Chapter 12

“Mhm,” Ellison gently moved her hand aside, pressed the door-close button, and then selected the top floor. “Which floor?”

“Twenty-six,” Jocelyn murmured, worrying her already-marked lower lip.

“We’re legally married, not having an affair,” he said, hands casually in his pockets as he studied her with piercing, contemplative eyes.

She drew an unsteady breath. “This is all new to me. Two days from strangers to marriage—plus the whole boss-employee dynamic.”

“First marriage for both of us, isn’t it?” His lips curved with subtle amusement, the gesture strangely sensual.

Before she could respond, the elevator doors opened. Employees filed in, murmuring respectful greetings that Ellison acknowledged with a slight nod. His imposing presence kept them at bay—except around Jocelyn’s corner, where they unconsciously crowded.

As she swayed unsteadily, an arm slipped around her waist, steadying her. She turned to find Ellison beside her, his public demeanor perfectly composed while she fought rising panic.

She subtly shifted, trying to evade his hand. But his expression remained calm, giving nothing away. The entire elevator was held in tense silence; everyone else was frozen in awe of Ellison’s powerful presence, intimidated to even glance in their direction.

When the crowd thinned several floors later, she deliberately stepped on his polished shoe. He retaliated with a quick pinch to her waist that sent electricity through her body. Thank heaven for her mask hiding her reaction.

She shot him an accusing glare before turning away. At her floor, she practically bolted.

After rushing out, she took two steps before having to steady herself against the wall; her legs were shaky. Whether from last night’s activities or her earlier nerves, she couldn’t tell.

“Look who’s finally here,” Selene said, spotting Jocelyn’s unsteady stance. She grabbed some printouts and rushed to support her friend. “That hangover’s really hanging on, huh?”

“Never drinking again,” Jocelyn replied gratefully.

“You could have also taken the afternoon off to recover,” Selene suggested.

“Got too much to catch up on,” Jocelyn sighed.

Selene spotted the booklet in her hand. “Is that—did you buy a car?”

“Yeah. My scooter died, and it’s always raining lately.” It was Jocelyn’s first real achievement, even if Ellison had paid for it. She’d find a way to repay him.

“Bravo, girl! Finally, doing something for yourself!” Selene grinned.

Jocelyn’s smile turned bitter. Two years of work had gone to student loans and supporting her family, only to feed a den of wolves.

“Feeling better?” Aurelia Finch called from her desk. “We thought you were with that blind date.”

12:54 Mon, Feb 10

Chapter 12

“Our workaholic wouldn’t miss perfect attendance for a man,” Stene joked.

“True,” Aurelia agreed.

“Speaking of which,” Selene said, “how’d that go?”

“Mama’s boy demanding joint mortgage payments and a guaranteed son.” Jocelyn’s smile could have frozen water.

“What a joke! Acting all refined, but turns out he’s totally shady,” Selene scoffed. “What happened to those refined photos?”

“Ancient history. He’s balding now,” Jocelyn said wearily. “I knew blind dates were a gamble, but this was something else.”

“What a total loser.” Selene grimaced, then brightened, giving Jocelyn a playful wink. “Hey sweetie, let me set you up with someone better—the art director from our branch office. He’s my senior from college.”

“Thanks, but I’m married to my job,” Jocelyn cut her off.

“You’re wasting those looks. Come on, you’re not getting any younger! A gorgeous girl like you needs to get out there and live a little.” Selene grinned, shameless in her matchmaking attempts.

Ignoring the office gossip, Jocelyn buried herself in work until her phone’s insistent buzzing became impossible to ignore.

In the restroom, she answered.

“Please come home, sweetheart,” her mother sobbed. “If not for yourself, think of me. Let’s talk this out as a family.” Phineas’s roar shattered her mother’s plea. “Your worthless daughter’s off whoring around, bringing shame on us all!” The sounds of violence and her mother’s desperate cries filled the line.

“Touch her and I’m calling the police!” Jocelyn’s grip tightened around the phone before the line went dead.

Without hesitation, she rushed back to her desk, grabbed her car keys, and turned to her supervisor. “Aurelia, family emergency—I need to head back. Just count this as a full day off.”

Before anyone could respond, she was sprinting for the elevator. This time she’d rescue her mother from that parasitic nest of vipers.

As soon as she arrived home, she found the Mercers’ relatives filling the living room like circling vultures. Phineas and Octavia glared hatred while her mother’s guilty eyes slid away.

The trap was crystal clear—they’d manipulated her into returning. As she spun to leave, Octavia’s cousin, Cedric Mercer, clamped a meaty hand around her arm.

“You’re not going anywhere until you pay back what you owe your stepfather!” he spat.

The numbers "8447%E" and "4732" and "191" appear to be extraneous and have been removed. There were also some inconsistencies in character names (Joycelyn/Jocelyn). I have standardized them to Jocelyn.