Archer's face turned crimson, his teeth gritted. "Renew it!"

"I'm short five hundred dollars bucks," I said with a shrug.

Fuming, Archer transferred me twenty thousand dollars. Considering the money, I stayed with him until midnight. Then, grabbing my bag, I said, "I'm leaving. Got work tomorrow. Oh, and do I need to announce our breakup? I'll tell your friends I dumped you, and that's the end of it..."

"No way!" Archer cut me off angrily.

He cared a lot about his image.

I smiled and said, "Mr. Flynn, feel free to order again next time. Goodbye."

This time, I didn't drive him; I just walked out of the club, hailed a cab, and left him and a few friends gaping.

He could buy time with money, but only if I was willing to sell.

The evening breeze was gentle, and I had made over ten thousand dollars in one night without much emotional or mental effort. Quite a joyful evening indeed.

5

The next day at work, I was glowing with confidence. Everly Tate, my team leader, walked over and dumped a stack of files in front of me, ordering me to sort them out.

"Ashley, get these done tonight."

Everly, taking advantage of her connection with our department manager, Dexter Harrow, constantly bosses me around. This time, I was not going to put up with it.

Planning to quit soon anyway, I flatly refused her. "This isn't my job. I'm not doing it."

"You!" Everly's face twisted in anger as she stormed off with the files.

"Wow!" my colleagues cheered, giving me a thumbs up.

Offending Everly might cost me a promotion or raise, but I didn't expect her to retaliate so pettily over the next two days, making my life miserable. Dexter called me in for a talk, criticizing everything I did.

"Ashley, you need to think carefully. When your boss assigns you tasks, how can you just refuse? Do you want a 'C' on your performance review?"

Performance reviews were a tool for bosses to control their subordinates. After a moment of silence, not wanting to stir up trouble, I agreed to follow Everly's instructions.

Back at my desk, Everly smugly handed me a pile of invoices and documents to sort out. I didn't refuse and worked diligently until 9 PM.

With the office lights bright and everyone else gone, Dexter approached me from behind. "Ashley, still working, huh?"

I moved away, ignoring him.

He overstepped further, attempting to embrace me!

Panicked, I struggled fiercely, stabbing his head with my high heel.