My so-called “charity case” Luke— the guy who claimed he had to save up just to buy a soda— was cheating on me. When I got home late that night, he wasn’t waiting at the door in his usual apron. He didn’t blush and bury his face in my neck, softly asking, “Sophia, are you hungry?” The living room was pitch-black, reeking of a strange tobacco smell that made me frown. In the moonlight, I saw him sitting dead-center on the couch. Scattered at his feet were all the limited-edition sneakers I’d bought him— now slashed to ribbons, looking like a pile of worthless junk. I frowned and flipped the light switch. “Luke, what the hell is wrong with you? If you don’t want this, get out.” He slowly lifted his head, his eyes glinting with a sinister mockery I’d never seen before. Those eyes— once only capable of feigning innocence— were now like daggers. “Fine, Sophia.” To get rid of him, I tossed a half-million-dollar check onto the table. “Take it and disappear. Don’t let me see you again.” But he picked up the check, pulled out a lighter, and burned it to ash right in front of me. The flames danced across his suddenly unfamiliar face. He smiled. “Five hundred grand? Sophia, do you take me for a beggar?” “So, what do you want?” I asked. He stood up, towering over me, his fingers brushing my lips. His voice dropped to a terrifying whisper. “I want you… to beg me to stay.” I scoffed and turned to leave, convinced he’d lost his mind. That is, until the next day, when the newly appointed group chairman walked into the office. When I saw that familiar face, the coffee cup in my hand slipped and shattered on the floor. He settled into the head chair, pointed at me, and smiled like the devil. “Director Sophia, you’ve spilled your coffee. Be a dear and clean it up, won’t you?”
In that moment, all I felt was sheer absurdity. Watching Luke storm out, I didn’t get angry— I laughed. The kid was clearly spoiled rotten by me, pulling such a pathetic attention-seeking stunt. Burning a half-million-dollar check? That was more money than he’d make in a hundred years of working. I surveyed the messy living room. The floor was littered with slashed sneakers— reverse-swoosh Jordans, one pair even a rare collector’s item I’d won at auction. And that crystal ornament, shattered to pieces, was a gift from me for his last birthday. It wasn’t worth much, but he’d cried half the night, swearing it was the best gift he’d ever gotten. Now, these “best gifts” were jagged shards of glass. I kicked the fragments aside and walked to the liquor cabinet to pour myself a whiskey. The burning liquid slid down my throat, quelling the strange, unsettling feeling in my chest. Luke’s final look kept replaying in my mind. So completely unrecognizable. For three years, he’d been as docile as a golden retriever. When I worked late, he’d bring me dinner; when my stomach ached, he’d stay up all night rubbing my belly; when I lost my temper, he’d even kneel to massage my feet, smiling and asking if I felt better. He was just a good-looking, broke student— completely useless except for the emotional support he provided. At least, that’s what I always believed. “Freaking psycho,” I muttered, slamming the glass onto the table. My phone vibrated. It was my assistant, Chloe, with my schedule. I glanced at it and replied: “Cancel all of Luke’s supplementary cards. Also, contact his university— tell them I’m withdrawing my sponsorship and he needs to refund this semester’s scholarship.” If he wanted to leave, he could leave with nothing. I, Sophia, never make losing deals. If he wasn’t going to play nice, I’d make him learn what real hardship felt like before he even starved. I didn’t sleep well that night. In my dreams, a pair of eyes watched me constantly, like they were ready to devour me whole. The next morning, Chloe’s frantic call jolted me awake. “Boss, something’s wrong,” her voice trembled. I rubbed my temples, my morning crankiness making my tone sharp. “Has the sky fallen? Spit it out.” “Luke’s card… I can’t cancel it.” I froze, then scoffed. “What do you mean ‘can’t’? It’s a supplementary card I issued— I’m the primary cardholder.” “The bank said…” Chloe swallowed hard. “That card’s linked to an overseas family trust fund. Not only is the credit limit unlimited, but even the authorization… is above yours. The bank manager said if we absolutely have to cancel it, we need authorization from… Mr. Harrison himself.” My hand holding the phone hung in mid-air. My head was spinning. An unlimited black card? An overseas trust? The Luke who’d walk five kilometers just to save a couple bucks on bus fare to bring me an umbrella? The Luke whose cheap T-shirts were washed until they faded? “Are you still drunk?” I snapped back. “Boss, there’s something even crazier,” Chloe was on the verge of tears. “You asked me to cancel his scholarship at the university. They said… there’s no record of him.” I shot upright. “What do you mean no record? He’s been studying there for three years!” “His file is empty, encrypted with… the highest level of federal scrambling. The dean himself replied, saying the name is fake, his enrollment is fake, and even the staff member we usually dealt with was actually… the Harrison family’s security chief in disguise.” My phone slipped from my hand, landing softly on the duvet. I suddenly remembered Luke’s eyes when he burned the check last night. It was like watching a jester try to bribe a king with two pieces of candy.
I refused to believe anything so absurd. I, Sophia, had clawed my way through the business world for ten years. They called me the “Medusa of Wall Street.” I was the one who outsmarted others— when had anyone ever played me like this? I skipped breakfast, grabbed my car keys, and rushed out. First stop: the convenience store where he used to work. It was just down the street from my apartment, open twenty-four hours. When I used to come home late, I’d always see him in his green uniform behind the counter. He’d flash that goofy smile when he saw my headlights, then run out to hand me a warm bottle of milk. I parked my car haphazardly on the roadside and pushed open the door, heels clicking. “Welcome!” A chubby guy I didn’t recognize stood behind the counter. “Where’s Luke?” I asked, pulling off my sunglasses, direct and blunt. The chubby guy blinked. “Who?” “The college student who used to work the night shift. Tall and thin, he looks really…” I trailed off, realizing I couldn’t describe Luke’s looks beyond “handsome.” “Oh, you mean that rich kid who was ‘slumming it’?” The store manager popped his head out from behind a shelf, looking gossipy. “He quit ages ago. Left last night.” “Slumming it?” I latched onto the phrase sharply. The manager wiped his hands on a rag, giving me a “how could you not know?” look. “Yeah, the guy bought all the properties on this street. Said his girlfriend lived nearby, so to be close to her, he just picked a store to ‘hang out’ in. We couldn’t let him do any real work. All those basic milk and bread items? He bought premium imported stuff out of his own pocket and swapped the packaging.” I felt dizzy, having to steady myself against a shelf. Imported goods, repackaged? No wonder the convenience store sandwiches tasted better than Michelin-starred meals, no wonder the dollar-fifty bottled water tasted like Alpine snowmelt. It was all an act? “He also said…” The manager glanced at my face, then hesitated. “Said what?” “He said these three years were like getting a degree in acting, and now he’d graduated and it was time to go back and take over the family business.” A chill ran through me, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. Turns out, I hadn’t been caring for a stray dog— I’d been housing a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I spent the entire day frantically searching for him, like a chicken with its head cut off. I went to his supposed hometown— an old apartment in Brooklyn— only to find it had long been converted into high-rise office buildings. I called the numbers he’d given me for his “relatives,” all disconnected. I felt like a fool, living in a massive reality show with Luke as both director and star. Returning to the office that evening, I collapsed into my chair, staring out at the bustling city lights. My phone suddenly vibrated. A photo from an unknown number. No text, just an image. The background was the dim interior of a car. A slender, elegant hand casually dangled a diamond necklace. I knew that necklace all too well. It was the finale item at last month’s auction— a pink diamond named “Tear of Eternity,” sold for twelve million dollars. When I watched the live stream, I’d casually remarked, “It’s so beautiful.” Luke, who was peeling grapes for me at the time, simply said, “It’s just a rock.” Now, that “rock” was being held by him like a piece of trash. Immediately after, a text message arrived. [It’s for you, Miss Sophia.] [Your ‘technique’ over the past three years wasn’t bad. Consider this… your service fee.] Crash! I hurled my phone against the wall. Service fee? Luke, Lucas Harrison… whatever your name is, you’re unbelievable. Who did he think I was? A call girl? And to add such a humiliating comment as “technique wasn’t bad”? I trembled with rage, my nails digging into my palms until they drew blood. In that moment, I finally understood: the docile, poor student was gone. In his place stood a malicious devil I didn’t recognize. And this devil was watching me from the shadows, reveling in my breakdown.
Turns out, Lucas wasn’t just interested in watching me lose my mind. He wanted to crush my dignity under his heel. Monday’s routine board meeting was eerily suffocating. Robert, the chairman and my direct superior, was now relegated to a subordinate seat, drenched in cold sweat, constantly wiping his glasses. “Sophia, I heard the group was maliciously acquired by some mysterious capital?” Emily leaned over, lowering her voice. “What kind of new boss is this? Robert looks terrified.” My heart sank. That ominous feeling grew stronger. “I have no idea,” I replied, coolly organizing my documents. The meeting room doors swung open. The previously noisy room fell silent. Two lines of black-suited bodyguards entered, quickly securing all exits. Then, a man in a charcoal gray bespoke suit walked in. Behind him followed a team of top-tier lawyers— an entourage that seemed less for a meeting and more for a sentencing. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His face was still exquisitely handsome, impossible to look away from, but his demeanor had undergone a drastic transformation. The old Luke’s eyes were clear and dewy, always looking at people with an eagerness to please. But now, his hair was swept back, revealing a clean, full forehead. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his nose, and behind the lenses, his eyes were cold, mocking, and condescending. He walked straight to the head chair and sat down, long legs crossed, his slender fingers lightly tapping on the mahogany conference table. Tap, tap, tap. Each tap echoed directly in my chest. The room was dead silent. His gaze slowly swept across the room, finally locking precisely onto my face. A familiar yet utterly alien smirk played on his lips. “Allow me to introduce myself,” his voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a hint of casual laziness. “Lucas Harrison.” “New Executive Director of Harrison Group, and… your new boss.” A collective gasp echoed through the conference room. The Harrison family? The legendary, all-powerful Harrison family that monopolized half the energy industry? The mysterious, ruthless heir who’d just fought his way to power? I stared at him, my nails almost tearing through the folder in my grip. Luke. Lucas. So that’s how it was. He looked at me, his eyes playful. “Director Sophia, you don’t seem very welcoming.” I took a deep breath, stood up, and tried to keep my voice steady. “Mr. Harrison, you jest. Since it’s a company decision, I naturally comply.” “Comply?” He chuckled softly, pushing up his glasses. “Good.” He casually picked up an HR appointment letter from the table, not even glancing at it, and tossed it in front of me. “Since Director Sophia is so respectful of the rules, this will be easy.” “Given Ms. Sophia’s… mediocre performance in past projects, and her chaotic personal life, which severely impacts the company’s image.” He paused, his smile deepening. “Effective immediately, Ms. Sophia is relieved of her position as Investment Director.” Emily shot to her feet. “Mr. Harrison! This isn’t fair! Sophia is a core executive— she led all the major projects these past few years—” “Did I give you permission to speak?” Lucas didn’t even lift his head, merely giving Emily a dismissive glance. The sheer pressure in that instant silenced even Emily, a woman who’d weathered countless storms. He turned back to me, his gaze like that of a predator eyeing its prey. “However, I do appreciate Miss Sophia’s… certain ‘talents’.” “Therefore, I’m specially appointing Sophia as my personal assistant, responsible for my daily needs and schedule.” Personal assistant? From a partner earning a million a year to a tea-fetching errand girl? Humiliation. Naked, blatant humiliation. I gritted my teeth, looking at him coldly. “What if I refuse?” “Refuse?” Lucas sounded as if he’d heard a joke. “Of course, Miss Sophia can refuse. However, I hear Miss Sophia’s parents are still serving time in prison? If something were to happen to them inside… or if their parole applications kept getting denied…” Despicable! He was threatening me with that! I trembled with rage. This boy, who once couldn’t even stand to watch me clean a fish, was now using my family against me. “Fine.” I spat the word through clenched teeth. “I accept.” When the meeting ended, executives filed out, no one daring to meet my eyes. As I prepared to leave, that devilish voice called from behind me. “Stop.” My footsteps halted. “Did I say you could leave?” Lucas leaned back in his chair, pointing to the coffee cup he’d knocked over earlier. Brown liquid had pooled on the table, dripping steadily onto the expensive carpet. He looked up at me, his eyes full of malicious, vengeful glee. “Director Sophia, oh no— Assistant Sophia.” “The coffee’s spilled. Come on, clean it up.”
I stood there, staring at the brown stain, feeling my blood rush to my head. If this were before, anyone who dared to speak to me like that would have had a glass of water thrown back in their face. But now, he was Lucas— wielding absolute power over the entire group— and I was a prisoner with my weakness exposed. I took a deep breath, telling myself, *Sophia, you’ve seen worse. This petty game is nothing more than a child’s tantrum.* I turned, walked to the cleaning cabinet in the corner, took out a rag, and returned to the conference table. Lucas watched me, completely at ease, twirling a limited-edition pen in his long fingers— his eyes like those of someone watching a circus act. I bent down, wiping the table stroke by stroke. As I bent, the hem of my professional skirt rode up slightly. I could feel his gaze shamelessly linger on my waistline. It was an invasive gaze— not just filled with desire, but more with the arrogance of one surveying their property. “What’s wrong? You were so gentle wiping sweat off me in bed, why are you scrubbing a table so hard now?” He suddenly spoke, his voice low yet jarringly loud in the empty conference room. My movements halted. I snapped my head up to glare at him. “Boss, it’s work hours.” “Is it?” He chuckled softly, stood up, and walked around the table to stand behind me. The unfamiliar scent of cologne mixed with tobacco instantly enveloped me. He leaned in close, his warm breath fanning my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “I remember Assistant Sophia used to enjoy doing other things during work hours,” his hand hovered around my waist without touching, “like, in front of the office’s floor-to-ceiling windows… teaching me how to kiss.” I straightened up abruptly, throwing the coffee-stained rag onto the table. “Lucas, aren’t you being childish?” I turned to face him, looking him straight in the eye. “If you went through all this trouble to acquire this company just to humiliate me, then you must be incredibly bored.” The smile in his eyes instantly vanished. “Humiliate?” He stepped closer, trapping me between the conference table and himself. “Sophia, you can’t handle this? For three years, when you treated me like a dog, ordering me around, did you ever think I might do the same to you one day?” “When did I ever treat you like a dog?” I scoffed, angry laughter bubbling up. “I provided food and shelter, even bought you the best underwear. You call that ‘treating you like a dog’?” “Isn’t it?” He suddenly flared up, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up. “You’d pet me when you were happy, then ignore me when you weren’t. I cooked for you, warmed your bed, was your emotional punching bag—did I ever say no to anything? But how did you treat me?” His eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse. “Five hundred thousand. You tried to dismiss me with a single check. Sophia, in your eyes, was I really that cheap?” I was stunned. *Is that what he cared about?* “You were the one who wanted to break up!” I yelled back. “You were the one who said you didn’t care anymore!” “That was…” He hesitated, his eyes swirling with emotion before settling into a cold stillness. “Forget it. There’s no talking to a heartless woman like you.” He let go, then fastidiously pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers— as if he’d touched something filthy. “Go, get me a coffee,” he reverted to that haughty coldness. “I want a pour-over Geisha from ‘Blue Bottle’ on Fifth Avenue. If it’s not here in thirty minutes, you can clean the toilets.” Blue Bottle Coffee was in the city center, twenty kilometers away. It was rush hour— I couldn’t even fly there in thirty minutes. He was doing this on purpose. But I didn’t argue. I turned and walked out. Outside the office, I immediately pulled out my phone and called for a rush delivery. I added a three-hundred-dollar tip, ensuring it would arrive in twenty minutes. Then I went to my workstation— now a small desk outside the CEO’s office— opened my laptop, and pulled up the files for the Harrison Group’s latest acquisition. It was a billion-dollar project. The Harrison Group aimed to acquire a tech company, but I immediately spotted discrepancies in their financial report. If I didn’t point it out, Lucas would sign— and that billion would go down the drain. As much as I wanted to see him lose money, this company was also my hard work— I couldn’t bear to watch it crumble. Thirty minutes later. I carried the delivered coffee and knocked on the CEO’s office door. “Come in.” Lucas was looking at documents, his brow furrowed. I placed the coffee next to him. “Boss, your coffee.” He glanced at his watch, raising an eyebrow. “That fast? Did you fly back?” “Money makes the world go ’round, didn’t you teach me that, Boss?” I offered a fake smile. He snorted, picked up the coffee, and took a sip. Just as he was about to find fault, I slapped a document down in front of him. “Boss, while you’re drinking your coffee, take a look at this.” “What is this?” “Your billion-dollar project. The other party’s core technology patent expires in three months, and they’ve concealed a two-hundred-million-dollar debt guarantee,” I said calmly, as if discussing the weather. “The legal department’s incompetent team missed it. I’ve highlighted it for you.” Lucas paused, set down his coffee, and flipped through a few pages of the document. His expression shifted from casual indifference to serious, then finally a complex look as he stared at me. “Why help me?” he asked. “Wouldn’t seeing me lose a billion be more satisfying?” I leaned forward, hands braced on the desk, looking directly into his eyes, and offered the first genuine smile I’d shown today. “Boss, a brain is a good thing. I hope you acquired one when you bought the company.” “I’m not helping *you*— I’m not letting *my* company be ruined by an idiot.” “And,” I pointed to the coffee cup, “consulting fee: five hundred thousand. Make sure it’s wired to my account.” With that, I turned dramatically, leaving him with a proud back. Behind me, I heard the heavy thud of documents being closed, and Lucas’s gritted-teeth remark: “Sophia, I truly want to stitch that mouth of yours shut.” I curved my lips into a smirk. Want to tame me? In your next life, kid.
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