Chapter five

After another long, heated night with Pressure, Chelle sat under the shower, He was paying her more than enough now — enough to make her quit every other client and focus only on him. But as the water ran down her skin, the thought hit harder than the heat:

she was more than this.

“$hy Pus,” she whispered — the nickname she’d made from “shy pussy.” The name the streets gave her. It used to make her laugh, now it made her basic.

She couldn’t keep doing this forever.

She had dreams and goals . She had a degree in Business Administration, a sharp mind for numbers and strategy, and the kind of intuition that could spot a good deal before it even existed. She wanted to become a business consultant and work in an office

She sighed and thought about Daisy. Her little sister was almost done with her nursing degree now. “That’s something I did right,” she thought. She was proud .

But as she sat there, she realized she wanted more than survival. She wanted , purpose — maybe even love. A man that was hers alone. Not just a client

She opened her laptop. The glow of the screen filled the small room as she scrolled through job listings. Personal assistant. Business Consultant Intern. Marketing Assistant. Junior Analyst. All required experience she didn’t have

Her cursor hovered over Apply Now again and again, but she never clicked.

The next morning, over breakfast, she said it out loud.

“I want to look for a job,” she blurted, staring at her plate.

Daisy looked up with a teasing smirk. “What happened to your remote job, hmm?” — making air quotes with her fingers.

“I want to go after my career,” Chelle said quietly.

“Aww, that’s amazing, Chelly.” Daisy reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I’ve got a friend — her brother works at this big company. He’s leaving the country soon, but maybe he can scope you in, put in a good word.”

“Really?” Chelle’s eyes brightened.

“Yeah! I’ll talk to my friend, she’ll talk to her brother. Don’t worry — we’ve got this.”

“I hope it works out.”

“It will. It has to,” Daisy said, her voice soft but firm. “Because I don’t like that remote job of yours.”

“Girl, that remote job sent you to school,” Chelle said, half laughing, half serious.

“I know, but still …I could’ve taken a loan.”

“And spend the rest of your life paying it off? Hell no.”

“But still..”

“Shut up and eat your food,” Chelle cut her off with a playful roll of her eyes.

As Daisy laughed, Chelle smiled too — but deep down, she knew this was her chance to go for what she really wants .

Later that afternoon, Chelle found herself sitting by the window of a small café down the street, her laptop open again. The air smelled like roasted coffee and donuts. Her inbox pinged: New Message — Subject: Job Referral.

Her pulse quickened. It was from Daisy.

“Hey chelly, I talked to my friend. Her brother’s name is Timothy . He’s the one I told you about — works with a major firm in the city. He said you should give him a call tomorrow I’ll inbox you his number .”

Almost immediately his number showed on his phone as an inbox from daisy .