His Dangerous Love On Ice Chapter 124: Olive's Pov

"I don't know," I whispered. "I don't know what I feel anymore."

Grayson stood and walked around the desk, sitting in the chair next to mine instead of across from me.

"Your mother wants you to leave him," he said. "She thinks he's toxic. Dangerous. Bad for you."

"And what do you think?" I asked.

"I think," Grayson said carefully, "that she's not wrong. But I also think it's not that simple."

He reached over and took my hand. The gesture was so fatherly, so gentle, that I almost started crying right there.

"I'm going to tell you something," he said. "And I need you to really hear it. Zane Mercer is dangerous. He is toxic. He is capable of terrible things. But he's also the man who saved my company. Who saved my reputation. Who gave me back everything I thought I'd lost."

He paused, his grip on my hand tightening slightly.

"And he did all of that for one reason. Because you asked him to. Because you matter to him more than his own family. More than his own father."

A tear slipped down my cheek.

"So the question isn't whether he's good for you," Grayson continued. "The question is whether you can handle being with someone who loves you that intensely. That destructively. Because Olive, that man will burn the world down for you. And you need to decide if that's something you want. Or something that will destroy you both."

I couldn't answer. Couldn't speak.

"There's something else," Grayson said, releasing my hand. "Something you need to know."

I looked up at him, dread pooling in my stomach.

"I'm promoting you," he said. "To Senior Vice President of Strategic Development."

I blinked. "What?"

"The board—the new board—agrees that we need fresh leadership. People who stayed loyal when things got hard. And you've earned it."

"Grayson, I can't—I didn't—"

"You've been working toward this for years," he said firmly. "You've proven yourself over and over. And now, with the company restructuring, we need people we can trust in key positions."

It should have felt like a victory. Like everything I'd worked for was finally paying off.

But all I could think about was how convenient the timing was. How it looked.

"People are going to think I got this because of Zane," I said quietly.

"Let them think whatever they want," Grayson said. "You earned this position. And anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to me."

He stood, and I did too, my legs shaky.

"Take the rest of the day," Grayson said. "Process everything. And then decide what you're going to do. About the promotion. About Zane. About all of it."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

As I turned to leave, Grayson called my name.

"Olive?"

I looked back.

"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "I don't think he's going to walk away from you. Not after this. So you need to decide if you're walking away from him. Because one way or another, you're going to have to make a choice."

I left his office, my mind spinning, my heart pounding.

The hallway was still chaotic. People rushing around. Phones ringing. The energy of a company that had just been resurrected.

But all I could hear was Grayson's voice.

‘He will burn the world down for you.’

My phone buzzed.

A text. From the same unknown number as before.

Unknown: Senior VP. Impressive. Did you earn it, or did he buy it for you?

Unknown: Tick tock, Olive. One month left. Better decide what you want before it's too late.

My hands were shaking as I deleted the message.

But I couldn't delete the question.

What did I want?

And was I brave enough to admit the answer? And how the hell was this person able to know everything about me.