He Chose Power, I Chose His Boss

I stood before the mirror, fingers trembling slightly as I fastened the last button of the lacy blouse.The face looking back at me was perfectly made up, but no amount of makeup could hide the exhaustion in my eyes.Reuben had picked this outfit deliberately. The neckline plunged too low, and the skirt barely skimmed my thighs."Lissy, you're gorgeous."His arms circled my waist from behind, his chin settling on my shoulder. The familiar scent of his cologne drifted over me—the same one I'd given him for our anniversary.I eased out of his grip and reached for my blazer.The woman in the mirror now looked crisp and composed, as if the temptress from seconds before had been nothing but a fleeting illusion."I'm leaving."I grabbed my bag and strode out of the bedroom before Reuben could react.He rushed after me, grabbing the suitcase from my grip. "I'll drive you to the airport."Trailing behind him, I watched his cheerful, bouncing steps, each like a stone sinking deeper in

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog, and grabbed Reuben's sleeve. "Sweetheart, my head… Why do I suddenly feel so dizzy?""I'm sorry, Lissy. Just one last time, okay? After this, I swear I'll never put you through something like this again. I've fought too hard for too long. I can't lose this job now."Reuben's eyes were slightly red, filled with desperation. He had this all planned from the start.I could feel my body slipping out of my control. I collapsed against the table, struggling to breathe. "What did you put in my drink?"Reuben leaned in beside me with a look of pity, brushing the loose strands of hair behind my ear. "Relax, Lissy. It's just some aphrodisiac. You'll be fine by morning."I swung weakly at him. "Reuben, you psycho! I'm your wife!"He scooped me up and carried me out of the bar. "It's because you're my wife that this hurts so much. I don't have a choice, Lissy. Please forgive me."I closed my eyes, unable to stomach the sight of him anymore. My body

Spencer said, "I reviewed your resume myself, Elise Thorne. I've had my eye on you for some time. Understood?"It caught me off guard. So his feelings hadn't been a sudden whim after all. Even after getting home, I still couldn't fully process it.Then, Reuben was there, right at the door, making me jump."You're finally home, Lissy. I missed you so much."I'd only been out to a business dinner, not gone for days. But his reaction made it sound like I'd cheated on him. I didn't bother answering and headed straight to the bedroom to change."Lissy, I saw Mr. Joplin's car from the balcony. What did you two talk about in there? Why did it take you so long?"I frowned, trying to hold back my anger. "Not your business. You're the one who put me in his bed. Why do you even care?"Reuben leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as if he hadn't a worry in the world. "That's different. Even when you pay for sex, it's one payment per time. Right?"I stared at him, shocked that he saw me as

Spencer was efficient. It was still early, and we hadn't even finished breakfast when Casper Hoffman, the corporate legal advisor for Joplin Group, showed up at Spencer's door with his laptop.Casper didn't look surprised to see me. He smiled and introduced himself, "Good morning, Ms. Thorne."I set my sandwich down. "Thanks for coming, Mr. Hoffman.""No problem," he said. "Mr. Joplin already went over this case with me a while back. Trust me, a case like this is nothing to worry about."His smile told me he knew exactly what he was talking about.He brought the divorce agreement along. I went over it, didn't spot anything off, and signed.Out of everything Reuben and I owned together, I only took my savings—one million dollars—and left him the house.He'd bought the place with his loan and had always been the one paying the mortgage. So he wasn't losing anything.…We didn't meet at home. Instead, we chose a quiet café, somewhere out of the way. Reuben took almost an hour bef