Mariam_Oseni

In the glittering heart of New York City, where power, money, and status define everything, Kate Johnson lives in the shadows—quiet, hardworking, and overlooked. As a live-in maid in the luxurious penthouse of Jade Williams, a cold, enigmatic billionaire heir, Kate keeps her head down and her heart guarded.

But one fateful night changes everything.

After an unexpected encounter laced with vulnerability and forbidden desire, Kate finds herself tangled in a web of secrets, betrayal, and passion. She soon discovers she’s pregnant—and her world flips. Jade, known for his ruthlessness in business and indifference to emotions, steps up with a shocking proposal: marriage. Not for love, but protection, reputation, and legacy.

What starts as a contract turns into a complicated dance of suppressed feelings, heated arguments, stolen glances, and undeniable chemistry. As Kate navigates the cold world of Manhattan elites and the vicious media, she begins to uncover truths about Jade’s past, including family betrayals, corporate conspiracies, and a hidden will that could destroy everything.

With a baby on the way, enemies circling, and a love neither of them expected growing in the unlikeliest of places, Kate must decide: is she just a pawn in Jade’s world—or the queen he never knew he needed?

Tangled with the Boss

Two days after her article went live, Kate Johnson sat cross-legged on her bed, a coffee mug in one hand and her laptop open in front of her, still blinking at the latest email.

> Subject: Collaboration Inquiry – Let's Talk

It was from Empower, a fast-rising women's advocacy nonprofit based in SoHo, known for its gritty, unapologetic campaigns and a board full of under-40 firebrands. The director, Celine Monroe, had reached out directly.

> "Saw your article. Read it twice. We need more voices like yours on the frontlines. Have an idea. Let's talk over lunch?"

She arrived at The Wren, a cozy-chic café on Bowery, thirty minutes early. Nerves jittered beneath her skin — not because she was intimidated, but because for once, her future wasn't tied to someone else's legacy.

When Celine walked in, she was impossible to miss — tall, stylish, and all steel-eyed charisma. She wore a leather jacket over a graphic tee that said, "Make Noise."

"Kate Johnson," she said, sliding into the booth with a wide smile. "I expected you to look tired. You don't."

Kate laughed. "I had five hours of sleep and an existential crisis this morning. I'm hiding it well."

They skipped small talk. Over kale Caesar salads and ginger lemonades, Celine dove straight in.

"We've got a campaign launching in September — focus is on erasing the stigma around women in leadership positions being romantically involved with their coworkers, superiors, anyone. Sound familiar?"

Celine grinned. "We want you to lead it. Strategize it. Maybe even be the face of it. On your own terms."

Kate blinked. "You're offering me a job?"

"Offering you a chance to build something from the ground up. Not as someone's assistant. Not as a footnote. As a force."

Kate sat back, trying to catch her breath.

"You earned this. Not because of the scandal. Because of what you did after it. You turned a takedown into a statement."

"You don't owe the Foundation anything, Kate. Especially not loyalty that costs your voice."

That night, Jade invited her over for dinner — nothing fancy. Just roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, and a bottle of white wine she liked.

He cooked while she sat on the kitchen island in his oversized hoodie.

For once, things felt normal. Easy.

And still, the question sat in her mind, waiting for the right moment.

Over dessert — warm peach cobbler — she finally said, "I got an offer today."

She explained Empower. Celine. The campaign. The leadership role.

When she finished, Jade looked at her with quiet pride. "That's incredible."

"You're not… worried it'll get messy? That people will still connect me to you, to the Foundation?"

"I'm not worried at all," he said softly. "I'm proud of you. Whatever you choose — Foundation or Empower — make sure it's for you."

Because deep down, she already knew.

She didn't want to walk back into the Foundation with her head down, hoping for less gossip. She wanted to charge forward. Start over. Make noise.

The next morning, she sent her resignation to the Foundation.

Later that day, Kate stood in front of her mirror in a power suit she hadn't worn since the boardroom disaster. Hair curled. Makeup soft but bold. She didn't look like a victim or a headline.

She looked like a woman who had rewritten the story.

When her phone buzzed, it was Jade.

> Dinner to celebrate? Just us. No suits. No scandals. Just wine and silence and soft kisses.

> Yes. But you're doing the dishes.

Chapter 12