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

The offices of Empower were nothing like the sterile glass halls of the Foundation.

There were exposed brick walls, feminist posters, and hand-painted murals of women breaking chains and climbing ladders. Laughter echoed from open-concept cubicles. Someone had brought in their French bulldog, who was sleeping under the copy machine.

Kate Johnson walked in wearing sleek black slacks and a rust-colored blouse — no blazer, no heels. She didn't need armor anymore. Just purpose.

Celine met her at the door with a coffee and a smirk.

The first few days were a whirlwind.

There were brainstorming meetings, pitch decks, photoshoots for the campaign Kate would co-lead — titled "More Than a Lover." They filmed testimonials of women who had been shamed, demoted, or silenced for falling in love at work. Women who, like Kate, had been judged for mixing heart and ambition.

They were already trending before the first ad dropped.

But with the excitement came nerves.

Kate found herself wondering — was she enough for this? Could she carry something this bold?

On Thursday, after a long day, she got a call from her mother's old friend, the one who used to babysit her when her mom worked night shifts.

"I saw your face on the subway," the woman said, her voice cracking. "Your mother would be proud. She always said you were going to change the world."

Kate cried quietly on her fire escape that night.

She had waited so long to hear those words.

Meanwhile, across town, Jade Williams stared at his boardroom.

No matter how many accounts they secured, how many PR fires they put out, something inside him itched. He no longer wanted to just lead a multimillion-dollar company.

And he knew exactly what — a fund dedicated to women-owned startups and nonprofits. Not just a write-off or a sponsorship. Something real.

Reclaiming the Narrative Initiative.

Because this time, he didn't want her to feel like a project or a pet cause. He wanted to be the wind at her back — not the man in front of her taking credit for her flight.

Friday evening, Kate came home to a small brown box at her door.

No name on the tag. Just a short note inside.

> For your desk at Empower. Thought it should have something soft in a place that runs so fierce.

Inside the box was a miniature rose bush in a ceramic pot, blooming with delicate blush-pink flowers.

She simply placed the rose bush on her new desk the next morning and whispered to it like it was listening, "He gets me."

Later that week, Celine pulled Kate into a meeting.

"We just got a call from The Today Show," she said. "They want you on next Monday. Full segment. You, the campaign, the story. You in?"

Kate's mouth went dry. "Me? Live?"

The world had already watched her fall.

That night, she met Jade at a rooftop bar in SoHo.

No scandal. No paparazzi. Just twinkling lights, clinking glasses, and the scent of fresh mint in the air.

He poured her a drink and toasted.

"To roses," she replied, eyes twinkling.

They talked for hours — about futures, fears, and what love looked like when it was allowed to breathe.

As the sky turned to midnight velvet, Jade cupped her cheek and asked, "Do you ever regret it?"

"I regret not trusting it sooner. But loving you?" She leaned in. "Never."

And when he kissed her beneath the stars, it didn't feel like the end of a chapter.

It felt like the beginning of something neither of them could name… but both were finally ready for.

Chapter 13