All Chapters of Boyfriend Go Out Drinking With His Female Boss on Valentine’s Day: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The day Ethan got back from his trip, I shoved the package right in his face. "Your Director Lawson's delivery. The courier said he's been sending to this address for a year."His hands stilled for a moment, then he set the box casually on the entryway console. "Her building doesn't have package lockers, and the front desk won't hold them. She travels a lot, so she has me sign for them sometimes."He reached over and gave the back of my neck a light squeeze, his tone teasing. "What, are you checking up on me?"I opened my mouth. All the questions I'd rehearsed the entire day suddenly scattered at his touch. Maybe I really was making a big deal out of nothing.I nudged the package into a corner and didn't bring it up again.He crouched down, pulled a box from his suitcase, and put it in my hands. "Sorry about the island trip. Here's your birthday present."I looked down and opened it. A Chanel silk scarf, off-white, printed with camellias. The knot in my chest loosened instantly. He sti

A week later, I had barely reached the office entrance when Ethan stopped me.He grabbed my arm. "Where were you last night? You didn't answer your phone."I looked down at his hand gripping mine. "I haven't been back in a week. You're just now noticing?"He faltered for a moment. "Things have been crazy with the project. I've been sleeping at the office. I didn't realize.""Right. At the office. Or at Director Lawson's place?"His expression hardened. "Mia, do you even hear yourself?"He pulled me aside and lowered his voice. "Diana and I are just playing the game. Isn't all of this for our future?"I laughed, though nothing was funny."Playing the game?"I yanked my arm free."Signing for her packages all year, never coming home at night, making her warm milk every morning?"He opened his mouth. After about two seconds of silence, his tone turned cold."You're so naive.""The real world doesn't work the way you think. I didn't get where I am by being emotional."He turned and headed

Ethan and Diana were called back to the office by an urgent phone call.An emergency board meeting, they were told.By the time they reached the conference room, the screen was already filled with profile icons.Every board member was online.No one spoke.It was the kind of silence that comes before a storm.Ethan pulled out a chair and sat down. He scanned the room, a nagging feeling settling in his gut.Diana sensed it too. She glanced at Ethan instinctively, and they exchanged a look.The video feed switched.A figure appeared in the center seat.Dressed in black, hair pulled back, face completely expressionless.It was me.I looked into the camera. My voice was level, as if I were reading a memo."Let me introduce myself.""My name is Mia Thornton. I am the current Chairwoman of Thornton Group."On screen, Ethan's hand froze in midair.Diana's mouth opened, then closed. The color drained from her face in an instant.Not a single person in the conference room made a sound.I didn't

The investigation team's final report came in.Black and white, line by line, airtight.I stood on the stage at the company-wide assembly. Below me, more than two hundred people filled the room."Diana Lawson. Misappropriation of company assets. Disclosure of trade secrets. Effective immediately: terminated and referred for criminal prosecution."Two uniformed officers entered through the back door and took their positions on either side of Diana.She shot to her feet. Her chair crashed backward with a sharp screech.Every eye in the room was on her.They escorted her toward the exit. As she passed me, she stopped.Her eyes burned with hatred."You win, Mia Thornton."She spat each word through gritted teeth."But don't get too smug. What are you, really? You were just born into the right family.""A woman riding on daddy's coattails has no right to judge me."A collective gasp rippled through the audience.I smiled and picked up the microphone."I've never denied where I come from.""

Before long, it was time for the annual industry summit.The big screen scrolled the words: Annual Innovation Case Study, Haven Senior Care Operations Project.When the host read my name, the room went silent for a beat, then applause erupted from every direction.I stood, walked to the stage, and held the crystal trophy in my hands: the Rising Star Award.I presented Haven Senior Care's first-year operations data, walked through how the team had turned the proposal into reality step by step.At the end, I paused."This project was once taken from me."A few gasps from the audience."Not a single word was changed. Just a new cover page and someone else's name."The room fell so quiet you could hear the air conditioning vents."But I'm not up here to play the victim."I raised the trophy."This award belongs to everyone who's ever had their work stolen, their credit stripped, and still refused to give up."The applause that followed was louder than before.As I stepped off the stage, a