Chapter 3

CELESTE

I swallowed hard.

My voice came out small, almost a whisper. "What kind of dirty deal, Sir?"

He did not answer right away. Instead, he gave a thin smile, the kind that made my stomach twist. His eyes looked at me for a long time, from head to toe, as if he was judging every inch of my body. I felt naked even though I was still fully dressed.

I was so embarrassed!

Last night I was very drunk. I remembered recording that stupid video because I was upset and wanted to teach Leon a lesson. I thought I sent it to Leon. I was sure of it.

But now... it turns out it went to my boss, Lazarrus!

That means... I sent it to the wrong person?

With shaking hands, I reached into my small bag and took out my phone. I opened the messages. And sure enough...In the chat history, the video was sent to Lazarrus!

I sent it to the wrong person. I sent a video of myself masturbating to my boss, whom I only met yesterday!

Oh God... I wanted to die right now!

My face felt so hot. It must have been bright red all the way to my neck. I looked down deeply, unable to meet his eyes anymore. Tears almost fell, but I held them back with all my strength.

How stupid I was. So stupid, stupid, stupid!

And he actually liked it?

I looked up a little, stealing a glance at him. He was still standing very close, his tall body towering over me.

"You asked what kind of dirty deal, Little Doe?" he repeated softly. His voice felt like a caress that only made me shiver in fear.

Little Doe.

He called me that in his message this morning. "Come to my office, Little Doe."

And now again. What did it mean? Was he mocking me? Or... did it mean something else?

He brought his face a little closer. Now we were only inches apart. The scent of his expensive cologne reached my nose, a mix of wood and spice that somehow made my knees weak.

"I will not fire you," he said. "But you must agree to become my personal assistant."

I blinked, trying to understand. "Personal assistant?"

"Yes. You will live in my mansion. I will pay for all your needs. You only have to be there whenever I need you."

I looked at him, confused.

"So, you need a maid at your house?" I asked innocently, trying to find some logic.

He let out a small laugh. Then he shook his head slowly, his eyes growing darker.

"Not a maid." His finger touched my chin for a moment, forcing me to look straight at him. "I want you to become... my Little Doe. Completely mine."

At that moment, I understood. He wanted me to be... his toy. A woman he could call anytime, anywhere, to satisfy his desires.

His personal whore?!

Oh My God!

How dare he? Did he think I would give in so easily just because of one stupid mistake?

"I will give you everything," he continued before I could speak. "You only need to obey. Be mine."

I stepped back, my breathing fast and uneven.

"Sorry, Sir," I said firmly, even though my voice shook. "I do not accept. I would rather find work somewhere else. It is okay if you fire me right now."

He raised an eyebrow. Then that thin smile returned.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course," I answered quickly, nodding hard. "Please delete that video from your phone. I resign starting today."

He did not force me. He did not get angry. He just looked at me for a long time, then shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"Fine," he said.

I almost felt relieved, until he added one more sentence with a small smirk that made my heart beat strangely.

"You will come back to me within twenty four hours, Little Doe."

I looked at him in disbelief.

WHAT?

How confident this man was!

I turned to him one more time, trying to look strong even though inside I already felt weak.

"I will go to HR now to handle my resignation," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Lazarrus only nodded slowly, his hands in his pants pockets, and his expression unchanged.

I turned and left his office. The door closed softly behind me.

The resignation process was fast. HR was surprised, but I said I had an urgent personal reason. They processed it in a few hours—resignation letter, short handover, and I returned my office access card. Everything was done before lunch.

I walked out of the building. My phone kept vibrating in my bag. It happened many times today.

I took it out. The screen was full of missed calls and dozens of messages from numbers I already knew by heart.

Debt collectors.

I took a deep breath, sat on a small park bench near the office building, and finally opened one of the latest messages.

"Hi, your installment due date is today. If there is no payment, we will seize your house."

I read that sentence over and over.

Seize the house?

My father died six months ago from a sudden heart attack. We only found out later that he had business debt of almost one million dollars to a bank that turned out to be very harsh. Our house on the outskirts of the city was used as collateral.

Since Dad passed away, I have been the one handling everything. My salary went into a special savings account just to pay the monthly installments. And I had a joint account with Leon.

Mom got sick right after Dad died. The doctor said severe depression plus mild heart complications. Now she just lies in bed at home, cared for by my little sister who is in her final semester of college and works part-time.

That house is the only thing we own. If it gets seized... where will we go?

I hailed a cab and headed straight to the apartment Leon and I had bought together. My hands were ice-cold around my phone. I’d already decided that I’d ask him for the savings account this time. We’d always rotated who held the card each month—supposed to keep things “fair.”

Despite everything that happened last night, despite catching him with those two women, I still needed that money.

The doorman recognized me and gave an awkward nod.

“Mr. Leon’s not in this apartment. He left last night for vacation with his girlfriends.”

Right. The same “girls” I’d found him tangled up with.

I forced a tight smile, thanked him, and went up to the seventeenth floor anyway. The hallway still smelled like the overpriced candle we’d bought together last Christmas. Everything felt like a cruel joke.

I texted Leon from the doorstep.

Me: I need my money today. Please transfer my savings into my account now.

His reply came almost instantly.

Leon: Sorry, Celeste. There’s nothing left. I put everything into crypto last week. It was a total loss. Your savings are gone.

I stared at the screen until the words blurred.

Gone?

Every paycheck I’d funneled into that joint savings for the past three years. Every bonus, every skipped vacation, every overtime shift—gone. Gambled away on some stupid trade without even telling me.

My knees buckled. I slid down the wall outside the door and buried my face in my hands.

He’d cheated on me with two women at once.

He’d lied for who knows how long, living a “poly” life behind my back, something I had never known about before.

And now he’d stolen my savings!

I cried right there in the hallway, ugly, choking sobs that echoed off the marble.

My phone vibrated as a message came in. I wiped my face with my sleeve, and opened the message.

L.W.V: Little Doe, my gates are always open. You know where to find me.

—L

Well, he said earlier that I would come back to him within twenty four hours. Was this what he meant?

Should I accept the offer he called a dirty deal just to pay off these damned debts?