The Alpha King's Reluctant Bride (Ava and Grayson) novel Chapter 32

-Grayson’s POV-

I didn’t react.

Not outwardly, at least.

1 kept my expression as neutral as stone, but inside, the beast raged, clawing to the surface. He was testing me. He knew exactly what he

Luther sauntered to an empty chair, took his time making himself comfortable, leaning back like he owned the place. The tension in the room they could feel it too, the silent war simmering just below the surface.

Liam cleared his throat, stepping in before the situation could spiral further. “Well, now that we are all here, let’s t meeting.”

the

I remained silent, eyes fixed on Luther as Liam tried to proceed with the agenda. I wasn’t listening to the words. My focus was on Luther, ca I wasn’t going to give it to him.

Liam was speaking, trying to salvage what he could of the tension in the room, moving quickly through the reports. The department heads n Luther, still lounging in his seat, cut in with a smug tone. “Interesting strategy with the overseas investments, but I think you’re playing a risk I didn’t respond. My silence, my cold stare, was my answer. I could see the slight flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. He thought he had won Liam coughed again, this time a bit more urgently, and I realized he was waiting for me to respond. I tore my eyes from Luther and turned to Liam visibly relaxed, quickly moving the meeting along, steering the conversation away from Luther’s provocations. But the air was still thic The meeting dragged on, with Luther chiming in here and there, throwing subtle jabs, always careful to keep his tone just on the edge of po But I stayed quiet, cold. Observing. Planning.

When the meeting finally wrapped up, the department heads filed out, one by one, each of them stealing nervous glances at me, as if expec “Tll be in touch,” he said, that smug grin still plastered on his face. “After all, as an investor, I have a vested interest in how things go here Ididn’t respond, just watched him walk out, every step delibera, contident.

Liam sighed heavily once the door shut behind Luther. “That was….. tense,” he muttered, glancing at me cautiously. “You okay?”

I didn’t answer immediately, My mind was still on Luther, on the game he was playing. He thought he had the upper hand. He thought he co

But he was wrong

Very wrong.

“I’ll handle him.” I said finally, my voice low, controlled. “He just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.”

Liam nodded, though he still looked uneasy. He knew better than to push me when I was like this.

I watched the door for a long moment after Lanther left, my jaw clenched, eyes fixed on the spot he just vacated. He wanted to provoke me. called superiority, would get under my skin.

I’d let him believe that for now.

Because the next move would be mine.

The rest of the day blurred, one meaningless meeting after another, but Luther lingered at the back of my mind, festering like a wound that r the audacity to show up here was the final straw, I needed to remind him of exactly who I was.

Later that afternoon. I found myself back in my office, sifting through the files brought to me about Luther Pierce. I’d only known the Pierce just enough to recognize their power when it came to medical treatments. The man had built an empire, sure, but I hadn’t bothered digging

That had been my mistake.

Luther Pierce wasn’t just a doctor. He was something much worse. His claws dug deep into powerful places–

places no one knew about unless they were looking. The file in front of me detailed

his connections, his hidden assets, and the real source of his wealth. He wasn’t just a threat anymore-

he was the kind of problem that needed to be dealt with carefully.

1 closed the

file and leaned back in my chair, my fingers already dialing a number I knew by heart. The phone rang once before a voice, casual and taun “Grayson,” he greeted, his voice smug. “Didn’t expect to hear from you this soon. What’s the occasion?”

“I’m not in the mood for your games, Carter,” I snapped.

Carter laughed, a deep, low sound that grated on my nerves. “You’re never in the mood. It’s part of your charm.”

I ignored him, getting straight to the point. “I need you to take care of someone for me. I’ve sent everything you need to know to your email.

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