A loud crash sent the couple in the room jumping, cutting their frantic, heated activity dead in its tracks. Caught completely off guard, Grant Smith scrambled to yank the blanket up over himself and the woman pressed to his side.

"Who the hell has the nerve to crash my good time..." Grant started to roar, but the second he recognized Braxton Payne’s face, his tone curdled into something sickly sweet and ingratiating.

"Mr. Payne? What brings you by here?"

Despite the irritation simmering under his skin, Grant dropped straight into a submissive stance the second he was in Braxton’s presence.

Braxton ignored him completely. His sharp, cutting gaze was locked straight on the woman hidden under the blanket. His eyes were ice, his voice thick with barely contained rage. "So desperate to spread your legs for Mr. Smith, huh?"

The woman under the covers snuggled deeper into Grant’s side, her voice playing sweet and flirty. "Mr. Smith, what’s going on?"

That’s when Braxton’s anger boiled over. "Maxine, get the hell out here!" he demanded.

When the person under the blanket didn’t move a muscle, Braxton’s fury only spiked. He stormed across the room to the bed and ripped the blanket clean off.

"Ah—"

The startled woman shrieked and immediately curled herself into Grant’s chest.

When he saw the naked woman wasn’t Maxine Mason, Braxton’s frown only deepened. The tension in the room was still palpable., but a faint, unexpected wave of relief washed through him anyway.

Grant was quick on the uptake; he immediately clocked that Braxton was here looking for Maxine.

"You looking for Miss Mason?"

Braxton’s cold gaze snapped over to Grant. "Where is she?"

"Miss Mason isn’t here. After she left the party, she said she had something important to take care of and bailed."

"Didn’t Miss Mason come back to the inn with you?" Braxton’s sharp eyes narrowed, a heavy, suffocating pressure rolling off him.

"No!" Grant shot back firmly.

Even an idiot could see it now: Braxton didn’t just see Maxine as another fling.

At first, Grant had been annoyed Maxine bailed halfway, planning to get what he wanted from her another day. Now? He counted himself lucky she’d left when she did. If he’d actually slept with Braxton’s girl, he’d be six feet under by morning.

"Carry on, Mr. Smith. I won’t keep bothering you," Braxton said, the hostility melting off his posture. He gave a quick, sharp nod of goodbye before turning and striding out the door.

...

Maxine was soaking in the bathtub, and every time she closed her eyes, Braxton’s cold, indifferent face flashed through her mind. Their run-in tonight had made one thing painfully clear: where she stood with him was nowhere.

A sudden, insistent knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She wrapped a towel tight around her body and pulled the door open.

The man barged right in, kicked the door shut with his boot, and pinned her flat against the wall before she could even blink.

The familiar, woody scent of his cologne made Maxine’s heart skip a little. "Braxton, what are you doing here?"

"Weren’t you supposed to be with Grant tonight?" he asked, his dark eyes boring straight into hers, displeasure written all over his face.

Thinking about her flirting with Grant earlier was what had set him off.

"Something important came up. I rescheduled with him for another day."

Braxton’s gaze darkened, and his grip on her wrist tightened until it ached. "What, am I not enough for you? You’re that desperate to climb into another man’s bed?"

Staring into his furious eyes, something stirred in Maxine’s chest. "You told me you didn’t care if I saw other people. Why are you mad now? Is it possible…?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Braxton’s hot, open-mouthed kisses started trailing down her collarbone, claiming every inch of her skin.

Panicked, Maxine tried to shove him away, but she never stood a chance—he only held her tighter.

Under any other circumstances, she would’ve leaned right into him, matched every bit of his hunger. But remembering his cold, callous words from tonight gave her a burst of unexpected strength, and she pushed him off.

"Braxton, what are you doing here this late?"

Braxton frowned, no apology for his hunger in sight. "I came to be with you."

"I’m not feeling well tonight. If you need company, go find someone else."

With that, Maxine turned to walk away.

"I only want to be with you right now!" Braxton wasn’t about to let her escape. He dragged her back into his arms and crashed his mouth against hers again, the kiss so deep it swallowed every one of her protests and struggles whole.

After their passionate encounter, Braxton’s hand wandered slowly up and down her smooth back.

"Why weren’t you into it earlier? Was I not good enough for you?"

Usually, when they were together, she’d bend over backwards to please him. But just now, she’d felt distant, detached, and it left him frustrated and unfulfilled.

Seeing Braxton still hungry for more, Maxine dropped her gaze, a heavy, hollow sadness settling in her chest.

His tenderness, his fiery passion—they only ever came out in these moments, behind closed doors. That’s all they ever would be.

Maxine was quiet for a long time before she finally worked up the courage to say what she’d been thinking. "Braxton… let’s end this."

She quietly bent to grab her clothes off the floor and pulled them on quickly. A dull ache throbbed low in her abdomen as she clutched at her stomach, probably from how rough Braxton had been earlier.

"What did you just say?" Braxton’s surprise melted fast into a frosty, biting glare.

"I said let’s end this. I don’t want to keep this relationship going anymore."

He would never marry her. And she didn’t want to just be his dirty little secret forever. She was scared if this kept going, she’d get tangled up so deep she’d never find her way out.

Braxton’s gaze went dark, a bone-deep chill rolling off him. "Why?"

"I’m twenty-five now. I want to find someone to marry, settle down."

She’d been with Braxton for five years. She wasn’t going to waste another minute of her life waiting for something that would never happen.

She was tired of living like this, always hidden, always a secret.

"Marriage?" Braxton’s eyes narrowed. "I thought you were smarter than this, Maxine. Wanting marriage from me is fucking naive."

Maxine gave a bitter, wobbly smile. "Braxton, I’m just a normal girl. It’s normal to want a marriage and kids. My youth doesn’t last forever. I can’t just be your lover forever."

Braxton’s face stayed blank, unreadable. He dressed quickly, then cast one detached, cold glance at Maxine. "I suggest you think this through carefully before you talk to me about this again."

"I already have. A man like you never runs out of women throwing themselves at you. Losing me won’t matter one bit."

Now that she’d made her decision, she’d forced herself to steel up enough to take this step. She knew if she stayed, she’d never work up the courage to walk away again.

Seeing how determined she was, Braxton’s face darkened even more, and he stormed out slamming the door behind him.

When he left Maxine’s apartment, Braxton’s face was colder than ice.

Sitting in the car, his driver could feel the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, and he glanced over cautiously, voice barely a whisper. "We not staying here tonight, sir?"

Usually, when Braxton came to see Maxine, he stayed until early morning. Why was he leaving so early tonight?

"Take me home," Braxton said, his gaze burning so hot with anger it looked like it could set the whole car on fire.

The driver didn’t dare ask another question and immediately turned the key in the ignition.

The room still smelled like them, still held the faint traces of what they’d just done. Left alone, Maxine’s mind kept circling back to Braxton, over and over.

Determined not to let him get to her anymore, Maxine changed into clean clothes and texted her friend Samantha to meet her for drinks.

“Are you actually gonna end things with Braxton Payne?”

Maxine Mason swirled the coffee in her mug, pausing a beat before answering. “Yeah. I’ve already made up my mind.”

Her best friend Sam dropped an excited hand on Maxine’s shoulder. “Finally! It’s about damn time you came to your senses! You should’ve dumped his ass ages ago. That whole ‘no strings attached’ crap is just his cheap excuse to dodge commitment!”

Maxine forced a wobbly little smile, but the grief in her eyes gave her away. “Why are you this happy about it?”

“I’m happy for you! You’re finally getting out of that toxic mess!”

Maxine pulled off another weak smile, but the sorrow lingering in her gaze couldn’t be hidden.

“Max, you good?” Sam asked, worry creeping into her voice—she’d always seen how deep Maxine’s feelings for Braxton ran.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Maxine answered, forcing a small smile and staring down at her shoes to hide the ache of loneliness gnawing at her. “I’m just gonna run to the bathroom.”

When she stood, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Everything went black, and the last thing she registered was Sam’s panicked voice calling her name.

...

When Maxine woke up the next morning, Sam’s voice wrapped around the quiet hospital room. “Thank God you’re awake! You scared the hell out of me!”

“I’m okay. I’ve just been overworking lately, haven’t been sleeping right. I’m sorry I worried you.”

She tried to swing her legs over the edge of the bed, but Sam gently pushed her back against the pillows. “Don’t you dare move! The doctor said there’s a miscarriage risk—you have to stay off your feet.”

“Miscarriage?” Maxine blinked, confusion clouding her face. “What… what are you talking about?”

“The doctor said you’re pregnant—about six weeks along,” Sam explained, her face soft with concern.

Maxine’s heart stopped cold. It took her several seconds to remember how to speak. “I’m… pregnant?”

Braxton had always been so careful. He’d never skipped protection, specifically to avoid exactly this. The only time it’d slipped up was that one night he’d gotten way too drunk and things had gotten out of hand. He’d even brought her emergency contraception the next morning, stood there and watched her take it.

She still ended up pregnant anyway. How was that even possible?

Noticing her silence, Sam pressed gently, “What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell Braxton? It’s his kid, after all.”

“I can’t let Braxton find out about this.”

She knew his dismissive, cynical nature. He’d just assume she was trying to trap him with the baby, that she was using the pregnancy to claw her way up his social ladder. There was no point in giving him that excuse.

“So what are you gonna do about the baby? Keep it, or…?”

“I’m gonna quit Payne Corp first. After that, I’ll go to the clinic with you to take care of it.”

Maxine pressed a light, trembling hand to her abdomen, her heart heavy as lead. She knew Braxton would never let her keep this baby. She couldn’t keep it anyway—if she did, she’d never be able to cut him loose and move on.

“Okay. I’ll be right there with you, whatever you need,” Sam said, squeezing Maxine’s hand and letting out a quiet, sad sigh.

Maxine turned her face away, biting down hard on her lower lip to hold it together as tears burned the backs of her eyes.

Just then, her phone rang. She answered it, and her colleague Lee’s urgent voice came through the line: “Max, where are you? Your dad’s at the office cornering Mr. Payne, screaming that you’re his girl.”

Maxine’s mind went completely blank. “Lee, stall him! I’ll be there as fast as I can!”

She hung up, ripped the IV out of her arm, and bolted out of the hospital. A dull ache throbbed in her lower abdomen, turning her face paper-white, but she didn’t slow down—she headed straight for Braxton’s office.

Braxton sat behind his desk, calm as you please, a filled-out check already sitting right beside his hand.

Maxine wouldn’t meet his eye, yanking her father David out of the office as fast as she could. “What are you doing here? Let’s go outside to talk.”

Once they were on the rooftop, David wrenched his arm out of her grip. “Why’d you drag me out here? I came to talk to Mr. Payne.”

“What do you want from him?” Maxine asked, forcing her rage to stay locked down.

“Money, obviously. If you won’t give me money, I’ll get it from my future son-in-law!”

Her dad was a lifelong gambler. Every time he lost and dug himself into debt, he showed up at Payne Corp shaking Braxton down for cash. She’d warned him a hundred times to stop.

“What the hell are you talking about? Braxton and I are just coworkers! And I don’t have any money to give you!” Maxine fought to keep her voice from shaking.

David scoffed. “Bullshit! You’re his mistress, you must be rolling in it. Starting now, you’re gonna give me a hundred grand a month, or I’ll keep showing up here and embarrassing you.”

The word “mistress” hit Maxine like a slap to the face. She froze solid.

“I told you I don’t have any money! Even if I did, I wouldn’t give you a single cent!”

David jabbed a greasy finger right in her face, yelling loud enough for the whole building to hear. “How dare you talk back to me? You think you’re all grown up now, you can disobey me?”

“For years you gambled nonstop, and every time you lost you’d beat Mom and me. Mom’s covered in scars from you. You even tried to sell your own daughter to pay off your gambling debts. How dare you stand here and ask me for money!”

If Braxton hadn’t stepped in all those years ago, she’d have been sold to a brothel before she even turned eighteen.

David’s face turned red with rage, his voice booming. “Are you gonna give me the money or not?”

Maxine stared him down, jaw set. “I said no.”

David’s eyes burned with fury, then suddenly a nasty smirk spread across his face like he’d just come up with the perfect plan. He grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise. “If you don’t have the money, I’ll just sell you to the casino owners. As Braxton Payne’s girl, you’d pull in thousands a night!”

Maxine shoved him away as hard as she could. “David, have you no shame at all?”

She stumbled back a step, the cramping pain in her abdomen spiking sharp enough to make her gasp, her face draining of all color.

“You little brat! You dare lay a hand on me? I will sell you to a brothel myself!” David snarled, lunging forward to drag her away by the wrist.

Suddenly, a big, strong hand clamped down hard on David’s wrist. He spun around, and came face to face with Braxton’s ice-cold glare.

David flinched back, his whole demeanor melting into groveling subservience. “M-Mr. Payne…”

Braxton’s eyes were colder than winter, and his whole body radiated a deadly, chilling aura as he spoke low and dangerous: “Who gave you the balls to threaten someone on my turf?”

"I'm Maxine Mason's father. Surely I got every right to discipline her?" Mr. Mason's words had barely finished hanging in the air when a sharp crack split the rooftop silence. A guttural, agonizing scream boomed out, echoing off the concrete. He clutched the hand Braxton Payne had just shattered, his face draining of every last bit of color.

"If you ever dare harass one of my employees at my company again, I'll make sure you disappear from this town for good," Braxton warned. Even seething with rage, Mr. Mason didn't dare push him further. He shot Maxine one last furious glare before slinking off, broken and defeated.

A sharp cramp twisted through Maxine's abdomen. She clutched her stomach, stumbling back a few wobbly steps. Her face went pale, cold sweat beading at her hairline. Braxton's eyes locked on her ashen skin, a flicker of worry cutting through his usual stoic mask. "I'll handle your father," he said flatly.

"No need to trouble you, Mr. Payne. I can handle my own family mess. This won't happen again," she answered. Her tone was detached, almost icy.

Braxton's jaw tightened, his eyes blazing with suppressed anger. "Maxine, are you done with this nonsense?"

"I'm not making drama, Mr. Payne. I'm here to resign," she said quietly.

His eyes darkened instantly. "Resign? Just to run away from me?"

"Yes," she admitted, staring off at anything but him.

"Isn't staying with me enough? Haven't I given you everything you ever wanted?" Braxton's generosity had never been up for debate—cars, a penthouse, more money than she could ever spend.

But none of that was what she actually wanted. "I want to get married. I want kids. Can you give me that?" Maxine held his gaze, clinging to a tiny, stupid flicker of hope.

If he just said yes, she'd stay without a second thought. Even if he was lying.

But Braxton just furrowed his brow. His gaze went complicated, unreadable, and he never answered her question.

"If you're dead set on leaving, go process your resignation." He turned and walked away, his stiff back giving away no hint of softness, no regret at all.

Maxine tilted her chin up, fighting to hold back the tears burning at the backs of her eyes. Still, they spilled over anyway, rolling hot and fast down her cheeks.

Once she pulled herself together, she headed back to the office. Before she could even turn the doorknob, she heard her coworkers gossiping inside.

"Did you hear Maxine's dad was saying she's Mr. Payne's mistress? Is that actually true?"

"Who wouldn't jump at that chance? Our CEO's hot as hell and loaded. But he's ice cold—why would he even look twice at Maxine?"

"Right? I heard her dad's a total gambling addict. There's no way Mr. Payne's into her. She probably started the rumor herself to climb the ladder. And didn't Mr. Payne just fire her anyway?"

When she pushed the door open, the room went dead silent. Everyone scattered under her gaze, hurrying back to their desks. Maxine packed her things quietly, every pair of eyes burning into her back as she got ready to leave.

To get away from all the reminders of her old mess, she'd arranged to crash at her friend Sue's place for a few days.

She was sitting in the back of a taxi when her phone rang. It was her mom. She answered fast. "Mom?" All that came through was static and chaotic yelling. Her stomach dropped. "Mom?"

Then her dad's sneering voice cut in. "Guess where I got your mom, Maxine?"

Her heart plummeted straight to her feet. "Where is she?"

"If you don't bring me the cash, I'm gonna sell her to that dive club down by the docks to entertain the drunks. She's old, but she can still pull in a few bucks," he laughed cruelly.

Maxine trembled with white-hot rage. "If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll make you pay!"

Her dad just cackled, not a hint of fear in his voice. "Bring the money if you don't want her to get hurt. You know where to find me."

Maxine clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, barely holding back from screaming. "How much?"

"A million!" he demanded, no shame, no remorse.

"Where the hell am I supposed to get a million dollars?!" she cried out.

"Braxton's gotten plenty of use out of you, don't try to tell me you can't scrape it together. Figure it out. Be at the club by eight with the cash, or else…" The line went dead.

The flat dial tone buzzed in her ear as fresh tears welled in her eyes. She wracked her brain, desperate for any way to get that kind of money. Her own savings barely covered ten percent of it.

"We're here, miss," the taxi driver's voice pulled her out of her panic.

Maxine glanced out at the familiar neighborhood, Sue's worried text glowing on her screen. Her mind raced a mile a minute, and she made her choice. "Can you take me back to Payne Enterprises instead?"

Fifteen minutes later, Maxine stood outside the towering glass office building, her chest tight with a dozen conflicting emotions. Her phone buzzed. It was Braxton.

"Why are you standing at the front door?"

Could he see her? Maxine squinted into the glaring midday sun, scanning the windows for any sign of him, but found nothing. "I'll be up in a minute," she replied.

She endured the curious stares of other employees as she stepped into the private elevator for the top floor. When the doors opened, her footsteps echoed loud across the vast, empty floor. She walked straight to the CEO's office door, and met Braxton's intense gaze—he was leaning back against his desk, hands folded in front of him.

"Changed your mind?" His question was laced with teasing, utterly confident that he still held sway over her.

Maxine froze. She knew if she said the words, she'd be pulled right back into that familiar, suffocating abyss she'd been trying to escape. She took a deep breath, then faltered. "No. I… I forgot something. It's not even important. Sorry for bothering you, Mr. Payne. I'll go now."

Her mind was spinning with other options—she could call the cops about her mom, she could go confront her dad alone.

Surprise flickered across Braxton's face for half a second before he called out, "What about your father? You really just gonna pretend this doesn't exist and walk away?"

Maxine hesitated, her hard-won resolve starting to crack. Braxton saw his opening and pressed on, sure his argument would win her over. "You know he's just gonna keep coming back. The cops can't fix this for good. Stay with me. You'll have all the money you need, you'll have protection. I can take care of your father once and for all."

To Maxine, his words felt like a trap, one designed to keep her chained to him. But she also knew he was right about her dad's endless threats.

After a minute of tearing herself apart inside, she made her choice. "Mr. Payne… can we renew my contract for another year?"

One year to save up enough to get her mom away from him, to break free of her father's grip for good. And maybe… just maybe, to figure out what she actually felt for Braxton before she left forever.

Braxton's face softened, satisfaction settling over his features. He pressed the intercom button, and told his assistant, "Extend Maxine's contract by one year. Give her a fifty percent raise."

Maxine's eyes widened in shock.

"And I'll add an extra fifty grand for each… private meeting. That's enough incentive, right?" he added, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.