SIGNED TO BE HIS

The early morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting long shadows across the room. Grace had barely slept, her thoughts spiraling around everything that had happened over the past few days. The conversation with Jax the night before was still fresh in her mind, as was the unsettling feeling that lingered after she had walked out of the café with Victoria. She couldn't shake the nagging doubt that there were things going on that she wasn't being told.

She had always suspected there was more to Jax's past than he let on, but hearing him admit that he didn't know how to let go of his ex made everything more complicated. Grace had tried to convince herself that their connection was real, that their moments together meant something. But now, she wasn't so sure anymore.

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She reached over and saw a message from Victoria.

"I need you to meet me. It's urgent. Don't tell Jax."

Grace's stomach twisted. The way Victoria phrased it made it sound like there was more to the situation than she was letting on. The last thing she needed was more secrecy, especially from the woman who had been pulling the strings in her life since this whole deal had begun. But despite the hesitation, Grace knew she had to meet her.

The café was almost empty when Grace arrived, except for Victoria, who was sitting at a table near the window, sipping her coffee. The moment Grace walked in, Victoria's eyes flicked up, and she put the cup down, her posture immediately becoming more rigid.

"Grace," she greeted, her voice smooth but laced with urgency. "You came."

Grace nodded, her stomach still tight. "What's going on, Victoria? Why couldn't you just tell me over the phone?"

Victoria's expression was colder than usual. She didn't waste time. "There's a problem," she said flatly. "The journalist, the one you met the other day—she's gotten more involved than we realized. She's digging into Jax's past, his family, everything. She's threatening to expose his entire life if we don't pay up."

Grace's heart skipped a beat. "What does she want?"

Victoria leaned in, lowering her voice. "She's not after just a story. She wants money. A lot of it. And she wants it now, or she's going to ruin him. His career, his personal life... everything. And we don't have much time."

Grace sat back in her chair, the weight of the situation settling on her shoulders. "So, what's the plan? What are we going to do?"

Victoria's lips twisted into a tight smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I've arranged the payment. A large sum. I'm transferring it to her account anonymously. She won't know where it came from, but she'll think it's a legitimate deal. It should stop her for now."

Grace didn't feel reassured. "But what if she doesn't stop?"

"That's where you come in," Victoria said sharply, her eyes narrowing. "You need to stay close to Jax. Keep him distracted. Make him think that everything is normal. We can't afford for him to find out what's really going on, not yet."

Grace frowned. "What do you mean by distracted? What if he finds out about the money?"

"We'll deal with that if it happens," Victoria said curtly. "For now, the priority is to keep Jax in the dark. Do whatever it takes."

The day stretched on in a blur for Grace. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease as she played along with Victoria's demands. She had agreed to stay with Jax, to pretend everything was fine, but every time they spoke, every time their eyes met, she couldn't help but wonder what he was really thinking. Was he hiding something from her? Was he as clueless as he seemed, or was he playing his own game?

The more she thought about it, the more she began to notice small things that didn't quite add up. Jax was distant. He was always distracted, his attention often drifting away whenever she tried to connect with him. And though he was quick to brush off her concerns, Grace couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on behind the scenes.

Then, the phone rang.

Grace had been sitting in the living room, reading a book, when she heard it. Jax's phone buzzed loudly from the kitchen counter. He had stepped outside to take a call earlier, but now, it rang again.

Her eyes narrowed. Jax had seemed distant, but that call had been different. Something in the way he had walked out told her he didn't want her to overhear.

She got up, moving silently toward the kitchen. The phone continued to ring, and Grace hesitated for a moment before grabbing it from the counter.

The caller ID read "UNKNOWN."

Without thinking, Grace swiped to answer it, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

On the other end, there was a brief silence before the voice on the other side spoke.

"Jax? Jax, it's me."

Grace froze. Her grip tightened on the phone as recognition set in.

It was her.

The woman from the past. The one Jax had claimed was just an ex, but somehow, Grace felt the urgency in her tone. It didn't sound like someone just looking for closure. This was something deeper. Something she wasn't ready to hear.

"Are you going to pick up or what?" the woman said again, impatiently.

Grace's pulse quickened. She glanced toward the door, half-expecting Jax to walk back in any second.

"Hello?" Grace said, her voice barely a whisper. "Who is this?"

There was a long pause before the woman responded, her voice sharp and filled with tension. "You know who I am. And you're the one he's with now, huh?"

Grace's breath hitched, her grip on the phone tightening as a rush of emotions hit her.

Before she could respond, the woman added, "Don't bother pretending. I know everything. You're just a distraction. I'll be back in his life, and you'll be nothing but a memory."

The line went dead.

Grace stood there, frozen. She could feel the weight of the words, the pain, and the venom in them. She had heard enough.

When Jax returned, he didn't notice the lingering tension in the room, or maybe he chose to ignore it. But Grace couldn't. She had heard everything.

And now, she couldn't unhear it.