Chapter 3

The student immediately shared Daphne's public profile in our grade's group chat.

The photo Lucas had posted of her tying my shoelaces matched one of her service listings perfectly.

[Service: Shoelace inspection. Base fee: 25 dollars. Note: Inspection only covers checking whether the laces are loose. Retying them is not included.]

Another listing appeared directly below it.

[Service: Retying loose shoelaces. Additional fee: 12.50 dollars.]

The students soon dug up the rest of her orders.

Taking my basketball shoes to the gym. Original price: 12.50 dollars.

Daphne considered the gym too far away, so she raised the price to 35 dollars.

Practicing tennis with me. Original price: 40 dollars.

She thought my tennis skills were terrible and resented how I always blamed my mistakes on my practice partner. To compensate for the frustration, she added another 70 dollars for emotional distress.

Getting rid of my admirers. Original price: 40 dollars.

When she discovered that one of them had a black belt in taekwondo, she tacked on another 90 dollars for workplace injury insurance.

As for low-paying jobs, Daphne turned them down without a second thought.

[Not enough money. Not interested.]

[Too far. Pay extra.]

[Call me Boss for 5% off. Call me your maid, and that'll cost you an extra 70 dollars.]

The comment section, which had been overflowing with sympathy for her just moments earlier, fell completely silent for a full thirty seconds.

Then all hell broke loose.

[Wait, she gets 40 dollars just for bowing her head?]

[Who's the one who actually needs saving here? Someone save me first! I only get 100 dollars a month for living expenses!]

[Must be nice to be pretty. You get to make money off a rich guy and set your own prices.]

[Mr. Harris, I'll carry you up five flights of stairs for 25 dollars!]

[Looking for a sugar daddy. My dignity is available on a monthly subscription.]

Before long, a new comment shot to the top: [@Lucas, if you're going to report him, why didn't you include the recruitment link?]

Lucas stared at his screen, his face alternating between red and pale. "She only learned to haggle because you forced her into it!"

I was genuinely impressed by his reasoning. When Daphne raised her prices, it was oppression. When she rejected a job, it was a trauma response.

Apparently, once you'd decided on a conclusion, you could twist any evidence to support it.

…

Ten minutes later, I was summoned to the faculty office.

My teacher, Richard Lewis, slammed screenshots of the orders onto his desk. "Dominic Harris, have you no shame? You're a man! Do you even know what it means to have some dignity?

"You make a girl carry your things, tie your shoelaces, and chase away your admirers. Do you think that makes you impressive?"

I pointed at the screenshots. "She accepted those orders herself. And she set her own prices."

Richard sneered, "She was so desperate for money that she had to turn to you. And you still have the nerve to claim she did it willingly?

"Daphne is one of our school's top students. We're counting on her to win awards and bring honor to this school.

"She's not here for you to humiliate with your money!"

His twisted logic was giving me a headache.

"She was selling her labor. Why are you making it sound like she was selling something else?" I asked.

"Shut up!" Richard slammed his palm against the desk. "You throw money around every day to make girls run errands for you, and you're actually proud of it? You don't even understand basic respect! Who would ever think highly of a man like you?"

Lucas hurried forward to calm him down. "Please don't put it that way, Mr. Lewis. Maybe Dominic just likes Daphne too much and went about expressing his feelings the wrong way."

With that single sentence, he'd practically established that I was desperately pursuing the campus beauty.

Richard's expression grew even more disgusted. "So you think liking someone gives you the right to exploit her misfortune and force her to serve you?

"Lucas comes from a struggling family, but even he understands that poverty is no excuse to sacrifice your dignity.

"Your family has money, yet somehow you've turned out even more shameless!"

By then, several students had gathered outside the office to watch the spectacle.

Someone quietly spoke up. "But Daphne really does make a lot of money from those jobs."

Richard stormed over and yanked the door open. "No amount of money justifies trampling on someone's dignity! And now you're all joining in the mockery? You've all been led astray!"

He ordered the class monitor to compile a list of everyone who had spoken in my defense. Every student on that list would have to attend a group counseling session on proper values and behavior.

The students who'd been scrambling to apply for my jobs just moments earlier scattered in an instant.

Lucas wiped away his tears before speaking softly. "Mr. Lewis, this has gone beyond an ordinary disagreement. This is financial bullying."

Richard immediately agreed to launch an investigation. He contacted the campus gig platform and had Daphne's 350 dollars in completed but unpaid earnings frozen.

I raised an eyebrow. "So now I get to have people work for me without paying them? What a bargain."

Richard glared at me. "Are you still trying to corrupt her with money?"

The school eventually decided to hold a disciplinary hearing over the financial bullying allegations on the day the basketball team returned to campus.

Lucas would present the evidence, and I would be required to make a public apology and reflect on my misconduct.

Meanwhile, Daphne would attend as the victim.

Lucas stood nearby, his eyes still red from crying. "When Daphne gets back, she'll understand that I did all this for her own good."

I glanced at the frozen payment page.

[Pending settlement: 350 dollars.]

[Current status: Frozen due to dispute.]

I nodded. "Let's hope she still feels that way when she gets back."