Page 52 of In A Mood For Mr. Wrong

GRAYSON

Margot and I haven’t spoken since the elevator. Not really, anyway. We’ve exchanged the bare minimum, short, clipped sentences, business-related only. No personal digs. No lingering eye contact. No acknowledgment of the way my chest tightens every time I look at her. But now we have to strategize together. Cassian and Isabella are seated across from us in one ofPerfectly Matched’ssleek conference rooms, both of them looking completely unbothered while Margot and I sit on opposite ends of the same table.

Cassian leans back in his chair, arms folded, looking every bit like a man enjoying a show. “So, let me get this straight. Eleanor is trying to boot Grayson, manipulate Margot, and take over the company, while you two are too busy brooding at each other to do anything about it?”

I clench my jaw. “We’re notbrooding.”

Margot crosses her arms. “And wearedoing something about it.”

Isabella, who has been inspecting her nails with mild boredom, finally lifts her head. “Are you, though? Because fromwhere I’m sitting, this is lesspower coupleand moreexes awkwardly forced to work together after a nasty breakup.”

Margot exhales sharply. “We didn’t break up.”

Isabella tilts her head. “Didn’t you?” The room goes silent.

Cassian smirks. “Damn. That was good.”

Margot glares at him. “Would you like to contribute somethinguseful?”

Cassian stretches, looking far too relaxed. “Fine. You need to hit Eleanor fast and hard. She’s already making moves, so unless you want to be playing defense forever, you need to put her on the ropes before she solidifies her position.”

I nod. “Agreed. But we can’t just react to her. We need to anticipate her next step.”

Margot meets my gaze, and for the first time today, we’re actually aligned. She leans forward. “Eleanor thrives on control. She’s calculated. She wouldn’t offer me the CEO position if she didn’t already have a plan in place to phase me out once I served my purpose.”

I nod. “Which means she’s already lining up her real replacement.”

Cassian hums. “So find out who it is and ruin her plan before she can execute it.”

Margot glances at me again. “We need Olivia.”

I grab my phone and call her.

She picks up instantly. “Tell me you have a plan.”

“We’re working on it,” I say. “We need intel. Find out who Eleanor is backing for CEO and where she’s getting her board support from.”

Olivia sighs. “I already havesomenames, but I’ll dig deeper. In the meantime, you should be prepared for another media hit. Eleanor isn’t done yet.”

Margot exhales. “Of course she isn’t.”

Isabella perks up. “Oh! Ilovea good media scandal. Can I leak something?”

Margot and I saynoat the same time.

She pouts. “You two are no fun.”

Cassian chuckles, then turns serious. “What’s the immediate plan?”

Margot straightens. “First, we find out who Eleanor is really backing. Second, we cut her off before she can secure the board’s votes. And third, we control the media narrative before she can.”

Cassian nods. “Good. I’ll call a few people and see what I can shake loose on the business side.”

Isabella sighs dramatically. “Fine. I guess I’ll stay out of trouble. For now.”

I push up from my chair. “Then let’s get to work.”

Margot follows my lead, and as we step into the hallway together, something shifts.

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