Chapter 1: Pardon

Clover's POV

If falling in love was a crime, then I was undeniably guilty, guilty of falling hopelessly for my boss, a man already engaged to another.

 I had always believed I wasn't the type to lose myself to someone like him: cold, untouchable, and dangerously magnetic. 

But ever since I began working as a maid in the sprawling Hanson mansion, I had found myself spiraling deeper into this forbidden obsession.

As I sat on the edge of his massive king-sized bed, I clutched his pillow tightly to my chest, burying my face in it and inhaling deeply.

 His scent, rich, masculine, with hints of expensive cologne and something darker, flooded my senses, sending a forbidden thrill through my body. 

A shy, secret smile curved my lips as I lost myself in the intoxicating aroma, imagining it was him I was holding.

Click*

"What are you doing in here?"

Terror gripped me like icy fingers.

 I flung the pillow away in panic and scrambled to my feet, spinning around to face my boss, Calhoun Hanson.

He stood framed in the doorway, his tall, imposing figure casting a long shadow across the room.

 Amusement glinted in his sharp, hawk-like eyes, but there was something colder beneath it, a hint of mockery that made my stomach twist.

"Mr. Hanson, I... I was only cleaning your room, as directed by the butler," I stammered, lowering my head quickly to avoid his piercing gaze, my cheeks burning with humiliation.

"Only cleaning?" He raised a perfectly arched brow, his voice laced with sarcasm as I dared a quick glance up at him.

"Yes, Mr. Hanson," I nodded frantically, my voice.

Without warning, he began striding toward me, each step deliberate and unhurried, like a predator closing in on prey.

 When his footsteps finally halted mere inches in front of me, my breath caught in my throat, and my heart pounded wildly against my ribs.

I didn't dare lift my head. 

The moment I instinctively took a step back, he advanced forward, erasing the distance I'd created.

 I gulped audibly, feeling the weight of his menacing stare boring into me, stripping away any pretense of composure.

"Is sniffing my pillows part of your duties?" he quizzed, his tone low and mocking as he loomed over me, his presence overwhelming.

Taking a shaky deep breath, I bowed deeply. 

"My apologies, Mr. Hanson. That was highly inappropriate. I promise it won't happen again."

"Don't worry," he replied coolly, skirting around me with effortless grace. "You won't be doing it again. You're fired."

Fired. 

The word hit me like a physical blow. 

How could he? If he dismissed me now, after only three months, the college sponsorship my stepfather had promised would vanish. 

My already miserable life at home would spiral into an even darker abyss.

 I'd be forced back into that suffocating house, where my stepfather's leering eyes and cruel demands from relatives waited and worse.

I'd likely be married off to any man he would choose for me, a fate that made my skin crawl...

That idea to have me married off was proposed specially by my step grandmother to my step dad,

Step grandmother scorned both me and my mother, seeing us as gold diggers...

More than my step siblings, more than my step dad she made my life a living hell back at home.

"Mr. Hanson... please, might you pardon me just this once? I swear I won't do it again," I pleaded, my voice trembling with desperation. 

The mere thought of losing proximity to him sent cold chills racing down my spine, mingling with the fear of my ruined future.

"I'm getting sick of seeing your face, sweetheart," he responded indifferently, shrugging off his dress jacket and tossing it aside without a care.

Those words pierced me deeper than any knife, reinforcing the harsh truth I already knew, I was no beauty. 

My face was marred by a scattering of ugly cheek freckles, and my mouse-like ears, always hidden beneath my shoulder length bob wig only added to my insecurities. 

In contrast, my stepsister was a vision of perfection, a beauty queen whose flawless features turned heads effortlessly.

"Sir, please reconsider. I swear I'll avoid showing my face around you. I'll keep my distance entirely," I begged, my voice cracking.

"Are you trying to put words in my mouth?" he snapped, his stare hardening into something dangerous.

"Mr. Hanson, if you fire me, my family won't welcome me back home," I found myself explaining, my gaze fixed on the polished floor as shame burned through me.

This was the first time we'd ever spoken face-to-face like this, truly interacted beyond curt orders.

Up close, his presence was even more intoxicating and terrifying.

"Look at me," he ordered, his voice a commanding rumble.

Reluctantly, I raised my eyes to meet his. 

His expression was unfazed, cold as steel, revealing nothing but detached indifference.

"Do I look like I give a single fuck about your messed-up life?" he sneered in a deep, throaty tone that left me utterly speechless.

What a cold thing to say.

After a heavy silence, I sighed in defeat. "My stepfather promised to sponsor my college education if I served you faithfully for a full year without getting fired. Sir, please... you can't fire me now. I'm begging you," I implored, clasping my hands together in relentless supplication, my pride crumbling under the weight of necessity.

"Look over there," he said flatly, pointing to a secluded corner of the room.

"Since you're one of the maids assigned to personally clean this room, I'm sure you've noticed that micro CCTV camera by now," he added, his voice devoid of emotion.

My jaw dropped in sheer shock as I followed his gesture, spotting the tiny red light emanating from the shadows.

 How had I never noticed it before? More importantly, how long had it been there?

If it had been installed long before my arrival, did that mean he knew everything, every secret, shameful act I'd committed in this room when I thought I was alone?

Wordless horror washed over me as shame and embarrassment engulfed me completely, hot and suffocating.

 My throat tightened painfully, my legs weakened beneath me, and before I could stop it, I collapsed to my knees, lowering my head in distress.

Moments later, he towered over me, staring down with icy coldness. "Get out," he said roughly, his tone brooking no argument.

No. 

I couldn't let this happen. 

I wouldn't survive being fired, not now. 

Desperation clawed at me; returning home 

meant not only losing my dreams but being trapped in that old lady's clutches.

In a frenzy, I lunged forward and grabbed hold of his leg tightly, clinging to it as if it were my lifeline. 

"Please, Mr. Hanson! I promise if you pardon me this time, I'll do anything you say from now on," I declared fervently, my fingers digging into the fabric of his trousers.

"Anything?" he reiterated in a dangerously low voice, his eyes darkening with something inscrutable.

I nodded vigorously, releasing his leg and rising unsteadily to my feet, still nodding to emphasize my desperation.

"Yes, anything. I swear it."

"Go shut the door, and we can talk," he instructed indifferently, moving to seat himself on the plush couch.

I obeyed instantly, without a second thought, locking the door with trembling hands before returning to stand before him, eyes lowered in submissive respect.

"Come closer," he commanded.

The instant I hesitated, he seized my wrist in a vise-like grip and yanked me roughly into his lap.

My eyes widened in shock at the abrupt, forceful action.

 I tried to pull away the moment my head collided with his broad chest, but he snaked a strong arm around my slender waist, hauling me impossibly closer. 

He tilted his head down, forcing me to meet his intense, chilling gaze.

My heartbeat raced erratically, pounding like a war drum. 

I averted my eyes from his alluring, dangerous stare, the longer I looked, the more utterly lost I became in its depths.

No, I couldn't fall any deeper than I already had. 

He shouldn't be tempting me like this; it was cruel, playing with my vulnerabilities.

My heart skipped violently as he gripped my chin roughly, jerking my face upward to lock eyes with his eyes that sent icy chills racing through my veins.

The moment he leaned in closer, his lips brushed teasingly against mine, eliciting a sharp gulp from me as my eyes fluttered in panic and unwanted desire.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Mr. Hanson..."