Chapter 1:- One Night, One Disast
(Accidentally Carrying My Boss's Child )
Lila Harper knew she was screwed the second Ethan Kane's lips slammed into hers. The Aspen lodge bar was a chaotic mess of clinking glasses, drunk execs, and Kane Enterprises' annual retreat, but the tequila pumping through Lila's veins and Ethan's hands gripping her hips drowned out everything else. Ethan, 35, billionaire CEO with a jawline that could cut glass, was a walking warning label—tech mogul, serial dater, and her boss. Lila, 28, his executive assistant, was supposed to be invisible, not tangled up with him at 1 a.m., her black dress riding up and her judgment long gone.
She hadn't signed up for this. Lila was only at the retreat because Tina, Ethan's usual assistant, had faked a stomach bug after a weekend bender. Her job was to take notes, fetch coffee, and blend into the wallpaper. Instead, she was three shots deep, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders, and Ethan's eyes kept pinning her from across the room like she was his next deal to close.
"Harper!" he'd shouted earlier, waving her over to a circle of C-suite suits. His tie was loose, whiskey glass in hand, and that damn grin screamed trouble. "Stop lurking by the bar."
She'd smirked, tossing her hair. "Someone's gotta keep the drinks coming, sir."
The "sir" was a jab, and his laugh said he felt it. Lila had spent two years managing Ethan's chaos—his last-minute meetings, his navy-tie obsession, his dry cleaner's quirks. She knew he was a player who'd never settle down. But when he dragged her into the execs' conversation, grilling her about the company's new app, she didn't hold back. Her sharp answers made their eyebrows shoot up, and Ethan's low, approving laugh hit her like a shot she didn't need.
"Damn, Harper," he'd said, leaning closer as the group broke apart. "You're not just a pretty face with a clipboard."
"Careful," she'd shot back, ignoring the heat in her chest. "You're starting to sound like you respect me."
By midnight, the lodge's lounge was all dim lights and fading chatter. Lila was at the bar, ordering water to kill her buzz, when Ethan slid in beside her. His knee pressed against hers. She didn't move.
"You're good, Harper," he said, his voice low, no one to impress now. "You don't just run my life. You see the board before the pieces move."
She snorted, sipping her water. "I see you forgetting your own board meetings."
He grinned, his hand brushing her arm. "And you fix it. Every damn time."
Her brain screamed abort. She needed this job—her only lifeline after growing up with no family, no fallback. But the tequila was louder, and his touch was a spark.
"Kane," she said, voice tight, "you're playing with fire."
His breath was hot against her ear. "Good. I like to burn."
The elevator ride to his suite was a blur—his hands on her waist, her fingers yanking his hair. The door slammed shut, and they were gone.
Lila woke to a skull-splitting headache and sunlight burning through Ethan's suite. Clothes were strewn across the floor; an empty whiskey bottle sat on the nightstand. Ethan was sprawled beside her, one arm flung over the sheets, looking too damn good for the disaster he'd just caused. Her phone read 7:03 a.m. The retreat's morning session was in an hour. She wasn't his fling—she was his assistant, the one who kept his empire from crumbling. This wasn't a mistake; it was a career-ender.
"Harper?" Ethan sat up, voice rough, squinting at her. "You good?"
"No," she snapped, scrambling for her dress. "This was a catastrophe. A career-killing catastrophe."
He rubbed his face, infuriatingly calm. "Chill, Lila. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal?" She yanked on her shoes, voice spiking. "You're my boss, Ethan. I need this job. I've got no one else, no backup. This—" She gestured at the bed. "This never happened."
He raised his hands, like she was overreacting. "Fine. One-time thing. Done."
His casual tone made her want to scream. That half-smirk, like he'd already forgotten her, twisted her gut. She grabbed her bag and stormed out, the door slamming behind her.
In her room, Lila showered until her skin stung, trying to scrub away the night. She'd go back to being the invisible assistant, grinding for a promotion, keeping Ethan's life on track. She had no safety net—her job was her survival.
Six weeks later, she was on her bathroom floor, staring at a pregnancy test. Two pink lines. Her hands shook. She was pregnant. And Ethan Kane, who'd barely looked at her since Aspen, was the father.
Lila dragged through work, typing notes in meetings while her mind spun. She couldn't afford a kid. She couldn't afford to get fired. Telling Ethan was a gamble she didn't want to take, but she had no choice.
At 5 p.m., she dropped contracts on his desk. He was on the phone, pacing, ripping into a supplier. When he hung up, he glanced at her, already turning to his laptop.
"Harper, you're still here?" he muttered, distracted.
She shut the door, heart slamming against her ribs. "I'm pregnant."
Ethan froze, his face blank. "What?"
"It's yours," she said, forcing her voice steady. "From Aspen."
He laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "No way. You sure it's mine?"
The question was a knife. "I haven't been with anyone else, Ethan."
He stood, pacing, hand raking through his hair. "Lila, I'm not built for this. Kids, diapers, family—I don't do that shit. You know it."
"I'm not asking for a ring," she said, her voice hard. "I'm telling you because it's the truth."
He shook his head, eyes cold. "I've got a merger tanking and Derek Voss trying to gut me. I can't deal with this. Figure it out, but don't drag me into it."
"You're denying it?" Her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.
"I'm saying I'm not playing daddy over one drunk night." He turned away, dismissing her. "Handle it, Harper."
Lila walked out, tears burning but not falling. Ethan was a billionaire, but he was a coward. She'd do this alone—she always had. But as she left his office, a fire lit in her chest. He'd regret walking away from her and their kid.
She got to her desk, grabbed her bag, and headed for the elevator. Her phone buzzed—Maya, her best friend, texting: Call me. NOW. Lila's stomach dropped. If Maya knew something, the rumor was already out. And in a company like Kane Enterprises, gossip was a wildfire that burned everything in its path.