HER MOTHER’S LOVE

Elena’s POV.“Where is it?” I hissed as I searched my handbag for my keys when a thought hit me.“I must have left it at Ryan’s place, since I slept at his place and went to the office from there.” I mumbled So I turned round and got back into the car, driving over to my boyfriend’s house.“Thank God he is at home.” I said as I parked my car at the side of the road and run-walked to his front door which surprisingly was locked.“But his car is here!” I said as I decided to use the back door The back door was unlocked, thank God. The moment I entered into the living room, the rhythm of some low sweet thumping was beating within my ears, married with gasps and moans that made my stomach twisted. What the hell? Heart pounding as I moved forward, keeping low behind the half-wall separating dining area from the couch. I could see it perfectly from there, but the angle hid me perfectly. And there they were, Ryan my boyfriend for two years, balls-deep in Mia, my best fucking friend sinc

Elena's POV "Take a seat, Miss Morgan." He said.I sat down, but my head spun around.He was calm, focused, and detached-like we were complete strangers.“Let us proceed," he said, turning over his file on the desk.I sat up straight in my chair,deciding to also play dumb. Maybe he really didn't care. Men like him, after all, probably had women throwing themselves at them all the time."The position you are applying for is that of my personal assistant," he said, looking through my resume for a moment. "It is a challenging position. Long hours, lots of travel, and complete confidentiality are involved. Do you think you can handle that sort of challenge, Miss Morgan?"“Yes," I said quickly, "I can handle it."I was trying to think about the question and not the fact that I had seen this man naked less than twenty-four hours ago.He looked at me for a brief moment, and it made me nervous. I shifted slightly in my seat.He asked a few questions — about scheduling, about dealing with sen

Elena’s POV“Elena?”My mother’s soft voice broke through my thoughts. She touched my arm in concern. “Is something wrong, honey?”“Not at all.”The smile I gave felt contrived. Adrian seemed completely unaffected, as though we were strangers.He gave me a small smile. “Finally, nice to meet you, Elena. Your mother told me a lot about you.” I smiled sheepishly , feeling awkward. “Nice to meet you, too,” as I shook his hand. I only hoped it didn’t feel as clammy as it did.Victoria smiled, unaware of the chaos in my head. “Good. Now that we all have proper introductions, before the food gets cold, let’s head for dinner.”She took Adrian by the arm and led him into the dining room, like a girl presenting her first date. I followed her, my brain trying to unravel the crazy coincidences. The dinner was perfect. My mom had worked hard , too bad it was for a man who bent her daughter over and fucked her.He pulled a chair for my mother, then for me.My mother started talking after I b

Elena’s POVThe first week was hell.Not the dramatic kind where everything explodes and people scream. The quiet kind. The kind that eats at you slowly, like rust on metal.Adrian was professional. Too professional. He barely looked at me during meetings, kept every conversation strictly about work, and when he did have to speak to me directly, his tone was clipped. Businesslike.Like I was just another employee.Which I guess I was.But it felt wrong. The whole thing felt wrong.I’d catch myself staring at his hands when he signed documents, remembering how those fingers had gripped my hips. Or I’d hear his voice on a phone call and my stomach would twist because I remembered how he’d groaned my name that night.God, I was pathetic.“Elena, are you listening?”I snapped back to reality. Adrian was looking at me from across his desk, one eyebrow raised.“Sorry, yes. You need me to reschedule the meeting with the investors.”“For the third time, I need you to prepare the quarterly rep

Elena’s POVSunday felt like waiting for execution.I tried to distract myself. Cleaned the apartment again even though it was already clean. Watched three episodes of some show I couldn’t even remember the name of five minutes later. Made coffee, didn’t drink it, poured it down the sink.The text kept replaying in my mind.We need to talk. Privately.What could he possibly have to say that we hadn’t already covered? We’d established the rules. Keep it professional. Keep it secret. Keep lying to my mother until we all suffocated under the weight of it.Simple.By one thirty, I gave up pretending I wasn’t going.I threw on jeans and a sweater, nothing fancy. This wasn’t a work meeting. This was something else entirely, and I didn’t want to think too hard about what that meant.The office building looked different on a Sunday. Quieter. Most of the lights were off, and the lobby echoed with my footsteps. The security guard barely glanced at me as I signed in.I took the elevator to the t