Grayson’s POV

Grayson Sinclair was used to handling scandals. He had been at the center of many—business-related, personal, and the occasional tabloid nonsense. But this? This was different.

The moment he stepped into his penthouse, the silence felt suffocating. His phone buzzed relentlessly, calls from board members, investors, and, of course, his mother. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly before dialing back.

“Grayson,” Eleanor Sinclair’s voice came through, sharp and controlled. “Tell me why I’m seeing headlines about you and a woman in a compromising situation.”

He leaned against the bar, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s exaggerated.”

“Exaggerated or not, this has consequences,” she snapped. “You know how fragile the company’s reputation is right now.”

He did. And yet, his mind kept circling back to Isla—the look on her face when she had seen the tabloids, the way she had squared her shoulders as if preparing for battle.

“She’s an important asset to Sinclair Enterprises,” Grayson said finally. “This will blow over.”

His mother sighed. “If you care about the company, fix this before it gets worse.”

She hung up before he could respond.

Grayson downed a glass of whiskey, his mind already working through damage control. He needed to talk to Isla. Now.

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Isla’s POV

Isla stared at the screen in disbelief.

The article had spread like wildfire. Pictures of her and Grayson, headlines painting her as the desperate consultant clinging to the billionaire CEO. Words like scandal, affair, and favoritism were splashed across every news outlet.

Her phone rang for what felt like the hundredth time. She ignored it.

A sharp knock at her hotel room door made her jump. She had barely reached for the handle when Grayson pushed inside, his expression unreadable.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“No kidding,” she shot back, crossing her arms. “Did you see the article? The way they’ve made me look like some desperate woman clinging to your empire?”

Grayson’s jaw clenched. “I’m handling it.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Handling it? Grayson, this could ruin my career! I came here to fix your company, not to become some tabloid headline.”

His eyes darkened. “Do you think I wanted this? That I’d let them drag your name through the mud?”

She exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. “So what’s the plan?”

“I’ll release a statement—make it clear this is a fabricated scandal.”

“And will that fix the board’s perception of me?”

Silence.

“I have to prove myself all over again now,” she whispered. “I worked too hard to have it all reduced to this.”

Grayson stepped closer. “We’ll fix it together.”

Her gaze snapped to his, searching for any deception. But there was none.

The weight of the moment settled between them.

She could walk away.

Or she could fight.

And Isla Carter had never been one to back down from a fight.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s fix this.”

A slow smirk played on Grayson’s lips. “Good choice.”

But even as they planned their next move, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.

The real war was yet to come.