Page 37 of In A Mood For Mr. Wrong

Margot shoots me a glare before answering. "Hey! Is everything okay?"

Tessa’s voice comes through loud and panicked. "Margot! I needhelp! What do I wear? I thought Elliot was, like, socially inept, but then he pulled out my chair and said my dress 'captured an ineffable elegance,' and now I don’t know if I should go classic and sophisticated or if I should test his limits and show up in a leather jumpsuit."

Margot bites back a laugh. "Okay, first of all, hedefinitelyrehearsed that line. And second, you should wear whatever makes you feel comfortable."

"Comfortable? Margot, hethanked the waiter in Italianand somehow made it sound seductive. I don’t know what to expect!"

I cover my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing. Margot sighs, rubbing her temple. "Fine. If you want to impress him without sending him into a philosophical crisis, go for something elegant but a little unexpected. Something that makes him recalibrate but doesn’t shut him down."

"You mean like, a silk dressandcombat boots?"

Margot considers. "Honestly? That might be the perfect level of chaos for him."

Tessa lets out a relieved sigh. "You are a lifesaver. If I survive this, I owe you one."

Margot shakes her head as she hangs up. I raise a brow. "So… we’re officially relationship counselors now?"

She groans. "If we don’t take down the board, we should just start a crisis hotline for hopelessly awkward rich people."

I smirk, closing my laptop. "The same way you and I are brilliant strategists but somehow ended up making out in the middle of a takedown plan?"

She glares at me, but the corner of her mouth twitches. "Shut up, King."

28

MARGOT

If someone had told me a week ago that my biggest battles would be fighting off a hostile corporate takeoverandadvising a socially inept billionaire on his love life, I would have laughed in their face. Yet here I am, simultaneously planning a strategic takedown and giving fashion advice to Tessa so she doesn’t accidentally scare Elliot into another existential spiral. Priorities.

I exhale, shaking my head as I slip my phone into my pocket. Grayson watches me with amusement, arms crossed as he leans against the kitchen counter. "You’re really taking this whole matchmaking thing to another level, Evans."

I glare at him. "If I have to suffer, so do you."

He chuckles, but before he can respond, his phone vibrates. He glances at the screen, and just like that, his entire demeanor shifts. The easy amusement in his eyes hardens into something sharper, more dangerous.

I step closer. "What is it?"

He turns the screen toward me. A message from his contact: Gerald Wright just moved $2 million into an offshore account. Looks like he’s cashing out early.

My stomach tightens. "So they’re already securing their exit."

Grayson nods. "And that means they’re getting ready to make their final move. We’re running out of time."

My pulse kicks up, but I force myself to stay calm. This isn’t panic mode. This isgame mode. "Then we hit them first. We need to prove the board’s corruption before they have a chance to solidify power."

Grayson’s expression hardens, his grip tightening around his phone, his mind already working. "I’ll call my contact and see what else we can dig up. If Wright is moving money, that means the others are, too."

I nod, already reaching for my laptop. "And I’ll start cross-referencing recent business transactions. If they’re consolidating shares or shifting assets, there’s a paper trail. We just have to find it."

Before either of us can act, my phone vibrates again. I sigh, thinking it’s Olivia with another Elliot-related crisis, but when I glance at the screen, my blood runs cold.

Unknown Number:You’re not as untouchable as you think.

I stare at the message, my fingers tightening around the phone. Grayson notices immediately.

"Margot?"

I swallow hard, showing him the screen. His expression darkens instantly. "That’s it. We’re ending this. Now."

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