Chapter 2

By the time I saw the message, it was too late to unsend. While appreciating beauty is human nature, I felt inexplicably guilty.

Just then, she suddenly messaged: "You like this kind?"

Then she sent a video.

It looked like it was shot in a gym. Not perfectly defined muscles, but very fair skin. A beautiful M-line flowed down, disappearing into her athletic shorts. As for above...

Yeah, very pink!

The owner of the video seemed shy; her face was flushed red at the end of the clip.

I was officially hooked.

Me: "Got more? Send more!"

Then she shyly sent a few more videos.

I admit, I was completely corrupted by beauty.

I never thought my usually prim and proper boss was so… well.

How do I describe it?

It was strangely stimulating.

I was enjoying myself when she suddenly sent a message.

"If you agree to be my boyfriend, I'll record videos for you every day. As much as you want."

Most people in life pursue four things: money, power, fame, and pleasure.

The first three didn't concern me, so the last one was incredibly tempting.

Me: "...Well... I guess that's not impossible."

It was just an online relationship, after all.

Of course, I had conditions.

No public announcements, no changing profile pictures, no video calls, and no meeting in person.

She wasn't thrilled but agreed anyway.

And that's how we dated for two years.

As she got better at dressing up, I also enjoyed the perks, with her pulling off all sorts of stunning looks.

Just when I thought these days would last forever, she proposed meeting up.

Me: "Didn't we agree not to meet? Just an online relationship, nothing in real life."

She sounded really upset: "I know, I'm sorry, but I really want to see you."

I knew what she was up to.

A couple of days before, I had a college reunion, and afterward, a classmate confessed her feelings to me. I rejected her once, and she started sending me all these creepy, disgusting messages.

So I blasted her on Ins, then blocked and deleted her.

Since we were dating, Amelia saw it.

She was probably thinking of meeting up and then openly declaring her claim on me.

I knew exactly why I didn't want to meet her, so the answer was definitely no.

After she pestered me for a week, I got annoyed and broke up with her.

That scared her straight. She looked like a wilting flower, utterly deflated.

My phone displayed an incoming call for the umpteenth time. I sighed and silently flipped my phone face down on the table.

Just then, my direct boss, Richard, called out to me.

"Leo, can you take this proposal to Amelia?"

Richard's crush on Amelia was an open secret in the company.

Normally, he'd jump at any chance to interact with her. But lately, she'd been in a bad mood. Last time, he'd tried to 'comfort' her, assuming too much, and got chewed out, which was incredibly embarrassing. So he stopped trying any of his little tricks.

I winced, a wry smile on my face. "Richard, I'm a level below her. Isn't going over your head a bit… much?"

Amelia was my online girlfriend. While I had her contact info on my work phone, I'd never actually interacted with her professionally. Plus, this proposal had been dragging on forever, and Amelia was still unhappy with it. Even if she were in a good mood, I'd still get criticized, let alone now. This was clearly him trying to throw me under the bus.

Richard rolled his eyes. "Just do what I tell you. Why all the questions?"

...Fine.

Even though I'd practically seen everything online, I was still a bit nervous about meeting her in person.

Especially at work, she was notoriously strict, incredibly strong-willed.

—And incredibly sharp-tongued.

Hesitating for a moment, I pulled out my phone.

After I broke up with her that day, she'd been constantly apologizing, clearly panicking, but I hadn't replied.

I'd just impulsively broken up with her and hadn't really checked since. First, I was afraid I'd go soft, and second, I wanted to take her down a notch.

Meeting was out of the question, but breaking up was fine.

After thinking it over, I sent a message.

"We don't have to break up, but can you be good? I really don't like people who don't keep their word."

She replied instantly: "Baby, you finally replied to me! I know I was wrong, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again."

Then came a crying puppy emoji.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The person inside startled, then cleared her throat. "Come in."

As soon as I entered, my gaze was drawn to Amelia's slightly red nose.

Had she been crying?

Noticing my gaze, she seemed a bit embarrassed and tapped on her desk. "Proposal? Put it here. You can go back now."

Her temper was clearly better.

Otherwise, she would have already chewed me out for bypassing protocol.

There was a colleague who got fired for bypassing protocol. While he also had issues with his work ethic and refusing assignments—and he did get a severance package—bypassing protocol is still a major workplace no-no.

But the proposal was still no good; it eventually got sent back, and Richard put it back in my hands.

No choice, I had to work overtime to revise it.

But Amelia was in a good mood today and left on time. Plus, it was Friday, so the other colleagues, who had been working overtime for ages, also left early. Soon, it was just me and Sarah, the front desk admin.

I had no idea when I'd finish this proposal, so I assured the admin I'd lock up and turn off the lights, letting her go home first.

I don't know how much time passed when I heard a sound from the facial recognition lock at the door. I froze, a little scared.

Checking the time, it was already ten o'clock at night. Who could it be at this hour?

All sorts of horror movie scenarios set in office buildings replayed in my mind. I comforted myself that ghosts weren't real, while instinctively holding my breath, too nervous to move.

A familiar figure approached. As I clearly saw her face, I let out a sigh of relief.

It was Amelia.

"Why are you here alone? Aren't you going home?"

Amelia seemed surprised I was still working overtime. I secretly gritted my teeth: *It's all your fault!*

"This proposal is urgent. I'm afraid it won't be viable even tomorrow, so I thought I'd work overtime tonight to refine it."

"Oh, *that* proposal."

Amelia paused, then actually walked straight towards me. "Let me explain it to you in more detail; it'll be easier to revise that way."

My heart tightened—since we'd made up, I had to reply to her messages, and I hated constantly opening my phone, so I'd switched my computer to my private handle.

What was I going to do?

Amelia walked closer. "Open it up, let me see."

My brain spun frantically, but my hands moved slowly.

Just as she was about to adjust it, Amelia said, "Move over a bit, I'll..."

"Wait!"