I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

Fiona’s hint of jealousy wasn’t lost on Meredith, but she chose not to engage. Her primary concern was locating Justin, whose tender heart, often swayed by emotion, was undoubtedly crushed by his father’s slander.

They soon arrived at the apartment, a high-end establishment that would be out of reach for most people without a lifetime of effort. Fiona thought to herself that Meredith could only afford such a place by marrying Terrence Sterling.

As they entered the apartment, Meredith didn’t rush to knock on the door but instead took out her phone. “Which floor?” Fiona asked impatiently, “Seriously checking your phone at a time like this?”

“I’m starting a recording; it might be useful later,” Meredith explained, “Justin might not be at home.”

“If he’s not here, then why are we here?” Fiona questioned.

“If he’s not, his brother and Mrs. Thatcher will likely be,” Meredith responded as she prepared the recording and tucked her phone into her bag. “Let’s go, if we can’t find Justin, we’ll ask Mrs. Thatcher what this is all about. They must have a reason for framing him.”

Meredith had a suspicion about the motive behind the morning’s chaos-it likely had something to do with this apartment. When they reached the door, Meredith knocked for a long time before it finally opened.

Mrs. Thatcher appeared at the door, timid and hesitant. “You’re here for Ainsley, aren’t you? He’s not home,” she said, blocking the doorway.

“Mrs. Thatcher, you must be aware of what’s happened. We have lost cntact with Justin, and he might be in trouble. As his mother, do you think it’s fine?” Meredith questioned her directly.

Mrs. Thatcher avoided Meredith’s gaze and repeated, “Ainsley’s not home, and I don’t know how to reach him. His phone’s off.”

Fiona angrily retorted, “You’ve driven him to this point, of course, you can’t reach him!”

Meredith let Fiona vent her frustration, playing bad cop to her good cop. Mrs. Thatcher nervously replied, “No one’s pressuring him. Please leave, and I’ll notify you when Ainsley returns.”

“Mrs. Thatcher, may we see Gemma?” Meredith asked, putting her hand on the door to keep it open.

Mrs. Thatcher resisted, clearly trying to prevent them from entering. At that moment, Tristan, paralyzed and helpless, yelled from inside, “Mom, are they Ainsley’s friends? Tell them to leave, that beast deserves everything coming to him. Don’t let them in to hurt Gemma. I’ll fight anyone who tries to hurt my daughter.”

With that, Meredith forcefully pushed the door open and entered. “You need to leave, this is my home,” Mrs. Thatcher protested.

“Meredith, go inside. I’ll hold her off,” Fiona said as she grabbed Mrs. Thatcher.All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Inside, Meredith quickly found the room where Gemma was playing with puzzles on the floor. “You must be Gemma,” she said softly, trying not to frighten the child. “I’m a friend of your Uncle Ainsley. I need to ask you something. Has Uncle Ainsley been good to you?”

Gemma, unaware of the situation, nodded innocently, “Yes.”

“And has Uncle Ainsley ever made you feel uncomfortable?” Meredith continued gently.

“No,” Gemma replied, “Uncle Ainsley is very nice to me. He buys me toys, tells stories, and encourages me.”

Meredith probed further, “What does Uncle Ainsley say to encourage you?”

Hearing the commotion, Tristan shouted from his room, “Gemma, don’t talk to strangers! They’re bad people, come here to daddy.”

Unable to move, Tristan could only use his voice to try to instruct Gemma. Mrs. Thatcher, still restrained by Fiona, was unable to intervene.

Gemma, hearing her father’s voice, became wary and started to head toward him. “Gemma, I won’t hurt you,” Meredith reassured her, locking the door to prevent her from leaving. She needed to get to the truth.

The little girl, overwhelmed by the situation, began to cry.