Chapter 31

Grayson’s POV

A lot of damage control was necessary after Ava’s outburst at Rickon’s ball, but while dealing with the fallout, I realized it didn't irritate me. It should have. Ava wasn't just anyone; she was supposed to be my Luna. She should have known better than to lose her composure. Yet, despite the chaos she caused, I felt only satisfaction. Hell, I was pleased. The memory of that night kept intruding: the way she buried her head against my chest, humming as if she’d found her place—the one spot where she fit. My wolf stirred then, and even now, the damn thing still reacts every time I think about it.

And then, when I’d placed her on the bed, her deep blue eyes had darkened, swirling with something I couldn’t place. She’d smiled softly, her lips barely moving as she whispered, “I like your eyes. They’re so gray.”

I hadn’t known what to do with that, with her. Maria might have been right: maybe Ava wasn’t my fated mate, but something was there, something deeper. Maybe she was the one destined to help me move on.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Liam’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

I snapped out of it, realizing he’d been standing there the whole time. He was grinning, as if he’d caught me red-handed. “Are you thinking about a certain swirling-eyed woman?” He smirked, pushing his luck.

“Don’t you have work to do?” I glared at him, hoping he’d get the message.

“Well, I do,” Liam said, stepping further into my office, “which is why I’m here, but now I think I’d rather talk about the fact that you were just daydreaming.”

“I wasn’t daydreaming.” I ground my teeth.

“Sure you weren’t,” he laughed, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I didn’t see anyone out there—did you fire your PA again?”

“She was too jumpy,” I stated simply.

“Grayson,” Liam sighed, crossing his arms, “that’s the fifth PA this month. If you keep firing them all, there won’t be any left for you to hire.”

I didn’t bother responding; he was right, but it didn’t change the fact that they all annoyed me. They got on my nerves. They lacked the sharpness I needed. Just then, a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Liam called out for me, and a young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, walked in with a stack of files.

“Mr. Dickson told me to bring these to you.”

“Drop them on the corner table,” I ordered, barely giving her a glance.

She nodded and hurried over, placing the files down before turning back. To my surprise, she stopped, hesitating as if working up the courage to speak.

“Uhm, Mr. Blackwood,” she began, her voice shaky but determined, “I know I’ll probably get fired for this—not that I’d mind because, honestly, Mr. Dickson is a bit of a dick—but… I met your fiancée when she came here, and I thought she was really cool. You know, like, instant connection?” She fidgeted, nervous but stubborn enough to continue.

“I’m having a birthday party soon, and I would really appreciate it if you could extend an invitation to her. I don’t know how to contact her otherwise.”

I stared at her, taking in her unease. She was trembling slightly but still meeting my gaze. It was almost amusing.

“What’s your name?” I asked, my voice cold.

“Eliza—uh, sorry—Elizabeth Anderson,” she stammered, clearly surprised I was acknowledging her.

“And what exactly do you do here?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.

“I mostly run errands for the higher-ups,” she said, irritation flashing in her eyes, “but Mr. Dickson makes sure I run most of them for him.”

“Go to HR,” I said after a moment. “Tell them you’re switching positions and that they’re to brief you on all the responsibilities of a personal assistant. Have your things moved up here.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I think you just got promoted,” Liam said with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re still standing here,” I sighed, snapping her out of her daze. “I expect my PA to be at her desk, not standing in my office.”

“Oh my God—thank you! Thank you so much!” She practically bolted toward the door but stopped, turning back with wide eyes. “The invitation… will you—”

“I’ll extend it to her,” I cut in, keeping my tone calm and detached.

She nodded eagerly, then disappeared.

“I don’t understand you anymore,” Liam muttered, dropping papers onto the desk with a thud. “I really don’t.”

The feeling was mutual. I wasn’t understanding much either since Ava came into my life. Ordinarily, I would have fired Eliza for overstepping boundaries, despite being right about Mr. Dickson. But she’d surprised me. There was something about her confidence, however shaky, that I respected. Plus, if she’d taken an interest in Ava, I needed to keep her close. Keep an eye on her.

I glanced at Liam. “Why are you here?”

He sighed, still baffled, but switched to business. “You have a meeting with the board later today about the expansion in the eastern territories. We need to discuss the financials and legal hurdles. There’s been some pushback on the land acquisition.”

Of course there was. “Who’s causing the problem?”

“A few of the local councils are holding out,” Liam explained, flipping through papers. “They’re claiming the deal violates some outdated environmental regulations, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. I’ve already spoken to legal, and they’re confident we can push it through. It’ll just take some time…”

“Time we don’t have. I want this wrapped up as soon as possible. We can’t afford delays.”

Liam nodded. “I’ve already got our best people on it, but it wouldn’t hurt if you had a sit-down with some of the key players. A face-to-face meeting might smooth things over.”

“I’ll consider it,” I said, already mentally calculating the headache.

09:00 Fri, Dec 13

He flipped to another page. “Also, the security firm overseeing imports for the new tech division has requested additional funding. They’re citing increased threats from competitor sabotage. I’m guessing they’ve already sent you the report, but I thought I’d bring it to your attention.”

I hadn’t checked my email yet, but it didn’t matter. “Tell them they’ll get the funding. I don’t want to hear about any security breaches.”

Liam jotted it down. “Done. That brings me to the last point: the investor dinner next week. The guest list has been finalized, but you’ll need to approve it before we send out formal invitations.”

I leaned back, rubbing my jaw. I hated these dinners. “Send me the list. I’ll look it over later.”

“Will do.” He paused, glancing at the clock. “Speaking of meetings, we should probably head to the conference room. You’ve got the department heads waiting.”

I checked my watch. He was right. Time was slipping away.

We both stood, heading toward the door. As we stepped out, Liam smirked. “So, you going to invite Ava to the investor dinner?”

I shot him a look, but even I couldn’t deny the thought had crossed my mind.

We reached the conference room. The department heads were seated, their eyes shifting between tablets and notepads. I strode to the head of the table, and Liam followed, sliding into his seat beside me. The room went silent.

Liam’s eyes flickered, and I knew before he spoke that he’d forgotten something. “I almost forgot, one last thing,” Liam started, leaning closer, his voice low. “We have an investor joining us today.”

I raised a brow. “Who is it?”

“I’m not sure. He’s kept his dealings mostly anonymous, and I haven’t been handling him directly.”

The door creaked open. A figure walked in, and my body tensed. My wolf stirred, snarling low in my chest.

Luther Pierce.

His arrogant smile widened the moment our eyes met. He stepped into the room as if he owned it, when in reality, he shouldn’t be here.

“I apologize for my lateness,” Luther said, his tone dripping with false politeness.

I kept my voice cold, though every instinct was screaming to throw him out—or worse. “What are you doing here?”

Luther’s smile didn’t waver. “Is that how you talk to one of your investors? Especially someone who just bought a significant amount of shares in your company?”