Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Grayson
Iwas packing my things from the office—clothes, shoes, and everything I’d kept here since moving out of Lila’s house. I’d just found a small one-bedroom apartment not far from Belrose.
It was sinking in now, the reality of it all.
I had finally sold the company shares—something I’d secretly considered for a long time.
We couldn’t afford the loan repayments, and the payments had been exceeding our profits for months.
Still, I couldn’t bring myself to let go because doing so felt like admitting I’d failed.
But the struggles were relentless. Recently, we’d been paying salaries in two parts because we couldn’t cover them all at once.
Whatever was left after that became my paycheck.
My parents and Taylor had no money in their accounts, yet they continued to rack up debt through excessive credit card use.
Sometimes, they’d even walk into our finance department and pressure them to transfer money directly.
I had allowed this to go on for far too long. Selling the shares had been inevitable.
And selling them to Ariana—that was the bonus.
Her lawyer had sent me the draft, and she agreed to all my requests.
As part of the agreement, I would formally release all current employees from their contracts with my company and ensure they received the full severance packages they were entitled to, including complete retirement benefits for those already eligible.
Ariana, in turn, would offer them new employment under her company, with a three-month probationary period to ensure they could adapt to her way of operating.
Even though the profit I made from that deal was next to nothing, it was still the best I could get. None of my employees would be left behind.
And the real bonus? My parents and Taylor still had no idea. I used a different law firm for this, as I couldn’t trust the one we’d used before to keep it from getting back to my father.
Every time that thought crossed my mind, I couldn’t help but laugh.
They were the ones who handed me the company—signed it over in full—under the pretense of passing down the legacy, when in truth, they just wanted me to shoulder their debts.
I wasn’t going to be fooled again.
They’d destroyed my life—every fucking day of it.
They’d hurt Ariana.
And they’d ripped away my one chance at forever with the love of my life.
It had to stop now.
What would I do after this? I still had no idea.
Ariana hadn’t said anything about hiring me, but after thinking it through, I figured it might be better if I left.
Staying would only confuse the former employees.
I didn’t have any plans yet. Perhaps I should take a road trip across the country to clear my head.
I finished packing in under two hours. That’s how little I owned, and realizing it baffled me. I really hadn’t spent much on myself in a long time.
There was a knock on my door. I stiffened, bracing myself—half expecting my father to barge in, having finally discovered that I’d returned the money to Lila’s father.
All of it, except for the two million my father had taken, which I could only repay once Ariana officially bought my company.
But Dante had promised to let me be the one to tell him.
When the door opened, it was Lila.
“Hey,” I said.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Her gaze swept over the boxes and suitcases, lingering on them before meeting mine again.
“You found a place?” she asked.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Not far from here.”
Her eyes drifted back to the boxes, and sadness washed over her face. “Are we really not going to be back together, Grayson?” she asked quietly. “Are you really leaving me for good?”
My chest tightened at the sound of her voice. I had no other way to make her believe me. She’d asked me this again and again, and my answer had never changed.
When I didn’t respond, she said, “You’re not even with her right now. She’s been hooking up with other guys—Stephen Hale, that chef, Kenji. She doesn’t even want you, so why are you doing this?”
“Lila, please.” I sighed. “We’ve talked about this so many times. I don’t know what to say anymore.”
“But you loved me before, Grayson.” She stepped closer. “You proposed to me. Then she came back, and you suddenly changed your mind? Why? Because of guilt? What you did to her was horrible, but that’s in the past, Gray. She’s moved on, so why can’t you?”
How could I tell her I’d never really moved on?
That my love for Ariana never left me? She’d always been there, lingering in the back of my mind, the love restrained by a wall of regret and guilt over what I’d done to her, tangled with the false belief that she’d betrayed me.
And when I learned I’d been wrong all along, that wall shattered, and the love surged through—overpowering everything, unstoppable.
“And she was set on destroying you,” Lila pressed. “She’s on a warpath to ruin your entire family. That was her, wasn’t it? The one behind what happened to Taylor. She orchestrated it.”
I didn’t answer, but we both knew. And Ariana hadn’t even bothered to hide it.
“To plan something like that is wicked, Gray. She’s wicked—calculating, cruel. She even cost Taylor her job. And then what? Are you just going to sit back and let her take down your parents too? And your company?”
“Lila.” My voice came out rougher than I intended, but she’d crossed the line. “I’m not going to explain myself to you. This isn’t your business. Not anymore.”
She looked frustrated. “I’m just trying to make you see sense. It’s like you’re blinded by her and forgetting everything that used to matter to you.”
“You don’t know anything, Lila. Please, stop making assumptions.”
“I was important to you, Gray.” Her voice broke, tears spilling down her cheeks. A heaviness settled in my chest, but we had been here before, circling the same pain, the same words, the same moment that never seemed to end. I couldn’t let this keep happening. “I thought I was the one you love.”
“Lila.” My voice softened. “I am truly sorry. I know I hurt you, and you have every right to hate me. I dragged you into my mess, and there is nothing I can say or do to erase that. But I have made up my mind. What I am doing now is the right thing for both of us. You would not want to be with me when I cannot give you all of me. This will be the last time we talk about this. It is time to let go.”
She stood there crying, and I knew there was nothing more I could say to convince her.
Lila looked up at me one last time, tears streaming down her cheeks. She drew a heavy breath, then turned and walked to the door, her steps slow and hesitant. I could only watch her go, the guilt settling deep and heavy—the full weight of how badly I had hurt her pressing in from every side.
I glanced around the room, which reminded me that I still needed to move everything to my new apartment. But there was somewhere else I had to be first.
Christian had called me last night to ask to meet.
I didn’t know what he was going to say.
And Ariana, he’d said, would be there too.
Christian had chosen well. The coffee shop belonged to Mickey, an old friend who never meddled in anyone’s business and kept far away from town gossip. Mickey was our guy.
When I stepped inside, Christian was already seated. Mickey sat on his right, and to my surprise, Anthony was on his left. As I walked closer, every pair of eyes turned to me.
Mickey stood first, greeting me with his usual, “Hey, man.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It’s been a while since I saw you.”
“Yeah.” I glanced up at him. I was six-foot-four, but Mickey still had me beat by an inch. “Sorry. Been busy lately.”
“No problem, man. What can I get you? It’s on the house.”
“Black coffee, Mick, as usual,” I said. “Thanks.”
I took the seat across from Christian, my gaze moving between him and Anthony. “So,” I said, “what do you want to say to me?”
“Ari isn’t here yet,” Christian replied. “We’ll wait for her before we start.”
Just as he finished speaking, his eyes shifted to something behind me. I turned and saw Ariana walking in with Stephen Hale at her side.
She scanned the room until her gaze landed on us. She said something to Stephen, who gave her a quick nod before taking a table nearby. He kept his attention on us.
Maybe he was worried about Ariana being here alone, meeting the men who had assaulted her and the one who had dragged her out of the house. If I were him, I would have done the same.
She sat down, her eyes sweeping over each of us before stopping on Anthony. He shifted in his seat and offered a sheepish smile.
“I don’t have much time,” she said, her tone leaving no room for small talk. “So, let’s get right to it.”
“Don’t you want to order first?” Christian asked.
She shook her head without saying a word.
“Okay.” Christian exhaled slowly. “We asked both of you to come because… Tony and I have something to say.” He glanced at Anthony, whose expression was conflicted, and gave him a slight nod. Anthony returned it.
“Tony and I have decided to be brave and be together. Openly. But that means we cannot stay here. We have to leave, as far as we can, because otherwise we will never find peace.”
He paused when Mickey arrived with our orders and set them down. Mickey smiled at Ariana, and she stood to give him a quick hug. She had known him since we were still together; he was one of my friends she had always liked.
When she sat again, Christian continued. “But we both know we can’t just walk away, not while this guilt is still eating at us—especially me. Tony had nothing to do with it. Not with what I’ve done to both of you.”