All Chapters of Falling For My Boss: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Mia opened the door wearing a pink bonnet, a crop top, and bum shorts. “Lauren Hill, my prodigal child!” she practically shouted, flinging her arms wide. “I have missed seeing your beautiful, stressed-out face, babes.”The smell of popcorn reached Lauren first — sweet and buttery, blending with the vanilla scent of Mia’s body spray.Lauren stepped inside, wrapping herself in Mia’s hug, holding on a bit longer than usual because it felt safe, and she truly needed that.“Hold up.” Mia pulled back suddenly, her hands flying to Lauren's shoulders. She narrowed her eyes like a detective. “You look thinner. Did your boss lock you in a dungeon?”“That’s very possible,” Lauren muttered, rubbing her temples. “My whole life has become a full, messy Mexican telenovela.”Mia gasped. “Ooh! Tell me everything. Sit. Now.”Lauren collapsed into the couch, nervously rubbing her hands together. "Okay, brace yourself. I need you to stay calm, Mia. What I’m about to say is wild. Like, actually wild. I ke

The bar was too loud, too hot, and too crowded for the mood Colt was in, but Alex insisted he needed a break. Now they sat in their usual booth with Colt staring into his third glass of whiskey. The ice had completely melted, and he hadn’t taken a sip in ten minutes.Alex leaned back, his arms loosely folded, watching him. “You’ve said maybe five words since we got here. That's a new, clinically depressed record.”Colt didn’t bother answering. He just tipped the glass back and swallowed half of it, the whiskey burning down his throat, but it didn’t do a damn thing to settle him.Alex raised an eyebrow. “This is about Lauren, isn’t it?”Colt’s hand froze halfway to his mouth.Alex gave a low whistle. “Yeah. Thought so. Man, you’re in deep.”Colt set the glass down hard. “She injured herself at work today, and I almost lost it — almost carried her to the hospital myself. Instead, I snapped at her and acted like a complete asshole, because if I didn’t…” He rubbed a hand roughly over his

Lauren burst out of Colt’s office, slammed the door behind her, and ran. Her hands shook so hard she almost dropped her phone as she grabbed it from her desk. She pushed through the stairwell door and flew down two flights, pressing her back against the cold wall and breathing heavily.She looked up and down the empty stairwell that nobody ever used because the elevator was right there, and for a moment, she was extremely grateful for the silence.Immediately, she dialed Corinne’s number, shutting her eyes tightly in exhaustion as she fought to contain the fury building in her chest.Corinne answered on the second ring, and Lauren didn't give her a chance to speak; she cut her off immediately: “Corinne, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you fucking possessed?” she screamed into the phone.Corinne’s laugh exploded through the line, loud and mocking. “Hello to you too, lovely sister. To what do I owe this sweet, sweet call?”“You kissed my boss!” Lauren shouted, rage tightening her t

“No!” Colt’s hand shot out, grabbing her arm before she could reach the door. His voice was muffled. “You can’t do this.”Lauren jerked her arm back, turning so quickly that her vision blurred for a moment, and she nearly lost her balance. Her chest felt tight, heaving with sharp, desperate breaths she couldn't control.“You are resigning?” His voice cracked.“Yes.” Her eyes squeezed shut, a single word forced past the lump in her throat.He took a step closer to her. “No, Lauren... you can't do that. I need you here. How do I cope? No! You are not allowed to.”She tried to step back, but his fingers held her wrist tightly. The sudden, forceful grip kept her in place.“Lauren,” he said, the voice low and desperate. “Look at me.”She kept her eyes glued to the floor, refusing to look up. Her jaw hurt from how tightly she clenched it.He lifted her chin with his free hand. His eyes were wide — a mix of hurt, fury, and raw confusion. “You think you can just walk away?”She tugged at her

Colt didn’t hear his mother at first. He was staring too hard at the photograph on his desk, his vision blurring. His mouth pressed against the woman he thought was Lauren, with his arms around her.He felt sick.His mother’s voice cut through the air. “Colt?”He blinked quickly, shifting his gaze to her.“Explain this.”“I… Mother, it’s not what it seems,” he said, but the words felt useless, flimsy. “It’s… complicated.”Julia Moore watched him silently, her eyes capturing every hint of panic he was attempting to hide. She exhaled slowly and took a seat.“Colt,” she said softly, "I know this is a stressful time. I know the board is weighing on you. But we need Madison more than she needs us.”Colt’s jaw clenched as he ground his teeth.Julia’s gaze landed on the photo again. “At least the gold digger doesn’t work here anymore. That is a good start.”Colt’s head snapped up, his eyebrows knitting together as he shot a sharp look at his mother. “Lauren is not a gold digger, Mother.”"Ex