The headlines hadn't stopped.
"Governor's Daughter Destroys Vale Systems Proposal"
"Smart City Standoff: Grace Cole vs. Liam Vale"
"Is Eon Heights Already Crumbling?"
Grace ignored them. Mostly.
She buried herself in work fund pitches, portfolio reviews, reports , anything to drown out the image of Liam Vale's smirk on the press circuit. But even from a distance, he knew how to keep himself in her orbit.
The message came just after noon, sliding onto her screen mid-email.
MAYA: "He's coming to your office. Mr Vale. Today."
Grace stared at the message her assistant just sent .
For five full seconds, she considered fleeing.
Instead, she stood, adjusted the collar of her blouse, and braced herself.
Liam arrived ten minutes later , no entourage, no theatrics. Just a dark suit, no tie, and that maddening, unreadable calm.
"Ms Cole " he said, like this was routine. Like he hadn't blown up half the city's media cycle with her name in his mouth.
"Mr. Vale." She didn't shake his hand. "To what do I owe the interruption?"
He smiled faintly. "I figured we'd had enough distance. Time to talk solutions."
He set a thick leather folder on her desk. Heavy. Serious. No-nonsense.
She raised a brow. "This is the part where you offer me money to stay quiet"
"On the contrary," he said. "I'm offering you the chance to make as much noise as you want inside the project."
She paused. "You're joking."
Liam opened the folder. Plans. Projections. Environmental audits. A revised proposal stamped "Confidential."
"You were right," he said. "About the greenwashing. About the oversight. I don't want to fix this from the top down , I want to rebuild it from the foundation up. With you leading the redesign."
Grace blinked.
This wasn't the arrogant CEO she'd clashed with under the press lights. This was a man who sounded… almost sincere.
"You're giving me access to your flagship project?" she asked. "You're not afraid I'll tear it apart?"
"I'm counting on it," he said. "You want change. I want credibility. Let's give this city both."
Her gut screamed 'trap' and yet
She flipped through the file. His proposed terms were real. Unfiltered access. Creative control over sustainability planning. Partnerships with equity-focused housing advocates. Her name in the documents, already.
He was serious.
And that scared her more than if he'd been bluffing.
"What's in it for you?" she asked, voice sharper. "Don't say goodwill. You don't strike me as a man who operates on karma."
He met her eyes. "My name is on this project. My legacy. I either double down on bad choices ,or I bring in the one person who called me out and let her reshape it."
She stared at him for a long moment. Weighing everything. The risk. The responsibility. The ridiculousness of trusting a billionaire who used to represent everything she hated
But then she thought about what she could do , what real lasting change could look like if she were the one at the wheel.
"I don't trust you" she said finally.
"Good," he replied. "You're not supposed to. You're supposed to keep me honest."
That landed harder than she expected.
Grace closed the folder, slowly. Her voice was calm, but deliberate. "If I say yes, I want a signed MOU with full discretion to assemble my team. My way. No interference from your board."
"You'll have it."
"And if you cross me even once, I'll pull the plug and I'll make sure you never get a permit approved in this city again."
His smirk curved like a promise. "Deal."
She stood, extending her hand this time. Not for camaraderie but for control.
He took it, firm and steady. No games.
"Then congratulations, Mr. Vale," she said. "You just hired your most stubborn problem."