Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The New CEO

Claire's POV

I had rushed home earlier to shower, scrubbing myself three or four times, desperately trying to wash away any traces of last night's sex, pretending nothing had happened. After eating some breakfast at a nearby cafe, I headed to the company. I opened my phone to check messages and saw a text from Ethan.

[Claire, I'm sorry I hurt you last night. But I don't want to break up with you and I love you. If I had wanted to break up, I wouldn't have cheated. Can you forgive me?]

Oh my God, how shameless could Ethan be to say something like that?Is every guy just dick-driven, with zero heart involvement? I laughed bitterly and had no intention of responding.

I was halfway to the company when my phone rang. It was my mother, Susan.

"Oh, dear, today is your Uncle John's 60th birthday. They're having a banquet at the Conrad Hotel. You must come."

"No, Mom. I don't want to go." I knew that if I went to the banquet, I would definitely meet my father and his mistress.

Although I'm an adult,I can't forgive my father for cheating on my mother and abandoning both my sister and me.

When my mother was ill and needed money for treatment, I begged on my knees at his doorstep. Not only did he refuse to see me, but he also had his mistress chase me away.I had to take out huge loans to save my mother, as her part-time jobs didn't provide any health insurance coverage. Mom's condition is slightly better now, but she still needs expensive imported medicine and regular check-ups.

"Your Uncle John and Aunt Carter have always been very good to you,they asked for you to be there."

I sighed. When my father left us, I was barely ten years old. Without Uncle John and Aunt Carter's support, life for us would have been even more difficult than it was. During my mother's serious illness, they'd secretly slipped me money.They'd been there when we needed help the most.

"Okay," I finally conceded. "I'll go."

"Please don't get into any conflicts when you see your father," Susan pleaded.

"He won't cause me trouble, and I won't cause him any." I said.

Back then, my mother knelt on the ground and begged my father. As long as he did not get a divorce and gave her and her children a home, she could ignore the matter between him and that mistress.

But my bastard father is still not satisfied. He not only divorced my mother and took all the money, but also only agreed to pay a pitiful amount of child support for me and my sister each month. My mother tried to sue him in court, but he had somehow hidden all his assets and kept crying poor to the judge.

After that... only we knew how hard the three of us had it.

"Mom, I have something to tell you. Ethan and I broke up."

"What? But Ethan is such a nice guy. I thought he was going to marry you."

I don't want to explain too much over the phone,"Mom. I need to get to work now. We'll talk about it later," I hung up the phone.

I came to the company just in time. I wasn't late.

When I got to my desk, my colleague, Joey Farmiga, walked over to me, a curious glint in her eyes.

"Oh, honey, did you finally sleep with Ethan last night?" she asked, leaning against my desk.

"How did you know I had sex last night?" I asked.

She grinned, "I can smell it on you, that after-sex scent."

I sniffed myself, only smelling my shower gel. "Your nose must be super sensitive."

Joey nudged my shoulder, "Come on, tell me about your first time!"

Joey and I had a good relationship, we always shared life details and gossip freely.

I gave her a wry smile. "Last night, I spent $150 on a stranger to help me forget that Ethan exists."

Joey gaped. "Wait-what? I thought last night was supposed to be the big proposal night?"

I exhaled slowly. "I found Ethan in bed with Emma."

Joey's expression darkened. "That bitch."

"Shhh," I whispered, glancing around the office.

Her tone dropped, but the fire in her eyes remained. "You're better off. At least you found out now instead of after he put a ring on your finger."

I gave a small smile. "That's what I'm telling myself."

"Still," she said, folding her arms, "$150? He better have been good."

I chuckled softly. "Let's just say it was memorable."

We often joked like this, pretending to be worldly and fearless. But deep down, neither of us were. Our hearts were more guarded than we liked to admit.

"By the way, there is a big news that our company has a new boss," Joey suddenly said.

My mood remained calm as a still lake. "I'm just a financial assistant," I shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me who the boss is."

"I've heard that the new CEO is the heir to the Watson Group.This Boss is young and handsome, but they say he's cold as ice, countless women have tried to get into his bed. Right now, all the women in the company want to catch a glimpse of this 'legendary' Boss!" Joey was getting more and more excited as she spoke.

"The variety is too high. We can't afford it." I was still very calm. I had no fantasy about this kind of man who had no possibility of development.

Before the conversation could continue, our supervisor, Gary, appeared at my desk. His expression was unreadable.

"Claire, come with me. Department heads and assistants are requested in the conference room. The new CEO is about to make his introduction."

Joey raised her brows at me and mouthed, Take pictures.

The conference room was already packed when we arrived. Being just an assistant, I found a seat in the corner, not particularly interested in the upcoming meeting. My mind drifted back to the man from this morning, his beautiful face contorted with anger when I'd thrown those $150 on the bed. I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.

I'd gone too far, I admitted to myself. But the contempt in his eyes when he'd looked at me, the way he'd reached for his wallet as if I were some woman he could just pay off... I'd only given him a taste of his own medicine!

A sudden burst of applause snapped me back to reality. The room had fallen into a respectful hush as a handsome man in an tailored black suit entered, flanked by executives.

I stared at that face for several long seconds, shock rendering me speechless. My jaw literally dropped open.

Why... was HE here?

Something had to be wrong with my eyes. I rubbed them, uncertain I was dreaming.

But when I looked again, there was no mistaking it. Standing at the front of the room, being introduced as our new CEO, was the very man I'd spent the night with,the man I'd thrown money at and insulted just hours ago.

Last night, I spent $150 to sleep with the new boss.

Oh my God! Is it still not too late to run away?