Grayson Pierce and Eloise Caldwell novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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“What are you making a fuss about now?” Cyrus asked impatiently. “Stop picking on Beckett all the time. He’s your brother.”

“He’s not my brother, Tessa yelled, her face flushing with anger. “He’s a bastard.”

Cyrus’s voice turned sharp. “Tessa. How did you become as spiteful as your mother? I was the one who called Beckett back.

“The company will need to rely on him. So be nice. If I hear you say such things again, all your credit cards will be suspended, and I’ll take your car back.”

Tessa clenched her fists, having no choice but to swallow her anger.

She supposed if she couldn’t deal with Beckett directly, she could certainly deal with the people around him.

“Fine,” she said, changing tactics. “I won’t talk about Beckett. But you have to fire his secretary.”

“His secretary?” Cyrus repeated.

“Yes,” Tessa insisted. “Eloise Caldwell, the one with the face of a temptress.”

Cyrus leaned back in his chair, the name Eloise now ringing a bell. It had been popping up frequently lately.

“How did she offend you?” he asked.

“She was disrespectful to me,” Tessa said. She thought it was just secretary; Cyrus would surely comply. To her surprise, he turned her down.

“No.” Cyrus shook his head. “She hasn’t made any mistakes. Why would I fire her? What would people think of Hayes Group if word got out? Who would dare to work for us then?”

“Dad,” Tessa cried out, her voice rising in protest.

“Enough,” Cyrus cut her off, his tone final. “Stop fooling around outside with nothing better to do.” He ended the call before she could argue further.

He recalled what Finn, Grayson’s secretary, had mentioned recently. “Mr. Hayes, Ms. Caldwell had worked with Mr. Pierce for a time back in Ucrevine.

“We saw her briefly the other day, and Mr. Pierce would like to invite her over to catch up.

“Also, your company’s proposal for the Yaiville Resort project still needs revisions. Once it’s revised, please have Ms. Caldwell deliver it for Mr. Pierce’s review.”

Having navigated the business world for decades, Cyrus quickly grasped the underlying message. He immediately called his own secretary. “Which department is Eloise Caldwell in?”

The secretary replied promptly, “She’s the secretary Mr. Beckett layes brought back from Ucrevine”

That conversation had led to Eloise being sent to VirtuFusion Goup.

While Cyrus wasn’t entirely sure of Grayson’s specific interest in Eloise, he knew he had to keep her close. She might just be the key to whether Hayes Group could get a piece of the Yaiville Resort project.

Eloise returned to the company and went straight to Beckett’s of ce.

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Chapter 8

Seeing her back so soon, Beckett secretly breathed a sigh of relie “Did Grayson give you a hard time?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Eloise replied. “Mr. Hayes, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Beckett gestured for her to continue. “What is it?”

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“I ran into Tessa at the entrance of VirtuFusion Group,” Eloise admitted, choosing her words carefully. “And I may have been a bit sharp with her.”

“Go back to work,” Beckett said dismissively. “Tessa has no authority over company matters.”

He was thinking, ‘Dad wants to use Eloise to curry favor with Grayson now. There’s no way he’ll fire her over a personal spat.

Reassured, Eloise nodded and returned to her desk.

For the next two days, the company didn’t send her to VirtuFusion Group again. However, office gossip reached her ears. It was a juicy piece about Tessa.

Apparently, Tessa had gone to VirtuFusion Group to ambush Grayson.

She had made a grand, humiliating spectacle of herself, declaring her love with a megaphone, unfurling banners, and showering him with flowers and pastries.

Grayson’s response had been swift and brutal: he called the police, filing a report against Tessa for harassment.

She was hauled off to the station, and the whole incident, captured by onlookers, was now spreading like wildfire online.

Cyrus was so furious his blood pressure spiked, landing him in the hospital.

Beckett, on the other hand, was in a great mood, humming a tune as he came to work.

Sitting at her desk, Eloise was lost in thought, remembering her own encounter with Tessa at the VirtuFusion Group’s

entrance.

That woman has some nerve,‘ Eloise mused. “The Pierce family has always kept a low profile, and Grayson is notoriously private. Being made such a public spectacle must have infuriated him.”

He’s pretty ruthless, too, she concluded with a slight shiver. ‘Actually calling the police on her. I’d better steer clear of him from now on.

The last thing I need is for him to mistakenly think I’m trying to cling to him and have me arrested‘

The weekend was nearing. Eloise was happy, and so was Noah. he didn’t have to work, the other didn’t have to go to school.

Eloise made Noah’s favorite roasted chicken wings for dinner.

After the meal, Noah settled in to watch a foreign nature documentary.

Eloise didn’t interfere; she always respected his choices. Taking er phone, she went to her room to call Juliette

“Juliette, I’m thinking of buying a used car,” Eloise said. “Are you ree this weekend to help me look?”

On the other end, Juliette, who was munching on an apple, took loud, crisp bite before responding.

“Why buy a used one?” she asked. “Get a new one. New cars aren that expensive these days. If you get financing, the monthly payments wouldn’t be too high. Your salary could easily cover it.”

Eloise sighed softly into the phone. “I’d still prefer a used one. Something in the range of six to ten thousand dollars.”

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A cheap new car would still cost over 30 thousand dollars. She wanted to save every penny for a down payment on a house.

Besides, Noah would start elementary school in a couple of years She’d heard the requirements for enrolling in primary school in Ekloland were quite strict, and she needed to plan ahead.

If it really came to it, she might just have to take Noah back to Ugrevine for school.

Juliette, knowing Eloise’s stubborn streak and priorities, didn’t press further. “Alright. I’ll drive over to pick you guys up

tomorrow.”

“Okay, thanks,” Eloise said.

Just after she hung up, her phone buzzed with a call from an unfamiliar Ekloland number. Eloise thought for a moment and answered cautiously. “Hello?”

The other side remained silent.

Eloise frowned. “Who is this?”

The caller hung up abruptly.

Eloise shrugged it off, assuming it was a wrong number. She left her phone in the bedroom and went out to watch the documentary with Noah.

*****

Grayson stood on the balcony of the penthouse, a glass of amber whisky in one hand, his phone in the other. He stared blankly at the string of digits displayed on the screen.

When Grayson got her contact info, it surprised him to see her number was still the same.

He had deleted all of Eloise’s contact information five years ago.Net, seeing this number now, he realized with a start that it was the same one.

“What are you looking at so intently?” Colton Morley’s voice interrupted his brooding. Colton slung a companionable arm over Grayson’s shoulder, trying to peek at the phone screen.

Before Colton could get a clear look, Grayson’s fingers twitched, lipping his phone over to hide the screen.

Colton chuckled. “How secretive. Chatting with some woman? Camille?” he teased.

Grayson rolled his eyes at Colton and walked back inside withou a word.

Still grinning, Colton followed him inside.

Rhys Perry ran up. “We need two more for the game. Get over hire, both of you.”

Grayson walked over and placed his half–finished whisky glass io Rhys’s hand. “You guys go ahead. I’m going home.”

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