30. Margot
30
MARGOT
B y the time we reach King Tower, the press is already assembling outside, just as Olivia promised. Cameras flash, reporters murmur, and tension crackles in the air. This isn’t just a meeting anymore, it’s a spectacle. Exactly what we need.
Grayson steps out first, his presence commanding as he adjusts his suit jacket. I follow, keeping my expression cool, unreadable, even as my pulse skips at how unfairly good he looks in that suit. I quickly snap out of it, there’s no time for that. Not now. I drag my attention back to Richard. If he’s here to play games, he picked the wrong opponents. He wants a showdown, we’ll give him a damn spectacle. The lobby security hesitates but doesn’t stop us. They know better. We step into the elevator, the mirrored walls reflecting our determined expressions. Neither of us speaks. We don’t need to. The plan is clear: get inside, present the evidence, and force Richard into a corner so tight he won’t have any room to squirm out of it.
When the elevator doors slide open at the top floor, we’re greeted by two men in suits, Richard’s personal security. One gives a nod and gestures toward the double doors at the end of the hall. "He’s expecting you."
Grayson doesn’t even blink. "Of course, he is."
We stride forward, our footsteps echoing on the marble floor. The doors swing open, revealing Richard seated behind a massive desk, a glass of whiskey in hand, looking as smug as ever.
"Grayson, Margot," he greets, lifting his glass. "How nice of you to join me."
I fold my arms. "Let’s skip the pleasantries. We know what you’ve been doing, Richard. We have proof. Off-shore accounts, misappropriated funds, backroom deals, you’ve been orchestrating this whole mess."
Richard chuckles, swirling his drink. "And? Even if you have proof, what do you think happens next? You leak it to the press? Call a board meeting? It’s too late. The votes have already been secured."
Grayson steps forward, his voice deadly calm. "You sure about that? Because last I checked, a few of your ‘loyal’ board members were rethinking their allegiance. Seems they don’t like backing a sinking ship."
Richard’s smirk falters for a fraction of a second, and I pounce. "You got cocky, Richard. You underestimated me. And that was your biggest mistake."
I pull out my phone and press a button. The screen lights up with a live feed, an investigative journalist reporting oneverythingwe uncovered. The corruption, the money laundering, the fraudulent votes. It’s already out there, spreading like wildfire.
Richard’s face drains of color. "You…"
"We beat you to it," Grayson finishes. "And now, you’re finished." The doors behind us burst open, and security floods in, not Richard’s, but law enforcement. His past is finally catching up to him.
Richard exhales, setting down his drink as if accepting the inevitable. "Well played."
Grayson smirks. "We learned from the best."
As Richard is escorted out in handcuffs, I turn to Grayson, my heart still racing. "So… what now?"
He glances down at me, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Now? We take back what’s ours." His gaze lingers, tracing over my face, my lips, like he’s memorizing every expression. And damn it, I do the same. The sharpness in his eyes, the power in his stance, it’s infuriatingly attractive. But we have a company to reclaim. Grayson steps closer, lowering his voice. "First, we call an emergency board meeting. The moment Richard was arrested, his votes became worthless. We take control of the narrative, announce the transition before anyone else can react."
I nod, my heart still hammering. "And the board members who backed him?"
His smirk deepens. "They’ll fall in line once they realize we’re the only ones left standing.
But just in case, we remind them who actually built Perfectly Matched into what it is today. And we make sure they know exactly what happens if they cross us again."
I exhale, a slow smirk of my own forming. "You really love this, don’t you?"
He tilts his head, his fingers brushing my wrist, just barely. "Almost as much as I love seeing you win.” My breath catches, but I recover quickly, stepping forward. "Then let’s go claim our victory."
Grayson grabs his phone and dials Olivia. "Get the press ready. We’re calling an emergency board meeting within the hour. I want every major investor and stakeholder aware that Richard is out and that Perfectly Matched is officially under new leadership."
I pull out my own phone, already drafting an internal memo. "I’ll notify the department heads. They need to know a transition is happening now, not tomorrow, not next week. We’re securing this before anyone has time to react."
Grayson’s eyes gleam with something close to pride. "We’ll walk into that boardroom not as competitors, but as the only real power left in this company. They either get in line, or they get out."
I smirk. "Let’s go show them why we were the right choice all along." The adrenaline still courses through me as we step outside the boardroom, but now that the fight is over, something else takes its place. The weight of the night, the months of tension, the years of rivalry, morphing into something entirely different.
Grayson’s hand brushes mine, deliberate, lingering. "You feel that?"
I glance up at him, still breathless from our victory. "Feel what?"
His gaze is molten, locked on me like I’m the only thing in the world. "That we’re unstoppable."
A shiver rolls down my spine, and I swallow hard. "We should celebrate."
His smirk deepens, a slow, knowing curve of his lips. "I was hoping you’d say that."
The elevator ride down is thick with unspoken words, with the kind of tension that hums between us like an electric current. The moment the doors slide open, he’s already pulling me toward the exit, toward the car waiting outside. Tonight, the fight is over. But something tells me, ours has only just begun.