Chapter 34: No More Fooling Myself

Easton’s eyes bore into her, silently urging her to swallow the pill. Maybe he noticed her hesitation; before she could react, he grabbed her chin. With the force of his grip, her jaw involuntarily opened. Easton wasted no time, shoving the pill into her mouth. “Swallow,” he commanded.

As a modern adult—nineteen years old at the time, but still educated enough—Ellis knew that emergency contraception wasn’t something to take lightly. Instinctively, she tried to spit it out. But Easton wouldn’t allow it. He forced half a cup of water down her throat. She choked and coughed violently, but he remained cold and unyielding. “I’m only letting you off this time because you’re my aunt’s adoptive daughter. But if you ever try something like this again, don’t think I’ll be so forgiving.”

Maybe it was because they had already been physically intimate that she saw a glimmer of hope—hope that they could be together. That tiny spark of joy clouded her judgment, making her too reckless to think things through.

Easton refused to believe she hadn’t drugged him. Explaining would have been pointless. But back then, her priority wasn’t clearing up the misunderstanding—it was figuring out how to make herself his rightful woman. After that night, he had ordered her to pretend it never happened. They could still be cousins. Yet, their so-called cousinly relationship quickly turned into something absurd. Their second time together had happened out of nowhere, and from then on, anytime he wanted her, she had to be there. On the surface, they were cousins. Behind closed doors, they shared a bed.

Looking back now, the foolish excitement of her younger self felt like nothing more than desperate self-degradation. As she swallowed the emergency pill, Ellis cursed herself internally. You really were pathetic. But it didn’t matter anymore. Everyone does stupid things at some point in life. There was no point dwelling on the past—what mattered now was the future.

Finding a good job wasn’t easy. Ellis had gone to several major companies for interviews, but every single one told her to wait for a second-round notice. She was starting to doubt herself. Was she really not even good enough to make it past the first round?

Maya, worried about Ellis living alone and struggling with the adjustment, frequently visited to keep her company. She also took the chance to give Ellis tips on navigating the corporate world. Ellis’ only real work experience had been at Hudson Group. But compared to the power that came with being the boss’s wife, the reality of an average employee was harsh. If you had no skills and no strategy, you’d never climb the ranks.

“Ellis, you—” Maya was about to launch into another lecture when Ellis interrupted. “Hold on, I need to take this call,” she said.

Lately, Ellis hadn’t dared to ignore any incoming calls, even if they were from unknown numbers. Even if it was just a sales pitch, she’d still answer—what if it was a job offer? She was unemployed and desperate for work.

“Ms. Ellis, hello. This is HR from Tate Group. We’d like to invite you to a second-round interview tomorrow at 2:30 PM.” The polite yet distant voice in her ear gave her a small boost of confidence. “Got it. See you tomorrow!”

After ending the call, she turned to Maya, grinning. Maya caught on immediately—what Ellis needed now was interview prep. “The role of an executive secretary is like being a trusted aide to a ruler in ancient times,” Maya explained. “You need to research the person you’ll be working under. Tailor your responses based on their background and preferences—it’ll help you during the interview.”

Ellis did a quick search and found out that the head of Tate Group was Lois, a legendary businesswoman. Originally the second daughter of the previous chairman, no one had expected her to take over. Everyone saw her as a spoiled rich girl who would fade into irrelevance. But instead, she had crushed her older brother and fought her way to the top. By her late twenties, she had full control of the company. Now, not even forty, she was already a dominant force in the business world.

Ellis suddenly remembered—she had met Lois before. She couldn’t recall the exact occasion, but the memory was vivid. She had accidentally witnessed Lois delivering a crisp slap across a man’s face, her expression eerily calm. Then, in a tone as light as a feather, Lois had said, “Why don’t you just go die?” The words had been so devoid of warmth that if the man had dropped dead right then and there, no one would have even been sorry for him. Ellis had recognized that man, too. Gary—another powerful figure in the business world. Lois and Gary had clashed.

Curious, Ellis had turned to Easton and asked, “What’s their deal?” Easton had barely spared them a glance. “A love-hate relationship,” he replied. She had frowned. “Did one of them betray the other?”

“Strictly speaking, no,” Easton had said, swirling his drink lazily. “It’s more like one refused to follow the rules, while the other did.” Then he had let out a mocking laugh. “I mean the rules of a business marriage.”

Ellis had vaguely understood his meaning—Lois and Gary had likely been in a corporate alliance. There had been a set of agreed-upon rules, and someone had broken them. But weren’t they both unmarried? They had never actually been husband and wife.