought. Taking risks was dangerous, but there was no reward without them.


    She said, "There''s no reconciling things between Leonard and me. One of us will have to fall. Leonard and Israel—they''re both going to do everything in their power to trip me up. They haven''te after me yet, but that''s only because the timing isn''t right. Instead of sitting back and waiting for their attack, why not strike first?"


    She paused, then added, "Actually, this might be the best chance I''ll ever get. As for the losses..."


    Her tone was calm and even. "If Leonard and Israel ever get an opening, the damage to me won''t be any less than it is now. The end result would be just the same. So why not use this opportunity to seize the initiative and teach them both a lesson?"


    When she finished speaking, she noticed Haynes studying her with a look she hadn''t seen before.


    Ste raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Have I missed something? Did I overlook a w in my n?"


    These days, she''d learned to take others'' opinions seriously-even Aicken''s advice, she''d listen to with care. You had to be grounded when you were new; overreaching only led to failure.


    Haynes''s gaze was thoughtful, almost conflicted. "No, your reasoning is sound. You''ve covered every angle, and honestly, I''m impressed. You''ve grown so much, so quickly."


    Ste had only been back in the Williams family for a few months, but her sharp, instinctive way of approaching problems was the mark of real talent. Sure, she''d had help from others, but if she hadn''t taken things to heart, no strategist in the world could have brought her this far.


    Haynes admitted, "Star, I underestimated you before. I won''t make that mistake again."


    Ste shook her head. "Let''s not dwell on that. What I want to know is what exactly went wrong with the Richards Group?"


    At the mention of thepany, Haynes''s eyes darkened, bing nearly opaque.


    "When trouble first hit the Richards Group, I called Foreman and offered my help. He turned me down-said he could handle it himself.


    UT


    Companies run into sudden storms, rivals bet traps it''s all part of the game. Unless the situation is truly dire, neither of us bothers the other for backup."  s


    He shrugged. "I believed Foreman had it under control, so I didn''t worry. But as things spiraled, I reached out to help again. He still refused. That''s not like him at all. Unless..."


    Haynes''s voice dropped. "Given what we know, it''s likely Leonard set a trap specifically for him. Otherwise, Foreman wouldn''t be this powerless."


    Ste''s brow furrowed. "So it''s not a cash flow problem?"


    Haynes gave her a long, meaningful look. "The crisis is affecting their funds, sure, but that''s not the root cause. And rice Foreman keeps turning down my help, I can''t be sure what''s really going on."  s<fnb65d> Chapters first released on find?novel</fnb65d>


    He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. "The reason I haven''t stepped in is because I don''t have the full picture fact dly, I might damore harm than good to fix this, I need to know all the facts."  s


    But Foreman insisted he didn''t want to drag the O''Brien Group into the mess, so Haynes''s hands were tied. He couldn''t risk making things worse based on guesswork alone.


    Noticing Ste''s quiet, pensive expression, Haynes exined himself, hoping to clear up any misunderstanding. His gaze lingered on her, thoughtful, as she mulled things over.