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. 0 “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.” 0
The moment we walked out of the conference room, my colleague Mia grabbed my arm, her face full of worry. “Chloe, are you insane? Texting during his meeting is one thing, but casting it to the big screen?! Thank god the Ice King didn’t see the text, or you’d be a goner!” I let out a weak, embarrassed laugh. “Yeah… slip of the finger.” When I first realized Ethan was my online boyfriend, I was ecstatic. But thinking about it now… it was incredibly creepy. I looked around to make sure no one was watching, then lowered my voice. “Hey, Mia… do you think someone like Mr. Reed would ever do online dating?” Mia blinked, then burst out laughing. “Mr. Reed? The legendary office tyrant? The man is basically celibate.” She leaned in closer to my ear. “Rumor has it he has some… issues down there. How could he do online dating?” Her expression suddenly changed, and she looked at me suspiciously. “Wait, you’re not thinking of seducing him to save your job, are you?” “Girl, it’s just a proposal. Don’t sacrifice your soul for it.” “The Ice King already dislikes you. If you push his buttons, he will fire you on the spot.” My heart did a violent flip. I had thought I hit the jackpot with Ethan. But from Ethan’s perspective, if he found out, it would look like I was blackmailing him. After all, I made him call me “Mistress” and forced him to send me abs pics. Just imagine if I had cast his abs to the screen during the meeting! Oh my god, the sheer embarrassment. It would be my social death. I could never let Ethan know that I was his online Mistress! I forced myself to sound calm. “I was just curious. I’d never do that.” Only then did Mia let out a sigh of relief. Shortly after I got back to my apartment, my phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat message from Ethan. [Babe, I’m free now. Want me to make those sweet sounds for you?] Ah! The thought of Ethan—who was always so stiff, formal, and buttoned-up to his neck at the office—lying on his bed and begging for my attention made my brain short-circuit. The contrast was too wild. And he was my boss! I didn’t dare to play along anymore. Me: [No need.] [Ethan got anxious immediately: [Why?] [Am I not attractive to you anymore?] [Or are you mad because I didn’t reply to your thigh pic right away?] [No wonder you didn’t accept my PayPal transfer.] [Babe, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please, just give me a chance to show you how much I want you.] Then, a FaceTime call popped up. My heart raced to the rhythm of the ringtone. Maybe it was because Ethan had been so brutal to me today, but seeing him beg so desperately online gave me a sudden rush of satisfaction. In fact, I wanted to mess with him a little. I wanted to humble him, and then dump him. But then I looked at the pending $5,000 transfer… …Fine. Let’s keep this going. But I was definitely going to tease him. I accepted the FaceTime call. As usual, we both kept our cameras angled down, keeping our faces out of the frame. “Babe, are you still mad at me?” His deep, husky voice echoed through my speakers. I had never made the connection before, but listening closely now, it was undeniably Ethan’s voice. Terrified he would recognize mine, I quickly typed: [I’m not mad, baby. Go ahead, I’m watching. Ethan let out a relieved sigh. His tone turned playful and eager. “Okay. Here I go.” 0
I stared at the screen, unable to look away. On the screen, Ethan unbuckled his belt, slowly putting on a silver waist chain… Oh my god! I let out a gasp and threw my phone onto the bed. Even though I talked a big game online and loved watching hot videos to decompress, this was my first time seeing a man’s… well, *that*. And it belonged to Ethan Reed! It was too much to handle. Ethan’s voice sounded frantic. “Babe? What’s wrong?” “Did I… did I scare you?” I patted my burning cheeks. I hung up the FaceTime call and texted him: [Are you mutated or something?] Ethan: [?] Me: [Even the romance novel male leads aren’t that… huge.] Ethan: [What?] Me: [It’s a compliment.] Ethan: [I’m just worried you won’t be able to handle me.] This pervert… My face flushed even hotter. [I definitely can’t.] [Besides, I like pink. Freshness.] [Maybe I should find a younger guy.] Ethan was thirty. This was the ultimate low blow for him. As expected, Ethan immediately sent a video to prove himself. The video showed a perfect, toned body. His abs were deeply defined from years of working out. What caught my eye was a silver body chain wrapped around his chest and waist. The chest chain rested perfectly on his firm pecs, and the waist chain hugged his hips as he breathed. It was incredibly hot. Then came a voice note. His voice was dangerously low. “Babe… don’t find someone else.” “What do young guys even know?” “Look, I put on the chest and waist chains you wanted to see last time.” “And the size… I promise you’ll love it.” “Mistress, please don’t leave me.” My breath hitched. I quickly made an excuse about my work. [I have to go. Need to fix my project pitch.] Ethan panicked: [Mistress, is there anything I can do to help?] Oh, he could definitely help. [My boss called my proposal absolute garbage. I have to rewrite the whole thing.] Ethan got angry: [He has zero taste. Sounds like a total idiot leader.] He was literally insulting himself. I burst out laughing. [Tell me who he is, babe. I’ll ruin his career for you.] Oh, please do. Go ruin yourself. 0
Ethan and I met on a chat app. At the time, I had moved out of my parents’ house to escape their constant nagging about marriage. But finding a job was tough. My bank account was draining fast, and I was about to miss rent. I was desperate for cash. When I realized Ethan was incredibly needy and filthy rich, I started playing hard to get. I’d ignore his texts for days, telling him I was too busy looking for jobs. To buy my time, Ethan started sending me money. I’d play cool: [There are plenty of guys offering me more. Why should I choose you?] Ethan sounded pitiful: [What do you want from me?] Me: [I want a loyal, obedient puppy. One that whines and calls me Mistress.] It took Ethan a long time to reply. He asked: [Do I need to show some skin?] I smirked. The next second, he sent a video. A shirtless man with a black collar buckled around his neck. “Mistress,” his voice was incredibly low and seductive. “I only show this to my girl. Be mine, and I’ll show you much more.” And just like that, we became online partners. But to me, it was just a side hustle. To protect myself, we agreed to never share faces or real names. But who would have thought he was Ethan Reed? 0
I texted back, pretending to complain: [I’m just worried you’ll show me something ugly.] [Don’t bother me today, or I’ll block you.] Ethan immediately went quiet. I accepted his transfer and put my phone away. But the moment midnight struck, Ethan, like a clockwork puppy, sent a voice note. “Babe, are you asleep?” “What else do you want to see? I can show you right now.” “Please don’t ignore me.” “Can I marry you? Please?” “Mistress, I beg you, just reply to me…” Working late to fix the proposal, I was initially filled with annoyance. But hearing Ethan practically crying, begging to marry me… My heart melted. My frustration evaporated. I texted: [Do you really want to marry me?] Ethan’s voice was raspy but incredibly firm: “I do.” “Even though we’ve never met.” “These past two years with you have been the happiest times of my life.” “Let’s meet up, babe.” “Let’s get married. Let me take care of you for the rest of my life.” My ears burned. My heart softened completely. Even though Ethan was a toxic jerk at work, considering his face, his wealth… and how incredibly clingy he was… This was actually a fantastic deal. I smiled and replied: [Okay, I got it.] But I needed to get this stupid proposal approved first before our big reveal. Ethan was overjoyed. The next morning, I walked into Ethan’s office with my fifth draft. Ethan frowned at his screen. “Are you sure this isn’t the exact same draft from yesterday’s meeting?” My heart stopped. I leaned in to look. No way. I stayed up until 3 AM for this! Ethan’s face was cold, and the air in the room felt heavy. I nervously played with the hem of my shirt. “…I can… go back and adjust the details?” But honestly, I was out of ideas. Ethan glanced at me. “No need.” I blinked, surprised. Was he really letting me off the hook so easily? Did my sweet texts last night put him in a good mood? But before I could celebrate, Ethan poured a bucket of ice water over my head. “Rewrite it from scratch.” He sneered, his voice freezing cold. “If you bring me this kind of garbage again, you can walk out of my team yourself.” My brain went numb. He was literally firing me. What about my rent?! He had promised to protect me last night, and now he was the one driving me insane! I couldn’t take it anymore. I slammed my hands on his desk and yelled, “Ethan Reed! Are you seriously going to fire your own wife?!” Ethan froze, snapping his head up to glare at me.
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