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I don’t know what he expects me to say. I can’t undo it. I’m already drowning in my own shame. Reminding me how badly I failed doesn’t fix the family name—it only makes sure I never forget that I’m the one who ruined it.

“I won’t let you down again,” I whisper. “I promise.”

“I know you won’t,” he says.

Something in his expression shifts. The sharpness softens, and for a moment he almost looks affectionate. He reaches out and settles a heavy hand on my shoulder.

“I spoke with PR,” he continues. I’m guessing he means the PR people at Whitmore Supplements. “They believe the best way to handle this is to replace the narrative.”

I stare at him. “Replace it with what?”

“With something stronger.” His gaze sharpens. “You move on quickly. Publicly. With someone credible. Someone appropriate.”

My stomach drops.

“They said if we give people a new story to talk about, this one will disappear. We should start immediately.”

I know exactly what this means. Dad’s going to try to trot me out with one of his aging business associates again.

“I’m not ready—” I start.

“You were ready last week,” he cuts in. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

He stands and leaves without another word. The moment the door clicks shut behind him, I shove down the rising panic in my throat. I wait until his footsteps fade down the hallway, then bolt across the room. I duck into my walk-in closet, slipping behind a row of long gowns before I answer the phone, heart hammering against my ribs.

“Finally,” Drew says.

“My father saw the name you saved in my phone,” I hiss, keeping my voice low. “How the hell did you even get my number?”

“Called myself from your phone this morning,” he answers, sounding completely unbothered. “Your dad gave me your number too, by the way. Relax—I didn’t tell him I already had it.”

He lets out a long, lazy sigh.

“I’ve been thinking…we’re gonna have to cool things off for a while. My boss would lose his mind. Gotta be professional and all that.”

“You think?” I snap. “Obviously we’ll just pretend it never happened. We ignore each other. Easy.”

“I know I’ll be fine,” Drew says, smoothly. “I’m more worried about you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on, Grace. We both know how insatiable you are.” His voice is warm, amused, like he’s fighting back a laugh. “You’re going to have to control yourself around me, okay? My neck is on the line here, and I’d prefer to keep it.”

“I am perfectly capable of controlling myself, thank you⁠—”

“You haven’t left your room since you bolted from the study, have you?” he cuts in, clearly grinning. “Afraid you’ll jump me the second the door closes?”

“I’m just tired,” I mutter.

“Sure you are.” He sounds way too satisfied. “You worked pretty hard last night. I still remember exactly how you looked…hair all messy, cheeks flushed, eyes wild, riding me like you were trying to break me.”

He lets the words linger, low and teasing.

“But don’t worry,” he continues, sounding incredibly pleased with himself. “As soon as this job is over, I’ll let you have another go. You earned it.”

Another go? Like I’m supposed to be thrilled he’s penciling me in for round two. The nerve of him—talking about sleeping with him is some grand prize.

“That is never happening again,” I snap. Unfortunately, it comes out breathy and far too flustered to be convincing.