Page 52 of Filthy Rich Bosses

I ignore him, focusing on Grayson instead. He's still spinning that damn wedding ring, lost in his own world. I snap my fingers in front of his face.

"Hey, Gray. Earth to Grayson. I'm serious here."

He blinks, finally meeting my eyes. "Chase, you don't know the first thing about running a business."

"So teach me," I counter, leaning forward on his desk. "I'm a quick study."

I can’t help but think of Tessa, of how she lights up when she talks about her dreams. I want to be worthy of that light. I want to prove I can be more than just the lazy playboy I’ve always been.

"Look," I continue, "I know I've been...well, me. But I'm ready to step up. To prove I can be more than just the fuckboy."

Cole snorts from the corner. "I'll believe it when I see it."

I spin to face him, frustration bubbling up. "What's your problem, man? You want me to be better, but when I try, you shoot me down. Make up your mind."

Cole’s still looking at me like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. Hell, maybe I can’t either. But I’m not backing down. Not this time.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Cole repeats, his voice colder than before.

I grind my teeth together. But before I can snap back, Grayson finally speaks.

“Enough,” he says, his voice low but firm, cutting through the tension like a knife. “Both of you.”

We both fall silent, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Grayson actually looks at us. His eyes are heavy with exhaustion, but there’s something else there too. A flicker of...hope, maybe? It's barely noticeable, but I catch it.

“I’ve lost my wife, Chase. I’ve lost her, and I’ve been trying to bury that for three fucking years.” He leans back in his chair, eyes flicking to his wedding ring again. The way he does it makes my stomach twist. “I don’t know if I can do this...thiswith Tessa. I don’t know if I can open myself up to that again.”

Grayson’s voice cracks slightly at the end, and it’s like the air in the room vanishes. I’m used to seeing Grayson as this solid wall, the guy who never flinches, never shows weakness. But in that moment, he’s just a man—ourman—standing on the edge of something he’s terrified of.

I take a deep breath, walking over to the desk and placing a hand on it. “Gray...you’re not alone in this. Not anymore. Tessa’s not Sarah, man. She’s not going to replace her, but she might be the first step you need to take to feel something again. And you do, Grayson. I saw you with her. You feel something.”

I’m not sure where those words come from, but they feel true. I look over at Cole, who’s still standing near the door, arms crossed. His eyes are hard, but there’s something else in them too. Something that tells me he’s heard me—he just doesn’t want to admit it yet.

“You know,” I continue, trying to keep my voice calm despite the growing frustration, “we’ve all been through shit. You with Sarah, me with—” I stop, because that’s a whole other can of worms I’m not ready to open, and I don’t think Cole’s interested in hearing it anyway. “But Tessa...she’s real. She’s here. And we can’t keep pushing her away.”

“I’m not the one pushing her away. Neither are you,” Cole grumbles.

Grayson’s face twitches, like he’s about to argue, but then he just sighs, a long, tired sound. He runs a hand through his hair, looking older than he did just a few minutes ago.

“I’m scared,” he admits, barely above a whisper. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. For her. None of us are ready. That’s the point.”

I run my hands through my hair again and take a step forward, my eyes steady on Grayson. “You think we’re all lining up to take a shot at Tessa because we’re allperfect? Becauseshe’sperfect? Because we’ve got everything figured out? No. We’re doing it because we know what it feels like to lose something—or someone—worth fighting for. And we’re not letting her go without a damn fight.”

There’s a pause. A heavy, suffocating silence.

Grayson looks from me to Cole, his eyes searching. It’s like he’s weighing the truth of what we’re saying. Finally, he exhales slowly, his gaze returning to the ring on his finger, spinning it once again.

“I don’t know if I can...I don’t know if I can love her the way she deserves,” Grayson admits, and it stings more than I expected it to.

“Thentry, Gray,” I say, my voice quieter now. “You owe it to her. And hell, you owe it to yourself.”

Grayson looks at me, really looks at me, for the first time since we walked in. And I can see it in his eyes. That flicker of something breaking free.

Cole clears his throat, breaking the moment, and looks at me with that damn smirk. “You act like we’re the ones pushing her away. We’re not. If you recall, you’ve spent all week moping like a little bitch because she turned you down.”

“She’s scared. We just need to show her there’s nothing to be scared of.”

“I’m not showing her shit. I don’t want her. It’s sex, nothing more.”

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