25. Grayson
25
GRAYSON
S ilence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. Eleanor sips her tea like she hasn’t just admitted to betraying us, like she hasn’t just upended everything I thought I knew.
I step closer, lowering my voice. "You think this is a game? You think you can just sit here and drink your tea like you didn’t put Margot in danger?" My hands curl into fists at my sides. "Who else is involved?"
Eleanor sets her cup down with deliberate grace. "Do you honestly believe I’d tell you?" She lifts a single brow, her amusement barely hidden. "You’re so quick to act, Grayson, but you don’t think things through."
Margot crosses her arms, her voice sharp. "We’re done with the riddles, Eleanor. Either you tell us who you’re working with, or we’ll find out ourselves. And when we do, you won’t have any cards left to play."
Eleanor exhales, shaking her head. "You two are more alike than you realize." Her gaze lands on me, calculating. "You always thought your grandfather picked you because of potential. But did you ever wonder why he didn’t leave it all to you? Why he put Margot in the will?" She lets the question hang between us, the weight of it pressing against my chest. My grandfather had seen something in Margot, something more than just talent. He had mentored her, championed her, treated her as if she were part of the family in ways even some of our blood relatives never were. He admired her fire, her determination, the way she challenged outdated traditions and refused to accept mediocrity. He always said she was the future of Perfectly Matched that she had the vision to push the company into the next era, even when the board resisted change.
But the board had never liked that. To them, Margot was a necessary inconvenience while my grandfather was alive, a brilliant mind they had to tolerate because he had put her there. But once he was gone, their patience had started wearing thin. They saw her as a disruptor, a threat to their power, a reminder that their old ways weren’t enough anymore. And now, they were trying to erase her from the equation completely.
Margot stiffens beside me, and I can feel the weight of her gaze. My grandfather’s will had always been a point of tension, Margot, his protégé, being given an equal stake in Perfectly Matched alongside me. But I’d never questioned it, until now.
My grandfather didn’t just see Margot as a talented businesswoman. He saw her as the spark the company needed, the person who would challenge traditions and push Perfectly Matched into the future. I remember the way he used to talk about her, always impressed, always proud. "She sees the cracks before they form," he’d say. "She understands people, understands what they want before they do. That’s a gift, Grayson, and we’d be fools not to hold onto her."
He’d bring her into meetings, encourage her ideas, defend her when the board scoffed at her strategies and theyhatedit. Margot wasn’t one of them, wasn’t raised in their exclusive circles. She was a woman who got there on her own merit, and that made them uncomfortable.
After he died, it was as if the board had been waiting for their chance. They had smiled at her in public, nodded along when she spoke, but behind closed doors, they worked against her. They dismissed her proposals, undermined her authority, made her fight twice as hard for every decision. They had been waiting for a way to push her out, and now, they saw their opening.
Margot stiffens beside me, and I can feel the weight of her gaze. My grandfather’s will had always been a point of tension, Margot, his protégé, being given an equal stake in Perfectly Matched alongside me. But I’d never questioned it until now.
"What are you saying?" I demand.
Eleanor leans back in her chair, a slow smirk curving her lips. "I’m saying you’ve been looking at the wrong people. The real threat? The one pulling the strings? They aren’t coming for me." She turns her gaze to Margot. "They’re coming forher."
Margot goes pale, but her voice is steady. "What the hell does that mean?"
Eleanor tilts her head, watching us like we’re pieces on a chessboard. "You really don’t see it, do you?" She lets out a soft, almost pitying laugh. "The board doesn’t care about your rivalry, your childish competition. What they see is an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong."
Margot’s eyes narrow. "Ibuiltthis company alongside your father and Grayson’s grandfather. I worked for everything I have."
Eleanor sighs, tapping a manicured nail against her teacup. "And that, my dear, is precisely the problem. You weren’t supposed to be part of the legacy. The board tolerated you when you were under his guidance, but now? Now you’re a liability."
My jaw clenches. "So they want her out."
"They want control," Eleanor corrects. "Liam was never the endgame, just a distraction. The real move? They’ve been setting it up for months. Margot’s removal is already in motion, and unless you do something about it, you’ll be watching from the sidelines as the board votes her out."