Chapter 1

I accidentally cast the spicy photo I sent my online boyfriend onto the conference room screen.

Even worse, I realized my clingy online boyfriend—the one who calls me "Mistress," begs for cuddles, and worships the ground I walk on, is actually my ice-cold CEO, Ethan Vance.

By day, he humiliates me in front of the entire office.

By night, he Venmos me five thousand dollars and begs me to marry him.

Then our Snapchat chat popped up on the big screen.

In front of the entire company.

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"Oh..."

Someone in the room gasped loudly.

Ethan slowly turned around, his gaze shifting toward the screen.

Panicking, I frantically disconnected the screencast with trembling fingers, forcing a deeply awkward smile.

"Sorry... my bad. Wrong button."

My face was burning hot. I wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that my cold-blooded, heartless boss was the very same online boyfriend who cried and begged me to call him a good boy on Snapchat!

Just ten minutes ago, he had humiliated me in front of the entire department, calling the fourth draft of my proposal a piece of trash.

But now that I knew I was his "Mistress"... he definitely wouldn't reject my pitch next time!

I was saved! Oh my god, yes!

My career actually had hope!

I sat up straight, trying to look professional.

A second later.

He sent a flurry of messages:

[Babe, I'm in a meeting right now.]

[I'll whine for you as soon as I get home~]

[PayPal Transfer: $5,000]

My heart stopped.

Before I could even hide the stupid grin on my face, Ethan’s sharp, cold voice cut through the air.

"Chloe! What on earth are you smiling at?"

I jumped, startled.

I quickly looked up and met Ethan’s icy, razor-sharp gaze.

He looked absolutely furious, glaring at me with zero intention of saving my pride.

"When you joined this company, you had no impressive portfolio, nor any outstanding achievements. I finally gave you a chance."

"And what do I get?"

"Your proposal is a total mess, you stay completely silent during meetings, and now you’re playing on your phone!"

"Do you even want to keep your job?"

Oh, no.

I was in deep, deep trouble.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

Everyone else in the room held their breath, all eyes locked on me.

Some looked at me with pity, some with confusion, and others were just glad they weren't the ones getting scolded.

I had always been a straight-A student, growing up with praise from teachers and admiration from classmates.

But ever since I became Ethan's assistant, getting chewed out by him had become my weekly routine.

My face burned with humiliation.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

But online... Ethan was always so sweet to me.

He would call me his queen, begging for hugs and kisses...

I tried to explain myself, my voice trembling with emotion.

"I... I was just texting my boyfriend... My boyfriend is actually—"

"Nobody cares who you're texting," Ethan cut me off coldly.

"If there’s a next time, you don’t need to stay on my team."

Ethan was the CEO, and my direct boss.

I knew that in this company, no one would dare hire someone he threw out.

If he kicked me out, I would be packing my bags and leaving the industry for good.

The blood ran cold in my veins.

It took me a long time to squeeze out a raspy reply.

"Understood... It won’t happen again."

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