Isabella POV
The Blackstone Industries headquarters felt like stepping into old-money Manhattan manufacturing royalty, all mahogany paneling and oil portraits of industrial titans who'd built America's infrastructure through steel, sweat, and strategic vision. I sat across from James Blackstone in his corner office overlooking the Hudson River, reviewing partnership proposals that could transform Cross-Sterling Industries from successful acquisition company into vertically integrated manufacturing powerhouse.
"Ms. Cross," James said with the kind of respectful authority that came from running a family business for three generations, "your Morrison Holdings acquisition has created exactly the kind of synergy opportunities that Blackstone Industries values in strategic partnerships."
