Graydon Meyer could not believe his luck. He was checking out a new bakery near NYU for a much deserved treat after dealing with that wretch Lacy barging into his office on his lunch break. It wasn't far from the Flatiron District and his employees had been raving about it for weeks.

Who did he run into but the woman in Aaron's life in a struggle with another man! He was quite concerned she was doing something untoward until she explained that it was a former friend who took too many liberties since she was in a relations.h.i.+p.

Noticing the ring was an especially pleasant surprise. Well done, Aaron! Getting married in a week and absolutely no one had heard a word about it. He must really not want his father to find out.

Graydon certainly wasn't going to tell. Alistair would get a mighty slap in the face about this at some point. He couldn't wait to see it go down.

The only son of the mighty Hale Empire marries a commoner in secret! Alistair would never live down the shame. It was deliciously poetic.

Too bad he couldn't give them a wedding gift of some sort. Unless…maybe there was something he could do. Something about Aaron's quest to control the company's shares, perhaps?

He had many connections throughout this city. Buying off shares wouldn't even be that difficult for him. The only reason he hadn't done it before was because he was too interested in seeing how Aaron would proceed personally.

Why shouldn't he buy five percent and give the man a proper wedding gift? He could send the doc.u.ment to someone Aaron trusted rather than to him directly in case Alistair was watching.

Cameron Singleton should do nicely. He was a member of the board as well; it wouldn't be terribly suspicious if he suddenly acquired a few more shares.

'Enjoy your wedding, Aaron. And your future takeover of Hale Investments,' Graydon thought as he composed a simple message to send to Emilio Sandoval. His shares would be easy pickings.

===

July 2019, in another life

After the successful murder of Keeley Hale, Gray felt powerful. Aaron, the weak link of the Hale family, was in trouble with his father for not accepting responsibility for 'his' child with Lacy Knighton.

Apparently he had been threatened with losing his position as vice president. He deserved it. They all deserved the worst.

He decided to visit his mother and tell her all about his victory. She would be happy to hear about it, he was sure. She despised the Hales, every last one of them.

Gray bought a bouquet of orchids, her favorite, and headed off to see her. He knelt down in front of her grave and set the flowers down.

"I did it, Ma. The entire Hale family is about to crumble to pieces. They'll pay for what they did to you. I promise. Aren't you proud of me?"

He sat there a while longer staring at the headstone. Mary Gray had died so young. Too young. He was only five years old when it happened.

After she died, he was sent off to live with an uncle in the Bronx. Uncle Louie talked trash about the Hales all day and night—he had loved his baby sister dearly. He could never forgive Alistair Hale or any of them.

In his grief, Uncle Louie turned to alcohol and drank himself to death by the time Gray was eleven. With no living family he was forced from foster home to foster home until he turned eighteen. n.o.body ever wanted to keep him.

Getting a scholars.h.i.+p to MIT was what saved him. He vowed to make something of himself so he would have the power to fight the entire Hale family and bring them to their knees.

Lost in unpleasant memories, he didn't notice the man kneeling at a grave three rows ahead of him until he broke down sobbing. The death must have been recent. Poor sucker.

"I'm so sorry, Keeley. I couldn't protect you from them. I tried so hard to save you but…" he trailed off because he was crying too hard.

Keeley? That wasn't a very common name. Was this broken man really Aaron Hale or was it a coincidence?

"I'll get back at them," the crying man vowed. "Everyone who hurt you. My father…the Knightons…I won't let your death go unpunished. You deserved so, so much more than what you got."

He paused to wipe his eyes a bit and stared at the sky. "Please…if there's any mercy in this universe at all…please just let me see her one more time. Just let me tell her how much I love her and that I'm sorry any of this ever happened. Let me make it up to her somehow."

Whoa, hang on! This was definitely Aaron Hale…but it looked like he was actually in love with his wife! All of Gray's sources were wrong? Impossible!

More importantly, he was trying to protect her from Alistair and the Knightons? Had he known about Lacy's pregnancy scheme this entire time?

Gray thought about it. The rumors that Aaron Hale wasn't satisfied with his wife anymore didn't start until after that incident. If he knew that his father had a hand in it…it made a twisted sort of sense he would be afraid to show her any love after that.

Aaron had lost his wife just like Gray lost his mother, due to the greed of the ultra-rich. He felt sick. He helped this happen.

He worked against two people in love who were trying to get out from Alistair Hale's thumb. He was just as bad as Alistair was. Gray destroyed the wrong Hale!

It would be wrong to continue in his revenge now. Aaron deserved that honor. Gray would back away and let him handle things. Vengeance was fulfilling. It would give the poor guy something to live for a while longer.

"I'm sorry, Aaron," he whispered too quietly for the still-sobbing man to hear.

Aaron had curled up on top of the grave and was too upset to care how dirty he was getting. The grave was so recent that the gra.s.s hadn't grown in yet. Lying on a mound of dirt, he looked pathetic.

Gray couldn't believe it. All this time he thought the guy was a robot programmed by his father. Turns out, he was only pretending to be a robot to protect the woman he loved more than anything. Heartbreaking. Truly heartbreaking.

Aaron deserved better. Keeley deserved better too. Burdened with guilt, he found himself wis.h.i.+ng the same thing Aaron had shouted at the sky minute earlier.

Please give him another chance. Let him make things up to her. Let them be happy together this time away from the evil world of Alistair Hale.