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His Mistress Called Me His Love Child. I’m His Wife—and His Boss.
Novelix
new
Completed
My husband’s secretary grabbed me in the lobby and called me his dirty little secret.No makeup, a baby face, my daughter’s college papers in my backpack. She thought I was his love child.So I played along.She ripped out my hair, smashed my phone, and framed me with deepfake footage. Then she got my real daughter expelled on her first day of college.She swears she’s the future Mrs. Pierce, and that the company will go to her unborn baby.She has no idea I’m Graham’s wife.Or that I’m the chairwoman who signs his paychecks.Time to clean house.
Chapters (3)
第1章
My husband’s secretary thinks I’m his secret love child. So I play along.
It all starts on move-in day, right after I drop my daughter off at college.
I’m not wearing a scrap of makeup, and my hair’s thrown up in a ponytail. My daughter’s paperwork is stuffed in my backpack.
Thorne Group has a branch office in the same city, so I swing by on my way back.
The second I swipe my keycard and walk into the office lobby, a woman storms up and grabs my arm.
"You’re Mr. Pierce’s dirty little secret, aren’t you? I saw you sneak confidential files out of the CEO’s office!"
"Eighteen and already a corporate spy? Hand them over, or I’ll search you myself!"
I freeze.
Graham and I have been married for twenty years. We have one daughter, Wren. So where the hell did a love child come from?
I open my mouth to tell her exactly who I am.
Then I stop.
No makeup. A baby face that’s always passed for half my age. A backpack full of college forms.
Wren looks just like me. So she thinks I’m Wren. She thinks I’m my own daughter.
And from the way she’s talking, she thinks she’s the future Mrs. Pierce.
To her, Graham’s real wife—me—is just some mistress he keeps hidden in the shadows, and Wren is the bastard kid we had.
And no secretary talks to the boss’s kid like this unless the boss has her back.
Which means Graham fed her that love-child story himself.
If I tell her the truth now, they’ll just lie low and go after Wren some other way.
Fine. Let her think I’m the kid. I want to see how far she’ll go.
I grip my backpack strap and drop my eyes so she can’t see the fury in them.
Then I smile at her.
"Oh? So you’re the new wife Graham picked out? Nice to meet you, ma’am."
That "ma’am" lands like a slap.
"Don’t you ma’am me! I’m barely older than you! Don’t you dare lump me in with your washed-up mother!"
"I’m Mr. Pierce’s executive assistant! I practically run this building!"
I glance at the badge clipped to her blazer.
CELESTE MONROE, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT.
She rolls her eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t get stuck.
"Like mother, like daughter. That woman raised a thieving little brat..."
My smile vanishes.
"Ms. Monroe, say one more word about my family, and you’ll be hearing from Thorne Group’s lawyers."
"Big talk for a love child. Quit playing the victim, you little thief."
Celeste Monroe just laughs. She snatches the keycard out of my hand and smacks it against my cheek.
"This is a top-clearance badge. Only Mr. Pierce and I can use it. You stole it from Daddy, didn’t you?"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in? Those files are for an unreleased project worth hundreds of millions!"
"You and your mom couldn’t pay that back if you worked till you died!"
I swat her hand away. Honestly, this woman is a joke.
Before I can say anything, someone tugs my sleeve.
It’s the receptionist.
"Sweetie, if you took something from your dad, just give it back!"
"Ms. Monroe and your dad have been together for years, and they’re getting married soon. Cross her, and your life’s gonna be hell..."
My eyes go wide. Blood rushes to my head.
Together for years?
Getting married?
Oh, that’s just perfect.
No wonder Graham was so eager to run the branch office. No wonder this woman struts around like she owns the place. And now she’s trying to frame my daughter.
Celeste takes my silence for fear. She clicks her tongue and lunges for my backpack.
I only brought it this morning to carry Wren’s enrollment papers.
Rrrip.
She tears a long, ugly gash down the side.
Papers spill across the floor.
I bend to grab them, but Celeste gets there first. She plants her heel right on top of them.
"Westbrook University? A thief wants to go to college? One phone call from me, and no school in the country will take you!"
"Hand over those files, or Mr. Pierce will make you very, very sorry!"
She’s acting like she’s already Mrs. Pierce. I almost laugh. I drag a chair over from the nearest desk and sit down.
I look her dead in the eye.
"Are you deaf? I said I didn’t take anything."
"Where’s your proof? This building has cameras everywhere. If you can’t prove it, I’m calling the cops and suing every one of you for defamation."
Her face twists with rage. I ignore it.
I pull out my phone and text Thorne Group’s head of HR: Dig up everything on Celeste Monroe. Send it to me now.
He texts back in seconds. On it.
The second I look up, Celeste grabs my ponytail and yanks.
Pain rips across my scalp. My head snaps back and slams into the edge of the desk.
"Texting your trashy mom to get your story straight? Fine.If Graham won’t teach you a lesson, I will."
By now, a crowd has gathered.
An older guy frowns and edges closer.
"Come on, Ms. Monroe. She’s just a kid. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding?"
Celeste’s voice goes shrill.
"If this project leaks, the company’s finished! Every single one of us loses our job!"
"Don’t let her age fool you. She’s vicious. When she was sneaking around stealing those files, do you think she cared about a single one of you?"
The whole room goes dead quiet.
Then the insults start, louder and louder.
"Give it back! Some of us have families to feed.We don’t have time for your family drama!"
"She’s so selfish! She knows Ms. Monroe is carrying Mr. Pierce’s baby, so she’s trying to tank the company to get back at her dad!"
"Ms. Monroe’s baby is going to be the future heir to this company. Know your place!"
Now I get it.
Nobody in this office knows Graham married into my family—the Thornes.
And nobody knows Thorne Group already has an heir. My daughter.
My phone buzzes.
HR’s file is in.
I skim it, raise my head, and open my mouth to speak.
Then a face I know all too well comes charging straight at me.
第2章
It’s Russell Kane.
Three years ago, I signed off on his promotion from department manager to VP of this branch.
But he doesn’t recognize me.
Instead, he shoots me a look of pure disgust.
"I pulled the security footage. You stole those files from Mr. Pierce’s office. No question about it."
"He’s your own father, for God’s sake. I never thought you and your mom would stoop this low for money."
I give him a cold smile. Keeping my phone low, I start a voice recording and slip it into my pocket.
"Mr. Kane, does Graham know you’re doing this?"
For a split second, my calm seems to throw him.
He looks me up and down. Then he glances at Celeste, who’s standing there with her hands on her hips.
Finally, he nods, his face dark.
"Yes. This is exactly what Mr. Pierce wants."
"Someone like you should know her place around Ms. Monroe. She’s the woman your father is actually going to marry."
He slams a tablet and a thick stack of papers down in front of me.
One look, and my breath catches.
The video is crystal clear. Someone is sneaking into the CEO’s office.
And that someone has Wren’s face.
To everyone in this room, that means it’s me.
Celeste smirks. She taps the top page with one long, manicured nail. It says CONFESSION in big bold letters.
"Sign it. Swear you’ll never set foot in this building again, and pay ten million dollars for the leak. Then maybe I won’t call the cops."
"Otherwise, I’ll make sure you rot in prison."
I don’t flinch. I stare straight into her eyes.
"No."
"Ma’am, I’m curious. You know Graham already has a family. Why would you still want to marry him?"
Celeste laughs like I just told a joke.
She rolls her eyes.
"What family? Your mom’s nothing but his mistress! I’m the real deal. I’m the one he’s marrying."
"Graham told me everything. Your mom drugged him. That’s how she got pregnant with you. Disgusting."
"He’s about to take over the whole company. Of course he needs a real partner by his side. A wife like me!"
Take over the company?
I actually laugh out loud.
None of it fazes me.
Russell scowls and switches tactics.
"Miss Pierce, your father never once held where you came from against you. Private schools, designer clothes, vacations in Europe. And you sell him out for money?"
"You and your mom have been bleeding him dry for years. Call her, come up with the money, and then disappear from this company for good."
I shrug.
"I don’t have any money."
"And disappear? Tell Graham to come say that to my face."
Celeste’s eyes sweep over me, from my backpack down to my shoes.
Her face twists with envy. Her jaw is clenched so tight I can practically hear her teeth grinding.
"No money? Liar!"
"Dior backpack, Chanel flats... and that dress is custom Italian, isn’t it?"
She charges at me and grabs my dress like she’s about to rip it right off me.
"You little thief! How much did you steal from your dad? That money belongs to me and my son!"
"Pay up, or you’re coming to the police station with me!"
I twist free. She raises her hand high to slap me.
I step back, and she hits nothing but air.
Her face goes purple. Hair hanging in her eyes, she screams like a madwoman.
"You little bitch! When Mr. Pierce hears how you treated me, he’ll destroy you!"
"Security! Get over here and grab this thief!"
"She won’t admit a thing till she’s caught red-handed! Grab her bag! I’ll show everyone exactly how this little thief is wrecking our company!"
Before she even finishes, a dozen security guards in company uniforms surround me.
Every one of them is gripping a baton and glaring at me.
But nobody wants to make the first move.
Celeste mutters, "Useless," and snatches a baton from the nearest guard. She jams it into my chest and shoves.
There’s nowhere to go. My back slams into the wall so hard I see black.
Before I can recover, she knocks the backpack right out of my hands.
Something falls out and hits the floor with a heavy thud.
Every eye in the room lands on it.
The whole room gasps.
第3章
Celeste shrieks and hurls the baton to the floor.
Russell stares at me, his mouth hanging open.
The whole lobby freezes. Then the whispers start.
What fell out of my bag is my tablet.
And on the screen is a photo of me and Graham. His arms are around my waist, and he’s kissing me.
Tears stream down Celeste’s face. She screams at me like her heart is breaking.
"No wonder you keep calling him Graham! You don’t even see him as your father!"
One of the employees speaks up, a little unsure.
"Honestly, she doesn’t look anything like Mr. Pierce..."
"Seriously. What kind of dad kisses his daughter like that?."
"Poor Ms. Monroe. That mother and daughter will stoop to anything."
Now Celeste looks like she wants to rip me apart with her bare hands.
"You know what? I bet you’re not even his daughter!"
"Your mom taught you all her gold-digging tricks, didn’t she? Bet that’s how you hook all your sugar daddies too!"
I raise an eyebrow.
I’m not wasting my breath on a psycho.
I never said I was Graham’s daughter. I just look too young, and they jumped to conclusions from the start.
Fine.
I’ve already got proof of Graham’s affair and their plan to frame my daughter. Time to drop the act and clean house.
But right as I open my mouth, my phone rings.
I pull it out. Unknown number. My stomach drops.
I look up and catch Celeste’s smug, taunting stare. Something is very wrong.
I pick up immediately.
"Mom... Mom, it’s me. Wren." She’s sobbing.
"Somebody smashed my phone. I’m calling from someone else’s."
My daughter. She’s supposed to be out at dinner with her new roommates.
"Mom, the school just expelled me. They said it was for ‘serious misconduct.’"
"I lost my scholarships. Someone threw all my stuff from the dorm into the dumpster."
"Someone wrote things about me all over the bathroom walls. They’re calling me trash. People are saying I’m some rich guy’s bastard. Someone even said Dad isn’t my real father..."
I’m shaking with rage.
She actually went after my daughter at school.
Celeste leans against the wall, arms crossed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Was that the dean calling about your expulsion? Told you. One phone call and your college days are over!"
"Graham’s a major donor at Westbrook University. I warned you. I call the shots around here."
"And that’s not all. No college will ever take you now. I added a little something to your file."
Wren’s call cuts out.
I’m frantic. My hands shake as I call back again and again. It won’t go through.
Pure hatred floods through me.
I donated two whole buildings to Wren’s school in Graham’s name. And now Celeste is using my own money to destroy my kid?
First, I text Juliet, my right hand at Thorne Group, and tell her to get to Wren right now.
Then I call the university president. Somebody’s going to explain this to me.
But the second the call connects, Celeste rips the phone out of my hand and smashes it on the floor.
The screen shatters.
And so does my self-control. I shove her, hard.
"You just made the biggest mistake of your life. And I’m going to make you pay for every second of it."
She stumbles and almost falls. Then she goes for my face with her nails.
Her long nails snag in my hair and rake bloody scratches down my cheek.
"You pushed me? Your daddy’s gonna beat the hell out of you for this!"
"College? Dream on! I’m putting you in jail today!"
In the scuffle, her fingers catch my earring.
She yanks.
Pain explodes through my earlobe. I clap my hand over it. Blood runs down my neck.
But Celeste is staring at the bloody earring in her hand.
Then she starts screaming.