Page 33 of In A Mood For Mr. Wrong

Eleanor simply picks up her teacup again, taking a slow sip before murmuring, "You’ll find out soon enough."

25

GRAYSON

Silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. Eleanor sips her tea like she hasn’t just admitted to betraying us, like she hasn’t just upended everything I thought I knew.

I step closer, lowering my voice. "You think this is a game? You think you can just sit here and drink your tea like you didn’t put Margot in danger?" My hands curl into fists at my sides. "Who else is involved?"

Eleanor sets her cup down with deliberate grace. "Do you honestly believe I’d tell you?" She lifts a single brow, her amusement barely hidden. "You’re so quick to act, Grayson, but you don’t think things through."

Margot crosses her arms, her voice sharp. "We’re done with the riddles, Eleanor. Either you tell us who you’re working with, or we’ll find out ourselves. And when we do, you won’t have any cards left to play."

Eleanor exhales, shaking her head. "You two are more alike than you realize." Her gaze lands on me, calculating. "You always thought your grandfather picked you because of potential. But did you ever wonder why he didn’t leave it all to you? Why he put Margot in the will?" She lets the question hang between us, theweight of it pressing against my chest. My grandfather had seen something in Margot, something more than just talent. He had mentored her, championed her, treated her as if she were part of the family in ways even some of our blood relatives never were. He admired her fire, her determination, the way she challenged outdated traditions and refused to accept mediocrity. He always said she was the future ofPerfectly Matchedthat she had the vision to push the company into the next era, even when the board resisted change.

But the board had never liked that. To them, Margot was a necessary inconvenience while my grandfather was alive, a brilliant mind they had to tolerate because he had put her there. But once he was gone, their patience had started wearing thin. They saw her as a disruptor, a threat to their power, a reminder that their old ways weren’t enough anymore. And now, they were trying to erase her from the equation completely.

Margot stiffens beside me, and I can feel the weight of her gaze. My grandfather’s will had always been a point of tension, Margot, his protégé, being given an equal stake inPerfectly Matchedalongside me. But I’d never questioned it, until now.

My grandfather didn’t just see Margot as a talented businesswoman. He saw her as the spark the company needed, the person who would challenge traditions and pushPerfectly Matchedinto the future. I remember the way he used to talk about her, always impressed, always proud. "She sees the cracks before they form," he’d say. "She understands people, understands what they want before they do. That’s a gift, Grayson, and we’d be fools not to hold onto her."

He’d bring her into meetings, encourage her ideas, defend her when the board scoffed at her strategies and theyhatedit. Margot wasn’t one of them, wasn’t raised in their exclusive circles. She was a woman who got there on her own merit, and that made them uncomfortable.

After he died, it was as if the board had been waiting for their chance. They had smiled at her in public, nodded along when she spoke, but behind closed doors, they worked against her. They dismissed her proposals, undermined her authority, made her fight twice as hard for every decision. They had been waiting for a way to push her out, and now, they saw their opening.

Margot stiffens beside me, and I can feel the weight of her gaze. My grandfather’s will had always been a point of tension, Margot, his protégé, being given an equal stake inPerfectly Matchedalongside me. But I’d never questioned it until now.

"What are you saying?" I demand.

Eleanor leans back in her chair, a slow smirk curving her lips. "I’m saying you’ve been looking at the wrong people. The real threat? The one pulling the strings? They aren’t coming for me." She turns her gaze to Margot. "They’re coming forher."

Margot goes pale, but her voice is steady. "What the hell does that mean?"

Eleanor tilts her head, watching us like we’re pieces on a chessboard. "You really don’t see it, do you?" She lets out a soft, almost pitying laugh. "The board doesn’t care about your rivalry, your childish competition. What they see is an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong."

Margot’s eyes narrow. "Ibuiltthis company alongside your father and Grayson’s grandfather. I worked for everything I have."

Eleanor sighs, tapping a manicured nail against her teacup. "And that, my dear, is precisely the problem. You weren’t supposed to be part of the legacy. The board tolerated you when you were under his guidance, but now? Now you’re a liability."

My jaw clenches. "So they want her out."

"They want control," Eleanor corrects. "Liam was never the endgame, just a distraction. The real move? They’ve been setting it up for months. Margot’s removal is already in motion, andunless you do something about it, you’ll be watching from the sidelines as the board votes her out."

26

MARGOT

My pulse pounds in my ears. The weight of Eleanor’s words settles over me like a slow-rolling storm.Margot’s removal is already in motion.

I lift my chin, refusing to show weakness. "So that’s it? The board just decides I don’t belong anymore, and they get to erase me?"

Eleanor gives me a knowing look. "This isn’t personal, dear. It’s business. You’ve always been competent, but competence doesn’t equal entitlement. The board doesn’t see you as an heir. They see you as an inconvenience."

Grayson takes a step forward, his voice sharp. "You think I’ll just stand by and let this happen? You think I’m going to let a bunch of old men in suits erase her because she actuallymade them workfor their positions?"

Eleanor raises an eyebrow. "She didn’t just make them work. She threatened them, Grayson. Maybe not with words, but with results. She made themuncomfortable. They don’t like being reminded that someone younger, someone who wasn’t born into their ranks, could do what they do better."

Margot scoffs. "Oh, so I’m being punished for being good at my job? Because I didn’t let them push through deals that would have tanked the company? Because I called them out on their half-baked strategies and refusal to evolve?" She lets out a humorless laugh. "Well, excuse me for not sitting quietly in the corner while they ranPerfectly Matchedinto the ground."

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