Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Ariana
Ifelt possessed, consumed by a hunger I couldn’t name, a need so fierce it burned through every rational thought.
Kissing Grayson wasn’t part of the plan.
I wasn’t thinking. I was just burning with a need I couldn’t name, only feel, and it was fierce and consuming.
And I couldn’t stop.
My hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him down to me as my lips claimed his. Fingers slid into his hair, nails grazing his scalp, dragging him closer until every ragged breath we took blurred into one.
His name was a gasp on my tongue, swallowed by the heat of his kiss. I could taste the dark promise in it—the way his teeth grazed my lower lip, teasing, testing, daring me to take more. And I did. I held him close, pressing into him like I could fall inside and never come back up for air.
I wasn’t just kissing him.
I was claiming him.
And God help me, he was claiming me right back.
Maybe somewhere deep in the back of my mind, buried beneath every rational thought and restraint, I had been desperate to feel it again.
That kind of passion that didn’t just scorch the skin but set fire to the soul.
Not just lust or fleeting need, but love tangled up in the heat of it all, messy and overwhelming.
I wanted to taste it again. That high, that heat, that slow, aching kind of bliss I remembered.
The way it used to linger on my lips, ripple down my spine, and sink into my skin until I didn’t know where I ended and he began.
I didn’t want it just to soothe the ache.
I wanted it to mean something. I wanted a connection.
I wanted to be moved, undone, not by basic needs but by emotion. That edge between pain and pleasure, where nothing made sense except the way he looked at me. I wanted to be pulled under by something deeper than want.
I wanted to drown in it.
I wanted it all back.
His mouth burned against mine, a wildfire I never wanted to escape. His hands—rough, possessive—mapped my body like he was memorizing every dip and curve. Then he pressed our bodies together so tightly I could feel his heartbeat pounding against mine.
And I burned.
He tilted his head, his tongue sweeping against my lips, demanding more. I gave it to him, opened for him, and let him take whatever he wanted. The kiss turned feverish, desperate, like we were both starving for it.
In that moment, everything else fell away. The noise. The logic. The fear. There was no before. Just the pull of it all. Just the way I remembered what it felt like to be alive in someone else’s touch.
“Ari,” he whispered against my lips, pulling me closer. But then he said something that made me still. “We need to stop.”
I pulled away instantly, breathless. My eyes dropped to his swollen, glistening lips before meeting his gaze.
“I want this more than you can imagine,” he said softly. “But I want it to be real. Not because you’re angry. Not because you hate me. I want it when you can look at me and say you’ve forgiven me.”
I stepped back. My whole body trembled, still caught in the heat, still reeling.
He watched me, eyes soft, almost pained.
“And I know you haven’t forgiven me yet.”
“You said—” I paused, the words catching in my throat. I still couldn’t speak properly.
“I know what I said,” he murmured, cupping my cheeks in both hands, his thumbs tracing my lips. His touch was gentle, but his eyes held a raw intensity. “And now I know you still feel the same.”
He leaned in slightly, drawing us closer again.
“But the hate still burns, doesn’t it?” he said quietly. “Just as fiercely.”
A breath passed between us.
“I haven’t redeemed myself. Not fully.”
I turned to get away from him. His hands dropped from my face, but he caught my arms, holding me gently.
“Grayson,” I breathed. His closeness was doing things to me I couldn’t handle—I needed space.
“I’m never going to stop, Ari,” he said, his eyes locked on mine, like he needed me to feel every word. “I’ll do whatever it takes for you to forgive me. To be mine again. I fucking love you, Ari. I need you to remember that.”
He paused, then let me go.
“It starts with giving up the company. To you. Not anyone else. Only you.”
I looked at him, not knowing what to say.
“Take it, Ari. Let my family get what they deserve. It’s going to cut deep, and there might be nothing left for them after, but that’s exactly what they deserve.
They brought this on themselves a long time ago.
They need to feel every consequence. For every lie and every manipulation.
They tore us apart, stole our future, and left nothing but wreckage behind. And they never paid for any of it.”
His jaw clenched.
“And I know I let it happen. I was stupid enough to trust them. That’s on me, and I’ll carry it. I’ll pay for it in my own way. But it doesn’t erase what they did to us.”
He stepped back, his eyes still locked on mine.
“Don’t stop until there’s nothing left for them. And I promise you, I’ll be behind you every step of the way.”
Then he turned and walked out. My lips were still warm from his. A second later, the door clicked shut.
I was only half-listening to my lawyer until he said Grayson was offering the company at just half its fair market value.
Half.
Jason Chu, my attorney, had already reviewed the company’s financials and confirmed the numbers with Grayson’s legal team.
Based on the most recent valuation, a 60% stake should have cost nearly twice what Grayson was asking.
From a legal and financial standpoint, it was a clear and deliberate undervaluation.
Jason was stunned. He even urged me to speak with Grayson again, to make sure the offer was genuine.
The company’s real estate assets alone, given their prime locations, could have commanded a premium above market value.
And yet, Grayson was offering it to me at a price well below its appraised value.
He wasn’t trying to profit. He was asking only for enough to settle the company’s outstanding debts and ensure fair compensation for his employees.
Had he taken this offer to the open market, there would have been no shortage of buyers ready to pounce. But he didn’t. He came to me.
After Jason left, I called Stephen for his advice.
He didn’t hesitate. “Take it, Ari. Take the fucking deal. You’re not just getting valuable business assets, you’re annihilating his entire family.
There’s nothing more humiliating than being brought down by the person they publicly tried to ruin.
No one in town will ever look at them the same again. ”
He was right.
But this wouldn’t just destroy his despicable family. It would ruin Grayson too.
And somehow, that thought didn’t sit right with me anymore.
It was late in the day when I had an unwanted guest.
Allen came rushing into my office without knocking, his face pale, eyes wide with something close to panic.
“There’s someone downstairs,” he said, breathless. “Name’s Eugene Mercer. He’s asking for you.”
My stomach sank.
Grayson’s father.
For a moment, I didn’t say anything. I just sat there, weighing it. Wondering if I should shut it down, pretend I wasn’t in, make him wait until he got tired and left. But that wasn’t who I was anymore. I was stronger now.
“Send him up,” I said finally.
Allen blinked. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” My voice was steady, surprising me. “Bring him here.”
He hesitated a second longer before giving a sharp nod and turning to leave, his footsteps already quickening down the hallway.
I exhaled slowly and stood, bracing myself.
Whatever Eugene Mercer was here for, it wasn’t going to be friendly.
A few minutes passed, long enough for the quiet to grow heavy. I didn’t sit. I remained standing behind my desk, back straight, arms loose at my sides. Calm on the outside, calculating on the inside.
The door opened.
Eugene Mercer stepped in like he owned the building.
He was dressed in a sharp gray suit, the kind that whispered wealth rather than shouted it. His eyes met mine, and I saw the familiarity there. The same steel Grayson had when he was angry.
And this man was really angry.
“Ariana,” he said, not offering a hand. “You’ve made quite the impression.”
I didn’t offer mine either. “Have I?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He glanced around the room slowly, taking in every detail as if it were beneath him.
“I’ll get straight to it,” he said, turning slightly away before making a slow, dramatic turn to face me again. I almost laughed at the performance.
“I don’t care what you think you’re doing,” he continued, his voice tight, “but it stops now.”
I let the words hang for a moment.
“And what exactly am I doing?”
“You’re playing games with my son. You’re making trouble for my family. And my company. And I know the kind of woman you are.”
I tilted my head slightly. “And what kind is that?”
“The kind that latches on and bleeds people dry.”
His words were clean, but the venom was sharp.
I didn’t flinch.
“You must be mistaking me for someone else,” I said evenly. “Because as far as I know, I haven’t done a thing your family didn’t already set in motion themselves.”
His jaw tightened, just a little. “Grayson was on track until you came back.”
“Really? You sure about that?” I said, smirking. “Considering how deep your finances are drowning in debt?”
We stared at each other in silence. Neither of us blinked. I leaned forward, my voice quiet but sharp as steel. “And it seems you really haven’t been paying attention.”
I stepped around the desk and stopped in front of him, meeting him face to face.
“Ana?s is fully booked for lunch and dinner every single day. Meanwhile, your restaurants are barely staying afloat. You’re struggling, not because of me, but because you don’t have capable people around you anymore.”
I let the silence stretch for a second before continuing.
“Yes, I took them, but not by force, but by offering them something better. Better pay. Better treatment. A future. And they left because they wanted to. Because you underpaid them and refused to raise a cent while pouring everything into loans just to keep up your lifestyle.”
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Just stunned silence.
I didn’t stop.
“Of course I paid attention,” I said with a sneer. “I knew all of this before I even left.”
“I will ruin you, Ariana,” he said at last, his voice low and cold. “I have influence in this town. I can turn people against you until you’re forced to leave.”
“Like my parents?” I asked calmly.
“No one asked them to leave town!”
“But you made sure they couldn’t stay,” I said. “You kept making their lives miserable. And if they had stayed, you would’ve kept going, wouldn’t you?”
“They deserved it,” he snapped. “For raising someone like you.”
My jaw clenched. “I was innocent.”
He scoffed, but I stepped in closer, my voice tightening.
“You and your family set me up. You dragged me through hell. And for what? Did it work? Did Grayson fall in line? Did he finally become what you wanted?”
He didn’t answer.
I laughed bitterly. “All those schemes. All that pain you put me through. And it still got you nothing.”
“Watch me, Ariana,” he growled through clenched teeth. “I won’t let you ruin my family or my company. You will pay for this.”
Then he turned sharply and stormed out, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Only when I couldn’t hear him anymore did my shoulders finally drop. I exhaled, steadying myself, my hand braced against the desk. For a moment, I just stood there, letting the silence settle.
And then I reached for my phone.
I had made up my mind.
I called Jason Chu. “Take the offer,” I said. “Proceed with it immediately.”
I hung up, letting the weight of it sink in.
Now, Eugene Mercer…
Let’s see who’s really going to pay.