The CEO's Forbidden Fling - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

The wardrobe door flew open with a violent jerk, exposing two men frozen in mutual shock. The call had ended, but the recording kept running.
"What the hell are you doing?"
The boss lunged for his phone, fury twisting his face, but the other man struck him hard—sending him crashing to the floor.
The difference in strength was brutal. Within seconds, the boss lay motionless beside the bed, knocked out cold.
I clutched the blanket to my chest, trembling as I perched on the mattress's edge.
The man turned to me, his crimson eyes blazing with rage.
"Please… don’t hurt me."
With no choice left, I flung the blanket aside, baring myself completely under his gaze.
Survival was all that mattered now.
His throat worked as he swallowed hard, his stare burning into me.
Just as his fingers twitched toward me again, a shrill ringtone shattered the tension.
"Yes, Mr. Lowell. It's done. The evidence is solid..."
He shot me one last lingering look before stepping into the bathroom to finish the call.
My pulse hammered in my ears.
Mr. Lowell.
Vincent Lowell—CEO of our biggest competitor.
Suddenly, everything clicked. Their latest product was a carbon copy of ours, sparking a vicious legal battle.
If incriminating footage of our boss leaked now, it could tip the lawsuit in their favor.
This wasn’t a mistake. This man had been sent to ruin us.
I cursed myself for not seeing it sooner.
The bathroom door muffled his voice as he spoke on the phone. The boss still hadn’t stirred.
Panic clawed up my throat. He’d always been decent to me—kind, fair, well-liked by everyone.
Even our affair had been mutual.
And he’d slipped me extra cash more than once, knowing how tight things were for my family.
My mind raced, but one thought cut through the chaos: Get him to a hospital.
I slid off the bed to check his pulse—
"What are you doing?"
The man’s voice lashed out as he stepped back into the room, catching me crouched beside the boss.
I bit my lip. There was only one way out of this.
"Making sure you didn’t kill him," I snapped, snatching a blanket to cover myself. "Mr. Lowell won’t be happy if you screw this up."
My tone dripped venom, and his confusion was instant.
I doubled down.
"Did Lowell send you here to babysit me? I was assigned to seduce the rival CEO, not entertain you. Keep staring, and I’ll have him rip your eyes out."
Every word was a gamble, but I forced steel into my voice.
"You… work for Mr. Lowell too?"
Doubt flickered in his eyes.
"Obviously. How else would you have gotten what you needed?"
His jaw tightened, but after a beat, he dipped his head.
"My apologies. I’ll wait outside while you dress."
Reluctantly, he stepped out, disappointment clear on his face.
The second the door clicked shut, I sagged in relief.
I dressed in a frenzy, then called him back in.
Using the excuse that a dead CEO would backfire on Lowell, I pressured him into helping me carry the boss to the hospital.
He hesitated, reaching for his phone multiple times—probably to verify my story—but I cut him off each time.
Only when the doctors assured us the boss would recover did the vise around my chest loosen.
Temporary unconsciousness. Fluids. Rest.
Guilt gnawed at me as I sat by his bedside.
If I’d warned him sooner. If I hadn’t been so distracted, so careless—
Maybe none of this would’ve happened.
Exhaustion dragged me under, and I slumped into a fitful sleep beside his hospital bed.