Grace found herself in the Vale Systems break room, sipping lukewarm tea while waiting for Liam to finish a surprise investor call. Mia had followed her in, humming as she raided the fridge like she owned the place
She probably half did.
"So," Mia said, popping the tab on a grapefruit soda, "you're the woman my brother has not shut up about."
Grace blinked "He talks about me?"
Mia grinned. "Only every time we FaceTimed for the past month. It was either 'Grace thinks I'm a fraud,' or 'Grace tore me a new one in front of the press,' or 'Grace has the sharpest damn mind I've ever seen'"
Grace's cheeks flushed
"I thought he hated me at first" she said quietly.
"Oh, he did," Mia said cheerfully. "At least, that's how he copes , If something scares him, he tries to dominate it or dismiss it. You did both. So… naturally, he was obsessed."
Grace smirked. "That's oddly comforting."
Mia hopped onto the counter, swinging her legs "Look, my brother's been building empires since I was old enough to spell 'algorithm.' But this is the first time I've ever seen him shaken. Not by business. By feelings"
Grace glanced at her. "That's not really his strong suit."
"God, no," Mia laughed. "Liam's great with code. Terrible with emotions. But you… you hit him where it counts."
A pause.
"You know about your father's threat, right?"
Grace stiffened. "Yeah. I know."
"He found out a few days ago. You should've seen him , he was ready to torch the whole damn partnership if it meant you wouldn't get burned. Told our board you were worth more than any deal."
Grace looked down at her tea. "He didn't tell me that."
"Because he knows you'd never let him," Mia said softly. "He respects you too much to make you feel like his sacrifice."
Grace swallowed hard. "He drives me insane."
"Good," Mia said brightly. "He needs that. Someone to challenge him, not just nod along while he builds castles in the sky."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Then Mia looked at her seriously. "Don't hurt him. He'll pretend it won't matter but it will."
Grace met her eyes. "I never planned to."
The office door opened down the hall. Liam's voice called out, "Grace "
She stood, smoothing her jacket.
"Go," Mia said with a knowing smile. "And maybe remind him that not all good things need a blueprint."
Grace gave her a grateful glance before heading back toward the man who, against all odds, had stopped feeling like the enemy and started feeling like something dangerously close to home