Chapter thirty four – Between Right and Wrong
The room was dim, lit only by the pale moonlight slipping through the window. Lisa lay curled under her blanket, her body still trembling from the intensity of everything that had just happened. Grey was in the bathroom, and even from behind the closed door, she could hear the faint splash of water.
Her heart was racing.
"Until you are mine."
Those words echoed in her mind like a forbidden lullaby. Did he mean them? Or were they just drunken declarations carried by late-night lust and buried feelings?
When the bathroom door opened and Grey stepped out, he looked fresher—his face damp, hair tousled, and his tall, sculpted form lit in moonlight. He wasn't just handsome—he was dangerously gorgeous. The kind of man who could ruin you with a single look, or a whisper.
And yet, tonight, he hadn't ruined her. He had stopped. Walked away when he could've gone further. That made everything more confusing.
He walked over and pulled the blanket slightly aside to slide into the bed next to her. No words. Just his presence—calm, steady, comforting.
Lisa turned to face him, whispering into the silence, "Why did you really come here, Grey?"
He looked at her, eyes softer than she'd ever seen. "Because I couldn't go through with it."
"The engagement?"
He nodded slowly. "Everything. The lies. The pretense. I was sitting at that stupid dinner with Alexa and my parents... and all I could think about was you."
Lisa's eyes glistened. "But she's your family's choice."
He touched her chin gently. "But you're mine."
Her breath hitched. "You barely know me."
"Wrong. I've watched you more than I should admit. Your clumsy coffee runs, the way you chew on your pen when you're nervous, how you cry in silence when you think no one's watching. Lisa, I know you."
Lisa felt herself melting. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
"You confuse me," she said. "You push me away, then pull me in."
"That's because I was scared. Of how much I wanted you. Of how real you make everything feel."
His fingers traced along her cheek. "I'm not drunk anymore, Lisa. I mean this."
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, tender and lingering.
Lisa let herself rest against him, the sound of his heartbeat grounding her.
"Are you still getting engaged?" she asked quietly.
"No. I'm ending it."
"Even if it costs you your company's standing?"
"I can build it all again. But I can't build another you."
Silence. Deep. Beautiful.
They lay in each other's arms, not speaking, just feeling. And slowly, Lisa drifted to sleep, safe and full—for the first time in a long time.
---
The Next Morning
The sun crept into the room. Lisa blinked awake, only to find Grey already up, standing by the window in his boxers, talking on the phone.
"Yes, call off the press release. We're postponing the engagement indefinitely."
There was a pause. Then he added, "No. I don't owe anyone an explanation."
He turned when he sensed her watching.
"Morning," he said, voice lower, softer.
Lisa sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. "Did you mean it?"
"Every word."
A knock came at the front door, sharp and impatient.
Lisa froze. "Who could that be?"
Grey didn't wait. He pulled on his pants quickly and moved to open the door—only to find Alexa standing there, in dark sunglasses, her jaw clenched, holding her phone in one hand.
"Really, Grey? This is where you ended up?"
"Alexa—"
She pushed past him and walked straight into the apartment, only to see Lisa standing awkwardly by the bed in an oversized T-shirt.
Alexa laughed bitterly. "The assistant? Are you serious?"
"Alexa, that's enough."
"No, it's not! You humiliate me, cancel everything, and then show up here like this?" She turned to Lisa, eyes narrowed. "You really think this will last? That he'll give up everything for you?"
Lisa stayed quiet, but her fists were clenched.
Grey's voice rang out, cold and final. "Leave, Alexa."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll have security drag you out."
Her expression crumbled slightly. "You're throwing away your legacy for her?"
"I'm saving myself. Now leave."
Alexa stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Lisa sat on the edge of the bed, silent.
Grey walked over and knelt in front of her.
"I'm sorry you had to see that."
Lisa looked down. "What happens now?"
He lifted her chin gently. "Now, we take it one step at a time. No more secrets. No more hiding."
Lisa gave a weak laugh. "That sounds... dangerous."
Grey smiled. "Then let's make danger feel like home."
The morning didn't stay quiet for long.
By the time Lisa arrived at the office on Monday, the news had spread like wildfire.
"GREY SMITH CALLS OFF ENGAGEMENT – Mystery Woman Rumored"
Her face wasn't in the press—yet—but whispers followed her through every hallway like shadows. Eyes trailed her. Colleagues she'd spoken to casually now gave her tight-lipped smiles or outright cold stares.
Lisa kept her head down.
Her heels echoed too loudly in the executive wing as she approached Grey's office. She hadn't seen him since he left her apartment early Sunday morning. He had kissed her on the forehead before leaving, promising to "fix everything."
But was anything really fixable now?
She knocked gently before stepping in.
Grey sat behind his desk, his tailored suit pristine, his expression unreadable. His usual poise was back—but so was his wall.
"You're early," he said, without looking up from his screen.
"I always am," Lisa replied softly.
A pause.
Then he finally glanced up. His eyes softened, if only a fraction. "Have a seat."
She sat, her hands clasped tightly on her lap.
"I'm sorry you're getting dragged into this," he said, voice lower now. "I didn't want it to go public. But Alexa... she made it messy."
"I expected it," Lisa said with a small shrug. "What I didn't expect was how fast everyone would turn on me."
"They don't matter."
"I wish that were true."
Grey stood, walking over to her. He leaned against his desk, right in front of her, and folded his arms. "Lisa, I need you to stay strong. I'll handle the media. You just... don't give them anything to use."
"What if they dig into my past?"
"I'll protect you."
Lisa looked up at him, searching his face for sincerity. "Why me, Grey? Why are you risking everything for someone like me?"
His hand reached for hers.
"Because you're not someone like you. You're you. And I've spent so long pretending I didn't need anything real in my life. You reminded me what it feels like to want something. Not for business. Not for show. Just because it feels right."
Lisa swallowed the lump in her throat. "And what now? What does this mean for us?"
He leaned down, brushing his lips against her forehead again. "It means I'm not letting go. No matter what happens."
Just then, the door burst open.
It was Mr. Kang, the company's board chairman—older, sharp-eyed, with a presence that filled the room instantly. He barely glanced at Lisa before speaking.
"Grey. We need to talk. Now."
Grey's jaw tensed. "Not in front of her."
"It concerns her," Mr. Kang snapped. "The board is furious. The media is tearing our reputation apart, and investors are pulling out. This scandal with your assistant? It's a liability we cannot afford."
Lisa stood abruptly. "I should go."
"No," Grey said firmly. "You stay."
Mr. Kang's eyes flared. "You've lost your mind, Grey. Are you seriously choosing her over everything we built?"
"I built this," Grey said, voice low but lethal. "And if the board wants to challenge me, they can. I'm not sacrificing her for a bunch of people who only care when profits drop."
Mr. Kang glared at Lisa. "You should resign, young lady. Spare him the consequences."
Lisa's fists clenched. She looked from Mr. Kang to Grey.
"No," she said calmly. "I won't resign. I've done nothing wrong. And I earned my place here."
Grey looked proud.
Mr. Kang scoffed and stormed out, muttering about emergency board meetings.
Lisa let out a long breath.
"That went well," she muttered sarcastically.
Grey smirked. "I like it when you talk back."
---
Later That Day
Lisa was walking through the lobby when she was stopped by a reporter.
"Miss Walker! A quick word! Are you Grey Smith's new girlfriend?"
Cameras flashed. Others joined in, surrounding her like vultures.
Lisa's hands trembled. "No comment."
"Did you break off his engagement?"
"No comment."
"Is it true you used your position to seduce the CEO?"
That one stung.
Before she could respond, security came rushing through. And just like that, the cameras were shoved away, the questions silenced. Lisa was escorted safely back into the building.
She got to her desk, shaken. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away.
Grey showed up minutes later.
"I saw what happened. Are you okay?"
"No," she said, voice small. "But I will be."
"I'm assigning you private security. You'll have someone following you at all times until this dies down."
Lisa opened her mouth to protest—but stopped.
This was her new reality.
"You really are all in, aren't you?" she asked softly.
Grey nodded. "I've never been halfway about the things that matter."
That Night
Lisa sat on her bed, scrolling through headlines and cruel comments online. Her photo was finally leaked—someone from the office must have shared it.
She was officially the other woman now. The homewrecker. The seductress. The poor girl who dared to dream.
She was about to turn off her phone when a message popped up from Grey.
> "Don't read the comments. Just read this: I love you. I've got you."
Lisa hugged her pillow tightly, a soft smile forming despite her tears.
She wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring.
But tonight, she felt seen.
And maybe, just maybe... loved.