Page 51 of In A Mood For Mr. Wrong

The elevator doors slide open.

Grayson is standing there. My breath catches. His suit jacket is slightly wrinkled, his tie absent, and his jaw is tight with frustration. His blonde hair is slightly disheveled like he’s been running a hand through it repeatedly, and his blue eyes lock onto mine the second the doors open. For a moment, neither of us moves. Then, he steps in. The doors close, trapping us in the small space.

I swallow hard. “Grayson…”

“What did she offer you?” His voice is quiet, but there’s a sharp edge beneath it.

I grip my bag tighter. “It’s not what you think.”

His gaze darkens. “Tell me.”

I inhale slowly. “She wants me to take overPerfectly Matched, just for now. Just until…”

Grayson exhales sharply, shaking his head with a humorless laugh. “So that’s how she does it.”

I frown. “What?”

“She makes you think you’resavingsomething when really you’re just handing it over.” He steps closer, his voice low. “You think this is about keeping the company safe? It’s not. It’s about gettingyouto do the one thing she’s been trying to accomplish for a while now.”

I lift my chin. “And what’s that?”

His blue eyes burn into mine. “Turning you against me.”

The words hit harder than I expect. I shake my head. “That’s not what this is.”

Grayson exhales, his jaw tightening. “You say that now. But what happens when Eleanor tightens the leash? What happens when she pushes you further and further until you don’t even realize you’ve becomeher?”

I press my back against the elevator wall, my heart racing. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”

His gaze searches mine. “Wouldn’t you?”

The elevator slows as we reach the lobby. I part my lips to say something, anything, but the doors open, and suddenly, we’re not alone.

Cassian and Isabella are waiting, both watching us with raised brows.

Cassian smirks. “Well. This looksintense.”

Isabella tilts her head. “Are you two fighting? Or is this some kind ofweird, sexual tension thing?”

Grayson steps out without answering, his expression unreadable.

I hesitate for half a second before following.

Cassian slides his hands into his pockets, still watching us with amusement. “Hate to interrupt whateverthatwas, but we have a problem.”

I rub my temples. “Please tell me it’s not about your love lives.”

Isabella pouts. “Unfortunately, no.”

Cassian smirks. “Though wearemaking your jobs impossibly difficult.”

Grayson crosses his arms. “What kind of problem?”

Cassian’s grin fades slightly. “Eleanor is moving faster than we thought.” He exhales. “And if we don’t counter her by the end of the day, she wins.”

Grayson’s jaw tightens. I glance at him, my chest tightening. We may be fighting, we may be broken, but we both know one thing: if we want to take down Eleanor, we have to do it together.

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