Sophia Miller tossed and turned all night before finally waking up, something gnawing at her gut. Rolling over, she came face-to-face with reality - her boss of five years, who also happened to be her secret boyfriend. Yeah, it was as messy as it sounds.
Flicking on the bedside lamp, she earned an annoyed scowl from the man beside her.
Her stomach dropped when she checked her phone. "Mr. Brown," she said, giving his bare back a gentle tap. "It's just after six. You've got that seven-thirty meeting."
That was her life - playing both executive assistant and secret girlfriend to William Brown.
William, hotshot CEO of Brown Group, didn't even bother opening his eyes. "Beat it," he muttered, brushing her hand away like she was nothing.
Sophia kept quiet, used to his morning attitude.
Then her phone lit up with a message from an unknown number:
[FYI: Mr. Brown's got a childhood sweetheart his grandfather handpicked. Did you seriously think you'd end up as Mrs. Brown?]
Deep down, she'd always known this truth. Now it was staring her in the face - time to cut her losses.
Moving like a ghost, she slipped into her robe and headed downstairs for breakfast. After eating alone, she showered and got ready in the guest room, careful not to wake His Majesty. Then she was out the door, catching a ride to the office.
At work, it was business as usual - fake smiles from coworkers while she handled the day's schedule, standing guard outside the conference room like always.
Right on cue at 7:28, the private elevator chimed. Sophia let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
William stepped out looking like he'd walked off a magazine cover - tall, gorgeous, and totally buttoned-up. He breezed past her like she was invisible, like they hadn't shared a bed just hours ago.
After the meeting dragged on, Sophia was ordering William's breakfast when Emma Davis, another assistant, popped her head over the cubicle wall.
"Did you see Mr. Brown's schedule tonight?" Emma asked.
"What about it?"
Emma dropped her voice to barely above a whisper. "He's got dinner with Louis Smith - you know, the SHINE CEO?"
Louis Smith was bad news with a capital B. Every woman in corporate knew his reputation - sexual harassment complaints, rumors about drugging an assistant at another company, and word was he'd even tried something with William's aunt Grace. Total creep show.
"If Mr. Brown's going, he'll need an assistant," Emma said, worry written all over her face. "Louis is seriously bad news. God, I hope you're not stuck going."
Sophia kept her cool. "No way. Mr. Brown knows Louis's reputation. He wouldn't put an assistant in that situation."
Right on cue, Diane Taylor poked her head in. "Sophia? Mr. Brown wants to see you."
Sophia quickly wrapped up the breakfast order and headed to his office.
Five years. That's how long she'd been working for him. He'd swept her off her feet not long after she started, and despite dealing with some real jerks over the years, he'd always shielded her from the worst ones. Sure, they were keeping things under wraps, but she'd thought he actually gave a damn about her. No way he'd throw her to a creep like Louis Smith.
Boy, was she wrong.
William didn't even look up from his paperwork when she walked in. "Clear your schedule. You're coming to dinner tonight. With Louis."
Sophia felt like someone had dumped ice water down her back.
When she didn't answer, William finally glanced up, looking annoyed. "Did you hear what I said?"
Reality check. Sophia managed a nod. "Yes."
He tossed some signed papers her way, face cold as January. "How long have you been my assistant?"
"Five years."
"Then you know the drill."
Five. Freaking. Years. He'd used her all this time, and now he was serving her up like an appetizer.
She'd been thinking about quitting for a while, wanting to do it on her own terms. But this? This was the last straw. His complete lack of basic human decency finally lit the fire under her.
"Mr. Brown," she said, voice steady as steel, "I quit."
