Grayson Pierce and Eloise Caldwell novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54

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Beckett was led around by a VirtuFusion employee. In the end, he was told that Grayson had gone out to lunch and that they could talk after Grayson returned.

Beckett nearly cursed out loud. He checked the time. Eloise was probably still at lunch. Deciding to go find her, he called her.

Seeing Beckett’s name on the screen, Eloise answered, “Hey, Mr. Hayes.”

“Ms. Caldwell, which restaurant are you at? I’ll swing by,” Beckett said.

Eloise shot a glance at Grayson in the driver’s seat, totally at a loss for words. She was trying to think of an excuse when Grayson suddenly snatched the phone from her hand.

“Grayson,” Eloise yelped in shock.

Grayson gave her a calm glance, then said into the phone, “Eloise is with me. We’re grabbing lunch together. Do you need anything else, Mr. Hayes? It’s lunch break. If it’s not urgent, we’ll talk after we eat.” With that, he hung up.

Beckett was so furious he slammed his fist against the wall. Finn walked by, shot Beckett a sympathetic look, and quickly made himself scarce.

Grayson handed the phone back to Eloise, who snatched it from him. “Grayson, we’re not together anymore. We should keep some distance. You understand that, right?” she said.

Grayson just rested his hand on the steering wheel, not caring at all. “Nope,” he replied.

Grayson wasn’t clueless. He could see Beckett had his eyes on Eloise. Eloise saw Beckett every day, and it was driving Grayson nuts.

Eloise took a deep breath, feeling totally powerless. Talking to Grayson was like talking to a brick wall. So she gave up, leaned back in her seat, and stared out the window.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Grayson asked.

Eloise kept quiet. ‘Seriously, what am I supposed to say to that?’ she thought.

“I told Beckett we’re together. Does that bother you?” Grayson asked.

Eloise stayed silent.

“Do you like Beckett? Eloise, don’t go falling for Beckett. He’s a total player, got girls everywhere. He’s not worth your time.

“Guys like him, who don’t even care about themselves, probably have a history, you know,” he said.

Eloise turned and just stared at Grayson, totally speechless.

18:11 Thu, Apr 9

Chapter 54

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“Finally, you’re actually looking at me. I’m loyal and devoted. I keep to myself and don’t play around. I’m good-looking, well-off, and know how to earn money.

“Seriously, why would you pick him over a perfect man like me? It’s like giving up a private jet for a used bicycle,” Grayson bragged.

Eloise finally said, “I’m not picking either of you.”

“Why? I get not picking Beckett, but how come I’m not even in the running?” Grayson asked with genuine confusion, unable to grasp why she wouldn’t choose an excellent guy like him.

“I don’t have a pilot’s license,” Eloise replied. “Flying a plane would probably get me killed.”

“You don’t have to fly it yourself. The plane’s got autopilot. It’ll take you wherever you want,” Grayson said.

“That just makes me even more nervous. What if it flies me out over the ocean and dumps me in the water?” Eloise retorted.

Grayson just went quiet. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, veins faintly visible along his arm. He knew Eloise clearly didn’t trust him.

They pulled up to a trendy-looking restaurant. Grayson parked the car and looked at Eloise, his expression visibly wounded.

Eloise looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. Grayson just stared at her for a long moment, but in the end, he didn’t say a word.

He got out of the car, walked around, and opened the passenger door for her. “Come on, hop out,” Grayson

said.

Eloise gave him a quick glance, then stepped out of the car.

“Grayson, my cousin, you’re here,” a young man called out, walking out of the restaurant. He had silver-dyed hair and was wearing ripped jeans, despite the cold.

“Who’s this pretty lady?” Galen Welch asked, his eyes full of curiosity and excitement.

Eloise looked Galen over with curiosity. She heard him call Grayson “cousin.”

Grayson frowned and pulled Eloise into the restaurant. He didn’t like her attention on other men, even if it was his own cousin.

Galen snapped a couple pics of their backs and blasted them into the family group chat. He typed at lightning speed: [Guys, huge news. Grayson’s got a super pretty girlfriend. Look, they’re even holding hands.]

Joslyn Welch: [Bet you can’t get a pic of her face.]

Galen: [No way, Grayson would murder me. I just asked who she was and he gave me the coldest look ever.]

Leo had seen the messages for a while, but he typed so slow it took him ages to finally reply. [Hey Galen, is that really Grayson’s girlfriend?]

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Chapter 54

Galen: [Uncle Leo, they’re literally holding hands. How could it be fake?]

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Leo, fed up with typing, just sent a voice message. “Yeah, that’s gotta be it. Grayson barely even talks to girls, let alone holds their hand. If he’s actually doing that, she’s definitely his girlfriend.”

Tripp: [Congrats, Leo. Looks like you’re about to get a daughter-in-law, and grandkids are just around the corner.]

Leo sent a voice message. “Thanks, but I’m still waiting for you to bring home a wife, Tripp. Your nephew’s about to get married. Aren’t you feeling the pressure as his uncle?”

Tripp went silent for a while, then replied: [Leo, why don’t you find a wife first?]

Now it was Leo’s turn to go quiet.

By the time Christina saw it, dozens of messages had already piled up in the group chat. She tagged Grayson and sent a new one. [Grayson, who is this girl? Did you look into her family? Is she a good person?]

Then she tagged Grayson again and sent the second message. [Grayson, make sure you know what you’re getting into before you start dating her for real. There are tons of gold-diggers out there, so keep your eyes open.]

A few moments later, she tagged Grayson for the third time and sent the third message. [Don’t repeat the same mistakes. It’s for your own good.]

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