Grant's Pov "You knew she'd be here," he said slowly, piecing it together. "That's why you accepted this invite, isn't it? You've turned down this seminar for five years running, and now, all of a sudden, you can't get enough of it. Because of her." I remained silent, swirling the liquid in my glass as I stared out the window. "Well played, sir," Matt said with a smirk, crossing his arms. "But what's the endgame? Trying to win her back or just torturing yourself?" I exhaled, my palm running through my hair as I set the glass down. "What about Cassidy?" Matt asked after a moment, his tone quieter now. "Are you in love with her?" The question hit me like a slap and turned me back to him with a tight jaw. "No," I said sharply, the single word heavy with meaning. Matt studied me for a moment before he nodded. "Then you'd better begin to figure out what you want and quickly. Because this?" He gestured toward me, "This moping, going back and forth-that's not going to win her ov
Lena's POV The doors slid open again to reveal Grant standing there, his tall frame nearly filling the elevator's entrance. He was dressed sharply, as always, in a tailored navy suit that clung to him in all the right places. His shirt was a crisp white number, and his tie looked to be perfectly knotted, but it was his expression that unsettled me the most....In his eyes was a certain firmness that could be almost easily translated into a word: determination. "Morning," he stated, his voice low, calm, yet there was something else in the way he spoke.I remained silent. My throat had become dry while my feet were stuck on the floor of the elevator.Grant stepped inside, then the doors scotched behind him, and it felt like all that little space all of a sudden felt smaller.I tried to focus on the mirrored panel ahead of us, trying to avoid his gaze, but I could feel him beside me way too close, way too overwhelming."Ready for the seminar?" he asked, as if everything was okay and no
Lena's POV "You could say that," I replied with a fake smile. "I'm Sarah," she said, extending her hand. "Consultant from New York. And you?" "Lena Reynolds," I said, shaking her hand. "CEO of Reynolds Palace.”"Nice to meet you, Lena," Sarah said warmly. "This is your first time at such a seminar?""No," I admitted, "but it's been some time since I last attended one."After some minutes of chatting, I found myself relaxing a little. Sarah was bright and witty, and her reflections on this morning's session helped redirect my thoughts from Grant. By the time the break was coming to a close, I had regained my footing a little.Back at my seat, I tuned out all distractions and focused on the next presentation: very diligent note-taking and highlighting key points of evidence. The speaker talked about innovative approaches-to-leadership, and I nodded along with how much I felt nodded.But then came the Q&A, and I heard it.A voice, from the back of the room.Deep, resonant, unmistakabl
Lena's pov I walked to the wardrobe and rummaged in it for something comfortable to do. After seconds of rummaging, I finally settled on a loose cotton nightdress-simple yet mysterious and comforting, and drew it on, allowing soft cloth to drape all over me. Finally, my hair held a loose braid, as I had no energy to do anything more fancy.I was just about to dive into bed when a knock on the door came.I stop.It was late-too late for room service or cleaning services. I wasn't expecting anyone, and a harder knock came.Frowning, I hesitated with my hand barely over the handle. A knot of discomfort twisted in my stomach. Who could it even be?Finally, the door opened. My breath caught in my throat.It was Grant.But this was not the composed, assured man I had encountered earlier today. No, this grant was a mess. His tie hung loosely around his neck, his shirt partially untucked, and his normally sharp eyes were glassy. He swayed slightly on his feet, and the overwhelming smell of a
It was the quiet, suffocating hum of the air-conditioning. Softly settled in the armchair, my knees curled to my chest with my arms around them, I stared at Grant sleeping on the bed. The room was dim with soft evening light, casting shadows over his features. His face, sharp and confident normally, relaxed and even boyish in sleep. For a moment, he resembled the person I remembered… the one who made me laugh and the one who made me feel safe. No longer was the good person that I'd known; the man who had once been something for me, but things now were different - a man who had come back into my life in a way I couldn't fully comprehend. Grant, drunk and vulnerable, sprawled across my bed. Almost surreal. I pushed my fingers through my hair trying to untangle my thoughts and emotions. How had we gotten here? How, in fact, had this whole scenario turned so bizarrely? The questions raced through my mind but wouldn't allow me to answer a single one. The kiss we'd shared just a little
"You see, I needed to see you," he admitted, his voice tremulous but real. "I just couldn't stop thinking about you after today the elevator, the seminar... the whole work."That just didn't do it for me; it simply didn't account for his drinking, the emotional wreck he was obviously, and the fact that he had barged again into my life without so much as an advance warning.“It doesn’t explain the drinking,” I said, narrowing my eyes and focusing on him closely.Grant; he raked a hand through his hair, his usual composure slipping away with each passing second. He looked exhausted, emotionally drained. “Could say I thought it would make things easier,” he murmured, the voice almost unhearable. “Less terrifying to face you. Less terrifying to admit how badly I’ve screwed up.”On a slow exhale, I took a deep breath, eyes narrowing. This was where I could give in completely to raw anger and fury, only his expression turned me away from that. I had no desire to go vulnerable again. I would
The reminder all these words gave was that for the window frames I would have to move my distance. I couldn’t afford to let myself unravel again. Not now. Quickly scurrying out of the shower, I started rifling through my suitcase. Because the seminar was high profile and either made or broke reputations, I strapped up my luck and took out a fitted emerald green dress; nothing but room for complete contouring. It had a conservative neckline and long sleeves; the perfect middle ground between professional and polished. Black-heeled shoes and simple gold jewelry would make it up nicely, and that would be the required look-to project confidence. Let some soft waves linger around my face and hope they impart to me an air of some control. By this time, I should be a tad more like myself by finishing getting dressed. More composed, yet more confident and prepared to face the day ahead. But my polished outside can't shake the gnawing feeling deep inside the pit of my stomach. While zipp
A huge hall was alive with excitement, buzzing with electrical anticipation as the seminar was peaking. The host spoke into the air, reverberating all over the place to capture the attention of the people filling the seats. But my mind was far away from the oratory speeches or the discussions. Damien's cryptic warnings echoed from my head, a constant shadow over this day. "And now, ladies and gentlemen," announced the exuberant host, "please welcome a pioneer in innovation and leadership, Mr. Grant Wells!" Thunderous applause erupted and swept through the hall like a tidal wave, loud and energetic. It was deafening, but I hardly noticed. It made my stomach churn to see Grant rise from his seat in the front. He moved with an effortless grace, his navy-blue suit impeccably tailored, accentuating his broad shoulders and commanding presence. He adjusted his tie with practiced ease, flashing a polite smile at the applauding crowd. The spotlight followed him as he ascended the stage - th
Grants PovI, too, stood up and walked closer. "You think it's easy for me? That I don't feel every damn day the weight of what we've conjured up?"She turned to face me and her eyes were welling up with tears which she didn't let fall. "Then why are you still here, Grant? Why can't you let me go?"The question cut deeper than I was willing to admit. I raked my hand through my hair; the frustration and pain were starting to overwhelm me. "Because I can't," I said finally, barely above a whisper.Her breath stuttered, and I thought I caught a flicker of some hope? Doubt? I'm not sure in her eyes. But then she steeled herself, her features hardening. "This partnership needs to end," she said with all firmness. "For both our sakes.”I stepped up to her, gazing right at her. "You really think that severing our partnership is going to erase me from your life? From your heart?"She flinched but didn't withdraw. "This isn't about erasure. It's giving space for healing."I laughed bitterly a
Grant's POV After all, the drive to Lena's company did feel longer than it should have. Perhaps it was the tension tightening the shoulders or the whirling thoughts taking flight in my head, but it stretched endlessly as I held the steering wheel, knuckles white. The city buzzed around and went on without knowing the storm that was breaking under. Each block drew another step closer to her office that day, a reminder of the confrontation ahead.I had spent the entire night replaying the decision to come here, wondering if it was the right one. Part of me knew it wasn’t about the partnership or the company, this was about seeing her. About facing what we left unsaid.Ahead loomed the sleek glass facade of her corporate headquarters, modern design mirroring the morning sunlight. I rolled into the parking garage, my engine reverberating against the concrete walls. I parked near the elevator to compose myself for a moment before stepping out.The lobby was pristine, the type of space des
Gants POV It was warm and golden in the dining room; a chandelier threw its warm light across the polished mahogany table. The vast expanse of it was excessive for just three placed settings as it had always been-opulent, formal, and cold, like the house itself.As I stepped into the dining room, all eyes fell on me. Sitting with a glass of red wine, poised yet again, she was Cassidy. Blonde hair lit up by light framed delicate features, and the smile, that turned out to be a sunny one upon seeing me, was shown. The same smile she used to have when she used to disarm me, but this time, it got on my nerves."You just made it," my mother said as she walked in from the other side of the great room. She gestures toward the seat laden across from Cassidy. I didn't sit down. Instead, I stood, arms crossed, at the head of the table, surveying the scene with irritation and exhaustion. "I thought Cassidy was going to leave."The smile on Cassidy's face faltered momentarily but was back on ag
Grant's POVTo begin with, at this hour, the hotel lobby seemed pretty quiet; one could hardly hear the hustle and bustle typical of a morning. Following some steps back was my assistant, Elliot, who seemed so much tied to his clipboard. All this was like a heavy weight in my chest, matching the tension in my stride, each step leading away from Lena. I did not turn back into the room, no turning around on the memories, and certainly not even to the ache I was doing everything I could to suppress.Elliot swayed slightly above the entrance before he spoke, aware that he shouldn't be much of a bother with his voice taking caution. "Are you sure you do not want to bid Lena goodbye?"I clenched my jaws tighter, the question rattling more than I would want to let on. My fingers creaked the leather handle of my suitcase under the weight of pressure. "What's the point?" I said gruffly without looking at him. "It's done. She has made her decision." Elliot took offense and held up his pace fo
Lena's POVI stood on the curb clutching my bag handles tightly and watching the morning sun ignite a golden hue all over the city. Beside me stood Damien, tall and composed, though he was scanning my face as if searching for some treasure that, honestly, I don't think I could ever give him. He had a steady bearing; a kind of quiet observer with a mind as sharp as possible with a knack for problem-solving. But this one, he couldn't solve no matter how badly he wanted to."Lena," Damien started, his voice low and steady. "You don't have to do this at all. Walk away for now, sure. But running away entirely? That's not you."He tilted his head so that I could meet his stare. My heart ached with all that concern etched into his features. Damien was my rock in everything, yet he couldn't understand the weight of my decision. It was not merely about leaving Grant; it was about everything I had previously attached to my identity."Running away isn't what I'm doing, Damien," I said softly, th
Lena's POV Oh, great unbelievable silence that is thick and suffocating, under our broad and stretching between us. I could feel the warmth of his gaze on me, the desperate creeping into all of his movements, touching my hand again, but I pulled it away before he could have. ""Lena," he breathed, his voice barely audible now, emotions raw. "I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted this. Please, don't do this."My silent refusal matched the tears bubbling within me. This was the kind of thing I hated. That it had come to be like this. But there was no denying the reality. Everything he did-everything that I had come to learn about him-had put me in a different set-up. Changed me as an individual from viewing him, from viewing myself, too."Grant, I can't live all my life in the shadows, wondering if what people say is not true. I deserve more; I deserve the truth, and I deserve someone who can be honest to me, someone who will not keep secrets.”His face twisted in pain, and for a
Lena's POV "I can’t keep living in the shadows, Grant. I can’t keep wondering if everything I’ve been told is a lie. I deserve more than that. I deserve the truth, and I deserve someone who can be honest with me, someone who doesn’t keep secrets."His face twisted in pain and for a moment seemed so vulnerable to me, so broken, that I was almost tempted to lower my defenses. Almost. But the strength I had found in myself during the last few days, the clarity that had come in learning to see the truth for what it was, held me firm. I couldn't let him back in. There was no basis to what we had created: everything was built on the flimsy foundation of half-truths and lies. Not when the price of trusting him again would cost me my peace of mind, dignity, and self-respect."I'm sorry, Grant," I whispered, almost choking with all the emotion floating between us. "But this is it."Grant was standing there, frozen, and the weight of my words was now sinking into him like stones being let down
Lena's POV I stared at him, trying to decode what he might mean. There was something in that voice, something raw that I had never heard before. As if he was breaking the walls which always kept me at a distance. But at the same time, that thought did not vanish from the chest."I am not asking for immediate forgiveness," he continued. "Though I want you to know that for everything I did, all has been for us. For you. For this." He gestured between us, his hand trembling slightly. "I never intended to harm you. I swear."For one moment, everything that I could do was stand and look at him, trying to read his expression. His sincerity seemed real as it was dissected into parts, but that in no way kept him from hiding something. The gap between his words and those documents in my hand was too wide to be bridged just by an apology."I don't know what to believe anymore," I murmured, the words escaping before I could stop them. "I don't think I can trust you anymore."Grant's face crumpl
Lena's POV The truth had already started unwinding. The pieces of the puzzle were scattered and despite my good attempts to fix them, they did not fit in a way that made sense.By the time I reached my apartment, it felt as though the weight of the folder was sheer unbearable, as if the papers inside really pressed down on me with the force of all the things I had avoided. I placed it on the kitchen counter, but even now, it was as if it was still in my hands, the aura of its presence lingering in the air around me taunting me with the decisions that I had to make.I paced, trying to clear my mind, but the thoughts came faster now. What had Grant been hiding? What was he really capable of? And Damien… Could I trust him? Could he really be the one to expose Grant for who he truly was, or was he just using my vulnerability to get what he wanted?Frustration built as I ran a hand through my hair. Obviously, the evidence Damien had given me would not be something ignore-worthy. Irrespect