I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

In Thornfield Gardens, Terrence Sterling had deliberately locked Joy Chaucer and Davina in a room together, securing the door tightly. No sooner had he locked the door than noises erupted from within. Inside the room, Joy Chaucer, rising from her wheelchair, struck Davina across the face. "You wretch, who gave you the right to speak out of turn in front of Terrence Sterling? I ought to tear your filthy mouth apart!" she hissed as she violently grabbed Davina's hair, yanking and pulling.

Despite her high status, Joy had not grown up within the Chaucer family and had spent fifteen years outside of it, shaping a personality that late efforts by Bianca could not alter. The qualities of a lady-grace, confidence, and kindness-were absent in her. Instead, Joy was paranoid, spoiled, and arrogant. She wouldn't hesitate to resort to physical violence or hurl insults when upset.

Terrified, Davina did not dare retaliate and endured as Joy ripped out clumps of her hair, leaving her scalp bleeding profusely. Joy's assault continued, her hands squeezing Davina mercilessly.

Davina, in pain, began to scream, only to be met with a fierce glare from Joy. "If you dare scream, once we're out of here, I'll have someone kill you." Frightened into silence, Davina bore the brunt of Joy's fury, her body quickly becoming covered in bruises.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the master bedroom, Meredith had just taken a bath and changed clothes, finally feeling herself again. Terrence, seeing her emerge from the bathroom, beckoned, "Come here, let me dry your hair." Sitting beside him, Meredith joked, "Have you done this for other women before? You don't look like you are doing this for the first time."

"You are the first," Terrence replied sincerely as he dried her naturally black, lustrous, and thick hair.

Meredith, still shaken by the earlier events at the restaurant, glanced at him and asked, "How did you know I was in that private room?"

"I was upstairs. Harvey saw you in the hallway," Terrence explained. "I had my people check, and when I heard Kendrick Gould was there, I came down immediately."

Realizing the danger she had been in, Meredith turned and embraced him, her face pressed against his stomach, finding comfort. She didn't need to say anything; Terrence understood her fear. He looked down at her, his broad hand stroking her hair, his voice warm, "Leave Falconer and come work as my secretary. If you're worried about gossip, I'll fund a company for you to run."

Meredith smiled up at him, "You and your family have already given me so much. If you give me more, I might as well become a complete freeloader."

He smiled back, caressing her face, "I see no problem with that. I'll support you."

Feeling proud to provide for Meredith, Terrence knew she could live worry-free about money, though Meredith had her principles and would not be wholly dependent on anyone. His proposal, however, did spark an idea in her-perhaps she could start her own business.

Changing the subject, Meredith asked, "You locked Joy Chaucer and Davina in a room together. They aren't fighting, are they?"

"I would really expect Joy Chaucer to teach Davina a lesson," Terrence replied, having anticipated that Joy would handle Davina, given his refusal to strike women himself.

Just then, Harvey Fieldmouse knocked and entered, "Boss, her mother is here. And we better go down before Joy kills that girl."

Hearing this, Meredith and Terrence exchanged a look and hurried downstairs.

Downstairs, as Bianca arrived and heard Joy's voice from the room, she thought her daughter was being mistreated and instructed Mrs. Wooten to open the door. Mrs. Wooten, aware of Bianca's significant connection to the Sterling family, hurriedly unlocked the door, concerned about the screams.

Bianca entered and froze, her face turning pale at the sight before her-her daughter Joy, looking possessed, was the perpetrator, not the victim.

"Joy," Bianca trembled, "what have you become? How could you do this?"

She pulled Joy away, her heart aching as she saw Davina cowering and crying in the corner.