Gray waited until Aaron was out of town to execute his plan to kill Lacy. He knew his brother wanted her gone, but also knew Aaron would intervene if he suspected anything. It was time for Lacy to die. She was a manipulative psychopath who wouldn't leave the Hale family alone, and she was preventing Aaron from ousting Alistair from the company. Gray had waited years for that to happen. Lacy was consistently obstructive. He considered himself a benefactor, ridding the world of her.

He found her attempt to trick him laughable. Had she really thought he hadn't noticed the camera she'd planted in his office? It was poorly concealed.

The "accident" was ready, but his hired help wasn't available until tomorrow. He'd waited this long; a little longer wouldn't matter.

He hadn't expected her to storm into his office, barely concealing her fury. He sighed, plastered on a false smile, and asked, "Lacy, how delightful. What brings you here?"

"Am I not allowed to check on our plan? You haven't given me any information. If I didn't know better, I'd say you have no intention of helping me get together with Aaron," she said, carefully watching his reaction.

She wasn't entirely stupid. He'd been evasive since learning of his brother's marriage. It had taken her long enough to figure it out.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he said smoothly.

Her eye twitched. He suppressed laughter. Toying with her was too amusing.

"Don't you? I thought we were in this together. Tell mewhy did Aaron pick up a package addressed to a woman he claims is his wife, with Keeley Hall's name on it, after you told me she had a boyfriend?"

All amusement vanished. She knew.

It was fortunate they were out of town; she looked ready to attack their building. Gray couldn't allow that.

"Are you sure you read the name correctly?" he asked calmly, trying to think.

If they confronted today, he couldn't get her to the accident site. Her trust was gone. But she was a threat to Aaron's family, and she had to be eliminated before they returned.

Troublesome woman. He hated this. And in his office! He couldn't let her leave.

Her face contorted. "Don't lie, Graydon! We had a deal! How could you betray me?"

Gray shrugged. "You're not worthy of Aaron."

"And that woman is?! How is she better than me?!" she screamed, lunging across the desk.

He easily twisted her arms behind her back. "I don't understand it either, but she makes him happy, and I won't let a scheming witch like you ruin it."

"Why do you care about Aaron?! I thought you hated the Hales!" Lacy shouted, struggling.

He had hated the Hales until realizing Aaron had also been wronged by their parents and was actively opposing them. He felt an immediate kinship with his brother.

Curiosity blossomed into genuine concern. He discovered Aaron, though shrewd, was kind-hearted. His protective instincts surged. He wanted to safeguard Aaron's happiness at all costs.

Both had been abused by Alistair Hale, and Aaron had finally escaped. It helped that Gray enjoyed being part of a family again; Keeley and her father had been welcoming at dinner.

"I do, but Aaron isn't one of them anymore. He's the only person who matters to me, and I won't let you ruin things for him," Gray hissed.

Lacy freed a hand, pulling a syringe from her pocket. She tried to stab him, but Gray laughed. Pathetic. Was this her revenge?

He easily took the syringe and jabbed it into her neck. Her eyes glazed over. He examined it. What had she planned to inject him with?

He got his answer when she started kissing his neck. Typical Lacy. Probably intended for Aaron.

He pushed her away in disgust. She needed to leave Appzoid before she died, or the police would be involved.

He called security, ensuring she was ejected from the building (now attempting to molest the guards), then locked his office and slipped out the back. No one saw him leave; there were no cameras in that area. Everyone would believe he was still working.

Gray had to find and dispose of her while she was incapacitated. It wasn't difficult. She was causing a disturbance on the sidewalk.

Wearing sunglasses, he bundled her into a cab heading towards the Bronx. She tried to kiss him the entire ride. Disgusting.

In a deserted back street, he produced a pocketknife he'd carried since his foster care days. This would be messier than he preferred, but it was too late to stop.

This revised version improves grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and word choice for clarity and flow. The extraneous final sentence has been removed.