I Slept With My Boss Then Married Him

“Thank you for last night...”

Kataleya barely got the words out before Elizabeth Cox cut in. She dipped into a slight bow toward Maximilian Carter. “Thank you, Mr. Carter, for finding my phone last night. If I'd lost it, all those important documents and files would've been gone. I'm truly grateful.”

The words—and the sincerity stamped on her face—were almost too earnest. To anyone in the know, it was just a phone. To anyone who wasn't, it might've sounded like something far worse had happened to warrant that kind of gratitude.

Kataleya stood frozen beside her, her own curiosity forgotten as she stared at Elizabeth with wide eyes.

“Just a small favor,” Maximilian said smoothly, his dark eyes briefly meeting hers.

“We won't keep you from your breakfast, Mr. Carter. Please, enjoy your meal.” Elizabeth gently pulled Kataleya aside, her face fixed in a tight smile. Her eyes silently pleaded with Maximilian, begging him to drop the subject and not mention what had happened the night before.

Maximilian's gaze lingered on her a beat longer. Then, without another word, he headed toward the main dining table.

As his group passed Elizabeth and Kataleya, relief crashed through her.

She had been terrified.

Drawing a deep breath, Elizabeth realized she was soaked in a cold sweat. Shaken didn't even begin to cover it.

Kataleya, momentarily distracted from her gossip, was glued to the sight of Maximilian's retreating form. “Mr. Carter is stunning from afar, but up close? Wow. Dating a man like that would make your whole family celebrate!”

Elizabeth let out a chuckle despite herself, teasing, “If your family knew what you were thinking, they’d never let you live it down.”

Kataleya rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh, stop it. Let's eat. Afterward, I'm heading home to see my boyfriend.”

“Sounds good,” Elizabeth agreed, grateful her mischievous friend was so easily distracted by food. She was relieved Kataleya didn't press her about last night.

After lunch, the annual company retreat officially wrapped up. Employees were to head home by bus, while upper management rolled out in their luxury cars.

Elizabeth took a window seat on the bus, staring outside, lost in thought. Her reverie was interrupted by Kataleya's excited voice from the seat ahead. “Oh my god, Mr. Carter's Rolls-Royce is breathtaking! Why wasn’t I lucky enough to land a handsome, wealthy CEO like that?”

Elizabeth watched the imposing luxury car roll by. The contrast between their lives was stark.

Her phone kept buzzing with messages, dragging her attention away from the window. It was her mother. Before the gala, her family had been trying to marry her off to an older man—pushing her to lock it down fast because he'd promised her family a massive marriage settlement.

Elizabeth had refused. She'd thought the whole thing had blown over, like it had before. But when she got home, the pressure to marry was worse than ever.

To avoid going home early, she stayed at the office all day, then hid out at a nearby library until late before finally heading back.

At her door, she took a deep breath and turned the key.

Opening the door, she was shocked to find her belongings strewn across the living room floor.

Her mother was on the couch, crying uncontrollably.

“Who threw my things out?” Elizabeth's fists clenched in rage at the sight.

“Our lady of the house has returned,” Sabrina said sarcastically from the couch, eyes glued to her game.

Hearing this, her stepfather, Barry, who had been smoking on the balcony, stormed in, furious, tossing his cigarette aside.

Before she could react, he slapped her hard across the face. “After all we've done to raise you, you contribute nothing to this family! We found a good match for you, and you ruined it! The man agreed to pay the family generously, and you didn't even show up for the date. Where have you been, messing around with some guy until this hour?!”

Barry's words were harsh and condescending. Had Elizabeth's mother not intervened, he might have struck her again.

The blow landed hard, a hot swell already rising on Elizabeth's fair cheek. It caught her completely off guard.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, disillusionment washing over her. Despite years of mistreatment and verbal abuse, she'd always handed over most of her paycheck to help them, keeping only a small portion for herself. Her patience and devotion had gotten her nothing but the prospect of being sold off to a stranger.

Something inside her snapped. Elizabeth lashed out, hurling her purse at Barry.

“What gives you the right to hit me? My real parents never did. Who the hell do you think you are to lay a hand on me?”

“You ungrateful brat! Your father is dead. I'm your father now, and if it wasn't for me and my compassion, you wouldn't have a roof over your head!” Barry shouted, stepping back, clutching his face where the purse had hit him.

“You're pathetic!” Elizabeth retorted coldly, standing tall in the doorway, staring him down with icy defiance. “I put myself through school, earned my own living, and my mom works multiple jobs to keep this household afloat. And you call us a burden!”

She trembled with anger, her eyes fixed on Barry, filled with a fierce resolve.

“If you hadn't tricked my mom into signing over my dad's house, you'd have nowhere to live!”