Grayson Pierce and Eloise Caldwell novel Chapter 83

Chapter 83

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Juliette said, “Eloise never really talked about her family, so I don’t know much. All I know is she’s not close to them. Honestly, she and Noah have been each other’s only family for years.”

Juliette went on, sharing bits and pieces about Eloise’s life after Noah was born. She talked about how Eloise kept hitting dead ends in her job search until Beckett finally gave her a chance.

When Juliette finished, she glanced over at Grayson and froze. He was crying. His eyes were rimmed with red.

Grayson quickly wiped away his tears and got to his feet, his voice thick with emotion. “Ms. Reed, thank you.”

Juliette watched as Grayson headed out, his back hunched and shoulders drooping. She couldn’t help but sigh.

Finn was surprised to see Grayson show up at the office. Grayson had made it clear that he didn’t want to be bothered unless the company was about to go under.

Finn figured Grayson wouldn’t set foot in the office all day.

Grayson didn’t even spare Finn a glance as he walked straight into his office, not saying a word.

Finn noticed that Grayson looked like he’d just been hit by a truck.

‘Oh, I get it now. Mr. Pierce must’ve just found out Ms. Caldwell has a son, and it’s really messing with him,’ Finn guessed.

But Finn didn’t buy it. Noah had been to the office with Grayson before.

‘Did Ms. Caldwell never tell Mr. Pierce that Noah was actually her son? Did Mr. Pierce just realize he’d been lied to, and now he can’t handle it?’ Finn guessed.

Finn never would’ve guessed Noah was actually Eloise’s son. Whenever Grayson brought Noah to the office, everyone just assumed Noah was the kid of one of Grayson’s friends or relatives.

Then Finn remembered the files Camille had collected for him about Eloise and Noah. He grabbed the files from his desk and knocked on Grayson’s office door.

When there was no answer, Finn paused for a moment, then just pushed the door open and walked in.

“Mr. Pierce, these are the files Camille dug up on Ms. Caldwell,” Finn said.

Grayson’s eyes, which had been dull and unfocused, suddenly cleared at Finn’s words. He turned to look at

him.

Finn set the files down in front of Grayson and quietly slipped out of the office,

Grayson picked up the papers. Camille hadn’t managed to figure out that Grayson was Noah’s dad, but she’d found out everything else.

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Chapter 83

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‘She really went through hell as a kid. No wonder, all that time we were together, I never saw her call her family or even mention going home. How did she survive all these years?’ Grayson thought.

The more Grayson thought about it, the more it hurt, and the more he hated himself. ‘What the hell have I done?’ he cursed himself.

When Rhys and Colton walked in, they saw Grayson wiping his face, his eyes red and puffy from crying.

Both of them paused, then exchanged a glance, as if everything suddenly clicked into place.

Colton quietly closed the door behind them.

Rhys strolled over to Grayson. “Come on, man, don’t let it get to you. It’s just a girl, right? If you’re into Eloise’s vibe, we can hook you up with someone just like her.

“Seriously, Eloise has some guts, hiding something that big from you. Total mastermind move. Want me to teach her a lesson?”

“Who do you think you’re gonna mess with?” Grayson shot Rhys a deadly glare, like he was ready to tear him

apart.

Rhys shrank back, taking a step away. “Seriously, Grayson? After everything Eloise pulled, you’re still defending her? You still want to be with her after all this?”

Grayson fixed him with a cold, hard stare. “Get this straight. Noah is my son.”

It took them a long moment to wrap their heads around what Grayson had just dropped on them.

Colton was the first to snap out of it. “That explains a lot. I always thought Noah looked kinda like you. So he’s really your kid.”

Rhys still couldn’t believe it. “Grayson, are you absolutely sure he’s yours? Did you ever get a paternity test?”

Before he could finish, a glass came flying at his feet, shattering on the floor.

Rhys thought, ‘Shit, that was close.’

But he knew if Grayson really wanted to hit him, he would’ve nailed it. This was just Grayson’s way of sending a warning shot.

“Grayson, I…” Rhys began, but Grayson jumped in before he could finish.

“Rhys, you think I can’t tell my own flesh and blood? You think I need some stupid test for that?” Grayson snapped.

Rhys muttered, “Yeah, but you didn’t know before, did you?”

Grayson stared at him. He’d only been misled by Eloise. Besides, Eloise was the one who broke up with him back then. He never imagined she’d have his child after that.

Colton nudged Rhys. “Lay off, will you?”

12:43 Fri, Apr 10

Chapter 83

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He picked up the files from the desk and started flipping through them. After reading through the files, Colton felt a pang of guilt twist in his chest.

“Damn, I had no idea Eloise had it so tough. No dad, and her mom didn’t give a damn about her. How did she even grow up at all?” Colton muttered, sympathy clear in his voice.

Colton handed the papers over to Rhys. “Here, take a look for yourself. Honestly, you’ve been way too biased against Eloise.”

Rhys took the files.

A few minutes later, Rhys started ranting. “Seriously, what kind of mom does that? If I were Eloise, I’d never speak to her again.

“This pisses me off. I never knew moms like that even existed. She doesn’t deserve to be called a mother.”

These guys had grown up with everything handed to them, spoiled by their families. They’d never had to deal with any real hardship or ever been treated unfairly.

They they were above it all, never caring about anyone else or taking anything seriously.

Grayson was the only one who really had it tough. His folks split up, and his mom just ditched him. But the Pierce family spoiled Grayson rotten. He never had to face any real hardship.

Eloise’s life was nothing like that. She was treated like she didn’t even exist at home, and the moment she was old enough, they packed her off to boarding school.

Rhys was fuming.

Colton glanced over at Grayson. Now he finally understood why Grayson had been crying earlier. ‘He must really feel for Eloise, after everything she’s gone through,’ he thought.

“It can’t have been easy for Eloise, raising a kid on her own all these years. Grayson, how do you feel about it?” Colton asked.

Grayson hung his head. “I want to get back together with her. I want to marry her. But Eloise won’t say yes.”

Rhys got all worked up again. “Why not? She’d be marrying you, giving her kid a real family. She totally hit the jackpot. Why wouldn’t she agree?”

Grayson shot him a cold glare. “Rhys, get the hell out. I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

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