I Slept With My Boss Then Married Him

"Elizabeth, lower your voice," her mother said softly, disapproval threading through the words. Elizabeth caught the swollen, tear-stained eyes—the kind that came from hours of crying. Even now, after all this upheaval, her mother was still reaching for peace. It left Elizabeth worn thin, drained down to the bone.

Elizabeth drew a deep breath and pulled herself together. "Then why don't you offer your own daughter up for sale?" The words came out sharp with frustration.

"I am not marrying a guy who looks like a pig," Sabrina cut in from the couch, smug and completely unbothered. "Elizabeth, you'd better hurry up and say yes while you're still young. Otherwise, once you hit thirty, nobody's going to want you."

Elizabeth's anger simmered beneath the surface—a silent storm of cold fury. She turned to her mother. "Mom, is that what you think too?"

Her mother's evasive gaze said enough. Elizabeth felt like a stranger in her own home.

"Sabrina," her mother said, trying to quiet her other daughter, but Sabrina just rolled her eyes with blatant indifference.

"Either you get married tomorrow, or you get out of my house!" Barry, her stepfather, declared with icy finality.

Elizabeth looked at her mother, exasperation written all over her face. "Mom, after all these years, what do you have to say for yourself?" Her voice was thick with disappointment.

Her mother's weakness surfaced, and Barry cut in harshly. "I'm the head of this household now. For the rest of your life, I'm the one you'll have to depend on. You think you can count on her?"

Elizabeth's mother fell quiet, subdued under his domineering presence. "Elizabeth, listen to your father."

"My father's dead," Elizabeth shot back, her gaze piercing as she stared Barry down.

"Then get out! Get out of my house, you ungrateful brat! I doubt you'll survive on your own!" Barry shouted, disdain dripping from every word.

Feeling deeply betrayed, Elizabeth packed her clothes with determination, slammed her suitcase shut, and headed for the door. "Fine. I'm leaving!" Her voice was a mix of anger and sorrow.

Barry hadn't expected her to resist. He trailed after her, bellowing into the corridor, "If you walk out that door, don't bother coming back!"

Elizabeth didn't turn around. Her footsteps echoed as she stepped into the elevator.

Outside, the rain was pouring down in sheets.

With only her suitcase, Elizabeth walked into the downpour. The rain lashed her skin and mixed with her tears.

Lightning split the sky in a blinding flash, followed by a roar of thunder. Elizabeth flinched and shielded her head with her arms.

She had always hated stormy nights.

Her father had died in an accident on a night like this.

Dragging her suitcase, Elizabeth took refuge at a nearby bus stop. The wind howled, and the rain battered everything in its path, making even finding a spot to rest a challenge.

Her eyes burned with unshed tears, her vision blurring as she fiddled with her phone. The battery hovered at a measly five percent. When it rains, it pours—and for Elizabeth, that had never felt more true. Life kept hurling new hurdles at her with every step she took.

With a sardonic chuckle at her predicament, Elizabeth opened the company group chat and found Maximilian Carter's contact.

Without overthinking it, she sent a friend request.

Her verification message read, "Mr. Carter, is your marriage proposal from this afternoon still on the table?"

After she hit send, Elizabeth couldn't help but scorn herself. She had already turned Maximilian down twice. What made her think he'd still be interested?