Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Grayson
Roe sat across from me, eyes glassy like she was holding back tears.
She’d been with us for most of her life. She was the one person I always counted on. And now, she was handing me her resignation.
“Where are you going to work?” I asked gently.
She gave a slight shake of her head. “Nowhere. I’m too old, so I’m retiring.”
“Roe,” I sighed, the weight of everything pressing harder. “Please think it over. Don’t give up. I don’t have anyone else I trust like I trust you.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “But there’s nothing left to fight for, Gray. And now, with Eugene stepping back in…” She paused, taking a shaky breath. “I can’t. I still remember what it was like when he was in charge. The damage he caused. I can’t go through that again.”
“My father is not taking over,” I said, my jaw tightening. “I’m still in charge.”
Roe gave me a look full of weariness. “Maybe not officially, but he’s been walking around like he already has.
Showing up at the other locations, barking orders, and throwing his weight around.
The staff’s confused, Gray. He’s your father, and this is a family-owned company.
Even if you tell them a hundred times to take orders only from you, most of them won’t have the courage to go against him. ”
She paused, then added quietly, “A lot of us are from the older generation. We’ve been here a long time. We’re used to the way things have always been. We follow orders, Gray. That’s just how we are.”
I looked at her and saw it—the exhaustion in her eyes, the silent surrender. She had given up.
As our sales continued to drop, we were at risk of losing more restaurants. We weren’t just declining anymore. We were in free fall.
Ariana had been picking off our best staff one by one for her new restaurant, the one everyone said would open in a few months.
She knew exactly who the strongest people were, and she went for them.
I couldn’t even blame them for leaving. She offered better pay, better hours, and a future.
Of course, they left. Who wouldn’t? We were barely holding it together.
Hiring experienced staff was almost impossible with the budget we had to work with. We ended up with a crew that was young, inexperienced, and struggling to keep up. Greg and Roe were both on the edge. I could tell they were about to lose their shit.
Just yesterday, one of our regulars complained about waiting forty-five minutes for their food.
Pasta and a salad that used to take ten, fifteen minutes, tops.
But now we were short on hands, short on skill.
In just two months, Ariana had gutted us from the inside out.
And the crazy part? She didn’t even need them yet.
Her restaurant wouldn’t open for a few more months.
She was hiring them now just to watch us fall apart.
She wanted us ruined, and it was working.
It was fucking impressive.
“Do you have a plan, Gray?” Roe asked, pulling my attention back to her.
When I couldn’t reply, she said, “Eugene said he already had the money.” Her expression dropped. “That worries me. He’s been taking out loan after loan, and it’s been cutting into our profits. He didn’t even have a plan on how to use it properly. That’s how we ended up here in the first place.”
I leaned back in my chair, exhausted to the bone.
I kept thinking about the money Lila’s father, Dante, had loaned us. Six million dollars. It sounded like an easy solution, and it could do a lot of good.
But I knew we’d have to pay it back somehow. There was no way he was just handing it over. That’s why I went to his office this morning.
The condition was clear: pay it back within two years, with interest. He was a ruthless businessman.
He didn’t care whether I married Lila or not.
My father was delusional to think otherwise, which was a relief, to be honest, because I wouldn’t marry Lila for money.
I respected myself and her more than that.
My father had already signed the contract. What he failed to mention to Dante—who trusted him as an old friend—was that he had long since relieved himself of any responsibility. He had transferred full ownership of the company to me.
In doing so, my father had committed fraud. He no longer had the authority to take out a loan on the company’s behalf. Legally, it should not bind the company. It should not bind me. It should only fall on him.
It crossed my mind to just let him drown in his own stupidity, in the mess he made, but then I reminded myself who Dante Sand was. He would not let it go. He would come after the company or, worse, file a lawsuit. He was not the kind of man to take lightly.
So I transferred the money back to him. Luckily, Dante didn’t ask for interest, even though he could have. It was in the contract.
And that was when I found out my father had taken two million from it for himself, which I had to cover. I could already imagine the logic, that he deserved a reward for what he probably thought was a clever scheme.
He did whatever he wanted and actually believed he could get away with it.
Roe was right. Our employees followed orders. They were afraid of my father.
And this would not stop. My family would never stop.
“Yes, I have a plan,” I said to Roe. “I will let you know if it is possible by tomorrow.”
So that was why I was standing in my car in front of Ariana’s building, waiting for her.
I pressed the buzzer on the panel by the front door, but no one answered. I thought she was out, so I was surprised when I saw her coming out of the building.
I straightened the moment I saw her. My cheeks were stinging from the cold, and I probably looked like hell. Worse than the last time she saw me.
I crossed the street toward her, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Ari,” I breathed out. My voice came out shaky.
She frowned at me. “Why are you here again, Grayson? This is starting to feel like stalking.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I didn’t want to talk at Ana?s or Belrose. I don’t want anyone to hear this.”
“Hear what?” she asked, suspicious, her voice sharp. “What do you want to say to me?”
I hesitated. My jaw clenched. My mind went blank for a second under the weight of the anxiety. I knew exactly what I needed to say. I just wasn’t sure I had the right to.
“I need your help.”
She blinked, startled. “What?”
“I need your help.” My voice came out low and rough, barely holding together. “I need your help to save me.”
She stared at me for a long moment, something shifting behind her eyes. Then, quietly, she said, “We’ll talk in my apartment.”
The relief that moved through me was almost painful.
“Thank you,” I managed.
Ariana turned toward the front door, and I followed, falling into step beside her. I glanced over at her—the way her brows pulled together, her mind clearly turning something over. She looked conflicted. Worried.
And even then, she was still the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
What I wouldn’t give to have her back. To pull her close and not let go. I would have given anything—anything at all.
Our lives were a mess now. Complicated in ways I never saw coming. And it all started with a misunderstanding. Mine. The worst kind. The kind I was not sure I could ever come back from.
The elevator doors opened in front of us, and we walked side by side. She unlocked the door, and when we stepped inside, she gestured for me to sit. But this time, she didn’t sit across from me. She sat beside me.
I knew I shouldn’t read too much into it. She probably just wanted to study my face, try to figure out what I was thinking.
But the way she looked at me...
“Okay, now speak,” she said in a cold, clipped tone. “Let’s hear it.”
I turned slightly to face her. My throat felt tight, so I swallowed first. My heart was pounding so loudly it was all I could hear.
Here we go.
“I want to sell my company. The Mercer Group,” I said evenly, keeping my composure. “Or at least, the majority of it. This could save us, help get us out of the situation we’re in.”
She looked stunned. For a moment, she said nothing.
“I could take it to someone else,” I continued, “but I wanted to offer it to you first.”
Her silence held.
“I know we’re drowning in debt,” I admitted, “but the company is still worth more than what we owe. I’m offering you 60% of the shares and full control in exchange for assuming and clearing all our outstanding liabilities.
You’d take over operations, have full authority, and you’d be gaining a valuable asset. ”
I took a breath. “In return, I’d need a few guarantees. Mainly that our current employees are retained, or at least protected, during the transition. I already have a draft agreement prepared by my lawyer outlining the terms, but I wanted to talk to you face-to-face first.”
She was still quiet, still processing.
“And I’ll work under you, if you need me,” I added, quieter now. “Or you can let me go. That’s your call.”
Ariana was still staring at me, her expression conflicted, frozen in place.
“This is a strong offer, Ari, and it’s yours if you want it.”
“Why are you offering it to me?” she asked, her voice shaky, and I caught the edge of anger beneath it.
“Ari, I—”
“Is it because you feel like you owe me?”
I didn’t answer. Because yes, I did owe her. My family owed her. But it was more than that.
If I were going to let go of the company, I wanted it to be to someone I trusted. And even though I didn’t trust her back then—three years ago—I trust her now with everything I have. I know she’ll take care of my people. I know she’ll keep the company in good hands.
“Because I wanted you to have it,” I said softly. “No one else.”