Chapter 21 #2
Grayson had never been one to spend lavishly, even with his family’s wealth.
Long before the financial problems hit his business, he had always been careful.
He rented a small studio before taking out a loan for a house, and even then, he insisted it be paid from his own salary, not his parents’ money.
We spent months choosing that house together, weighing every decision.
However, when it came to cars, he used to like splurging.
Now, he hadn’t changed it. This one must have been six years old by now.
The drive would take about an hour and a half as we crossed into a neighboring town to meet a supplier that specialized in imported ingredients from Southeast Asia.
They carried items such as Thai basil, lemongrass, bird’s eye chili, galangal, and coconut cream.
Some of the items arrived frozen or vacuum-sealed to maintain their freshness, while others were canned with a long shelf life.
It was the kind of place high-end restaurants relied on to bring authentic flavors to their menus.
I had asked Allen to send Grayson the supplier list last night, though it wasn’t exactly a secret. They were the same suppliers he used, and he knew that.
“So,” he began, eyes focused on the road. “You and Stephen… how long have you been together?”
I glanced at him, waiting for him to meet my gaze, but he didn’t.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” I replied coldly.
“Oh.” He finally turned toward me. “Okay,” he mumbled.
We drove in silence for a while, nearly ten minutes, before he spoke again.
“How are your parents?”
“They’re fine,” I said, keeping it short.
“I haven’t seen them in a long time,” he said. “Are they still living in the same house?”
I turned to look at him, wondering if he was pretending not to know.
“They moved to the seaside,” I said. “Staying at the villa Adam bought.”
And the way he looked at me, he really didn’t know.
“Your parents drove them out of town, Grayson. They couldn’t stay here anymore. People started turning their backs on them. My dad’s car repair shop lost all its customers. My mom’s flower shop barely stayed afloat.”
His eyes widened. His shock was so clear that the car began to slow. Luckily, the road was empty, so we weren’t putting anyone, or ourselves, in danger.
“You didn’t know?”
He shook his head slowly, like the words wouldn’t come.
“Well, that’s what happened,” I said quietly. “Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”
He looked ahead again, the car returning to a steady pace. Silence stretched between us, and I could see the tension in his jaw, like he was deep in thought.
But then the memory hit me, sharp and sudden, and I couldn’t stop the words.
“How could you not know, Grayson? How could you let your parents do that?”
My voice cracked, my chest tightening with every word.
“My parents loved you. They were innocent in all of this, even when you thought I betrayed you. They were humble people. Our businesses were small, maybe meaningless to you, but they were everything to us. Our lifeline. And they didn’t know how to handle that kind of treatment—the whispers, the stares, the gossip. ”
I swallowed hard. “There was a town hall meeting they attended right after they got back from the cruise we gifted them. They came home so happy, Grayson. But when they showed up at that meeting, no one spoke to them. They were treated like pariahs. And you know them. They were kind. Too kind to fight back.”
“I really didn’t know, Ari,” he said softly. “They did it behind my back, just like this. Your suppliers. I had no idea.”
“Yeah.” I let out a sigh. “There’s nothing you can do about it now, is there?”
“But I can apologize,” he said quietly. “For my family and for myself. I’m truly sorry, Ari. I was so caught up in my own pain, I never stopped to look closely, never thought to see what was really happening.”
“And why was that, Gray?” My voice trembled. “Why did you assume so quickly? What made you believe so fiercely that I could ever do that to you?”
God, I shouldn’t have brought this up. Not here. Not now. We were on our way to a supplier meeting, and the last thing I wanted was to cry in this car.
“Because I never thought my family would do this to me,” he said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“I never imagined they would lie to me like that. Taylor sent me photos of you and Christian… and the two of you…” He faltered, eyes fixed ahead as if forcing himself to keep going. “You looked close. Intimate.”
He paused, swallowed, and when he spoke again, his voice was heavier. “At first, I didn’t believe it. I tried to brush it off. But on the morning of our engagement night, I received another photo. The last one. It looked like you were about to kiss.”
Then he looked at me, and the sorrow in his eyes was almost unbearable. “Christian was always around you. Always hovering. And he told me things—about how much he liked you, how lucky I was to have you, over and over again. And you let him near you, and I…”
His words trailed off, his mouth parted like he was still trying to find the rest.
“I was wrong, Ari. I know that now. And I also know there’s nothing I can do to take it back.
I let jealousy and anger poison everything.
I let it cloud my judgment when I should’ve trusted you.
God, I should’ve trusted you. And I don’t even understand why I didn’t see it back then, why I didn’t believe in you.
Because deep down, I knew you wouldn’t have done that to me. ”
He paused again, trying to breathe.
“But I believed my family instead of you,” he said, his voice raw. “Because I thought there was no reason for them to lie to me. They were supposed to protect me. I trusted them without question. I was blinded, Ari. Completely. And now I see just how wrong I was.”
His hands tightened around the steering wheel. A beat of silence followed, long enough that I could tell he was trying to gather himself.
“I hate that I saw it too late,” he murmured. Then his eyes shifted to me again, filled with something between regret and desperation. “Will you be able to forgive me?”
I met his gaze, feeling the cold rise in me like a tide, and I shook my head. “No.”
His face stiffened, but I didn’t stop.
“I’m here now, Grayson, because I want to take my dignity back. The only way to do that is to give you and your family a lesson. For everything you’ve destroyed.”
I leaned back against the seat, my voice calm but sharp like a blade. “You’re going to feel it. All of you. How my hatred for you burned through me. Helping me now won’t undo the past. It won’t fix what you allowed to happen.”
His jaw clenched, but I kept going.
“I have plans, Grayson. And I’m still going to follow through with every single one of them.”