My boss's company went bankrupt. He took me out for one last meal. He clapped me on the shoulder, his voice thick with booze and irony. “Zoe, my girl,” he slurred, “if I end up starving on the street, I’m counting on you to feed me…” The joke hit me like a bucket of ice water. A shiver ran down my spine. He knows, I thought, my blood running cold. He knows I’m the richest man in Port City’s daughter. 1 His girlfriend had cleaned out the company accounts and run off with another man, leaving him with a mountain of debt. He had to sell everything just to break even. He even pawned his watch to make sure I got my final paycheck. "So… what are you going to do now, boss?" I asked, trying to sound casual. A cloud of despair settled over his face. "What else can I do? Crawl back to my hometown with my tail between my legs." That couldn't happen. Absolutely not. If he left, where would I ever find another boss who'd let me slack off and play video games at my desk without docking my pay? I had to make him stay. He was already several drinks in, shouting "To hell with love!" at the ceiling. He was definitely wasted. Suddenly, he turned, his eyes locking onto mine with a startling intensity. I flinched. "What? What is it?" He sighed, a long, mournful sound. "If only your dad was a billionaire." Was this a hint? Was he testing me? "If my dad were a billionaire," I said, forcing a laugh, "I’d definitely invest in your company. Ha ha." He slammed his fist on the marble tabletop, his voice filled with righteous fury. "Invest? Screw investing! If you were a billionaire's daughter, you'd make those two backstabbing traitors pay for what they did!" He grumbled, "Stealing my money… damn it, it makes me so mad." Make them pay. Got it. Since he clearly knew who I was, I nodded eagerly. "Okay." This was easy. "What kind of price did you have in mind?" He was on a roll now, ranting about his ex-girlfriend between swigs of whiskey. He said he wanted to see them exiled to some desolate mine in the middle of nowhere. Hmmm. Okay. Done. "And they took my house," he wailed. "If your dad was a billionaire, he’d at least have to set me up with a mansion, right?" Consider it done. "And the investment…" he continued, slurring his words. "It would have to be… hic… at least fifty million!" A little on the low side, but if that’s all he wanted, fine. "And for you…" He hiccupped, trying to focus on me. "What… what do you want?" I blinked. "There’s something in it for me?" "Of course!" He waved his hand magnanimously. "From now on, you work three days a week, and you get a four-day weekend!" My eyes lit up. A four-day weekend? Okay, Operation: Save My Boss was officially a top priority. Every second I wasted, the chances of him actually leaving town increased. After downing two more cases of beer, he was practically unconscious. I grabbed his arm. "Where do you live? I'll get you home." "Home…?" he sobbed. "I don’t have a home anymore." Right. I sighed. First rule of the new company: no more drinking. I hoisted him up, grunting with the effort. It looked like he was coming home with me. The things I do for a good slacking-off job. Some people want to revolutionize the workplace. I just want to save it. 2 That night, my boss christened my custom-designed Italian leather sofa with a torrent of vomit. I stared at the mess, my heart aching. The last time I’d had to replace this sofa was when I accidentally dropped a watermelon on it. After getting him settled on the now-defiled couch, I dialed my dad's number. “Sweetheart?” He picked up on the first ring. I glanced at the clock. It was the middle of the night. "Dad, you're up late again," I scolded. "I've told you a million times, work can wait until morning." I’d called this late on purpose, just to check on him. Sure enough, he was pulling another all-nighter. He chuckled on the other end. "Alright, alright, you got me. But what has my little princess calling at this hour?" I explained the situation with my boss. When I finished, my dad just sighed. "Alright," he said. "Tell him to check the news tomorrow morning." After we hung up, I could hear my boss snoring from the living room. Well, time for bed. I went to my room and was asleep within minutes. I dreamt I found a magic lamp. A genie appeared. "You have freed me," it boomed. "You may have three wishes." I blinked, thought for a second, and nodded. "Okay. You can make them." The genie stared at me. "…What?" Then I woke up. I was still pondering why the genie wouldn't make a wish when someone knocked on my door. I opened it to find my boss standing there, his face grim. "Something huge just happened." I followed him into the living room, completely bewildered. He turned on the TV to the morning news. 【In a bizarre turn of events, the two fugitives who embezzled millions from a local tech firm have reportedly been sold into forced labor at a mine in a remote, war-torn country. They are now desperately appealing to the U.S. government for aid…】 Wow, my dad works fast. My boss stared at the screen, then pulled out his phone. His eyes widened. All the stolen money had been returned to his account. "Holy crap, Zoe," he said, turning to me. He suddenly pulled me into a tight hug, startling me so much I froze. "You're my good luck charm!" he exclaimed. "I made a wish with you last night, and it came true this morning! You're better than a magic lamp." Hmm, maybe not a good luck charm, I thought. Maybe just really, really rich. I’d never seen him this happy before. I felt a little embarrassed. "Bankrupt? Bankrupt my ass! I'm making a comeback!" he declared, full of renewed vigor. "And from now on, you, my little good luck charm, are the official company mascot!" I beamed. "Do mascots get to slack off?" "Slack off? Hell, you can do more than that!" He grinned, patting his toned abs. "You can touch these anytime you want." Oh. No, that’s quite alright. 3 My Boss’s Wish List: 1. Make the backstabbing traitors pay. 2. A mansion. 3. A fifty-million-dollar investment. He had his thirty million back, but this was New York City. Thirty million, especially company funds, wasn’t going to buy him a mansion. Luckily, my family’s real estate company had just finished a new luxury development. I’d just set aside the best villa for him. I called my dad and told him to have someone deliver the deed. He was baffled. “Honey, are you out of your mind? Why are you going to all this trouble for the owner of some tiny startup?” "You don't get it," I said righteously. "The feeling of getting paid to do nothing… it’s pure bliss!" "But why can't you just relax at home?" my dad asked, ever the boomer. "Why do you even need a job?" "Hah," I scoffed. "Do you know how boring it is to sit at home all day? But at work, it’s different. It’s the thrill of sneaking in moments of leisure. Even just playing a little online farming game feels like a victory." "Then why not slack off at our company?" "No way. Then I'd be wasting my own family's money." "…" A few minutes after we hung up, my dad texted to say the lawyer was on his way with the transfer contract. Excellent. I leaned back on my newly delivered leather sofa and took a satisfying bite of watermelon. While the cat’s away, the mice will play. While the employees slack, the boss’s BMW becomes a bike. I was living the dream. My blissful reverie was interrupted by a video message from the lawyer. I opened it. The lawyer, dressed in a sharp suit, stood in front of my boss’s temporary apartment, holding a briefcase. He knocked. A moment later, my boss opened the door, looking groggy. "Who is it?" "Good morning," the lawyer said, adjusting his glasses. "Are you the owner of Phoenix Corp?" "Nope, wrong address," my boss mumbled. "Name's Ethan Cole." "Ah, yes, Mr. Cole," the lawyer said, unfazed. "I have here the deed to Villa Number One at the Summit Estates, a gift from our Miss… from your benefactor. If you would please just sign here." My boss took a step back. "You have the wrong guy. I'm the owner of Phoenix Corp." And with that, he slammed the door in the lawyer's face. A moment later, I could hear his muffled laughter through the door. "Hah! Nice try, scammers! I've got the National Anti-Fraud app on my phone!" The video ended. Below it was a pathetic message from the lawyer: 【Miss, I really tried. He almost called the cops on me.】 I… I didn’t know what to say. I guess on the bright side, my boss's scam awareness had significantly improved. That’s progress, right? As I was pondering this, my phone rang. It was him. "Hahaha! Zoe, you won’t believe this! Some guy just came to my door trying to scam me, said he was giving me a mansion!" he crowed. "As if I’d fall for that! Who does he think I am?" "Right?" I said, trying to sound supportive. "Yeah… " I hesitated. "…but what if it really was a mansion from me?" "No way," he scoffed. "Are you secretly a billionaire's daughter or something? You make three grand a month and you’ve never quit. You need the money more than anyone I know." And just like that, you lost your mansion. "Anyway, get ready," he said, the sound of keys jingling in the background. "I'm coming to pick you up for dinner. I finally got my baby back from the impound lot. We’re going to that seafood buffet you've been dying to try." Dying to try? It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. Oh, he meant the restaurant my family owns. The one that costs eighteen hundred dollars a person. I'd booked our last team-building event there, thinking I was keeping the money in the family, and got an earful for it. I guess with over three hundred employees, it was a little over budget. He’d been convinced ever since that I was obsessed with the place. Well, a free meal is a free meal. And it gave me an idea of how to finally give him the mansion. I got ready, and ten minutes later, a car horn honked twice. I looked out the window. There he was, leaning against a McLaren, dressed in a flashy red jacket and sunglasses, looking like a total rockstar. That McLaren used to be mine. He’d always admired it, so I invented a reason to sell it to him for cheap. What can I say? He lets me slack off. He deserves it. 4 "Good evening, welcome." A hostess greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the car. Her eyes widened in recognition when she saw me. "Miss…" "Ahem!" I coughed loudly. The hostess quickly corrected herself. "…Miss…ed you guys! So glad you could make it on this busy weekend." My boss looked confused. "Missed who?" "Uh… the… weekend," she stammered. "It's… a big weekend. For us." He nodded, seemingly satisfied. I led the way to our table—Table 99, just as I’d arranged. I sat down and looked at him, my eyes shining. Sit down, sit down! Your mansion awaits! He looked at the table, then back at me, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Ahem. Zoe." "What is it?" "You know I just went through a breakup," he said, his expression complicated. "I'm not really ready to jump into a new relationship right now…" "…?" I stared at him. "And?" I followed his gaze to the table setting… and oh, for the love of God. Who arranged this? I'm firing them. It was a table for two, complete with a single red rose and heart-shaped place cards. A "Lover's Nook." No wonder he looked so conflicted. "I didn't notice," I said quickly. "It's just… a nice view. And 99 is my lucky number." He looked relieved. "Oh. Good." For some reason, I felt a little annoyed. A few minutes later, the hostess from the entrance came over to our table, her face a mask of exaggerated shock. "Oh my gosh! You're at Table 99!" My boss looked at her. "Yeah? So what?" "Well, 99 is our lucky number!" she gushed. "You've just won our grand prize! A mansion in the Summit Estates!" I could feel a vein throbbing in my forehead. This was the worst acting I had ever seen. She might as well have had "THIS IS FAKE" tattooed on her forehead. Could she be any more over the top? And she couldn't even come up with a different line than the one I’d just used? My boss’s eyes widened. "Really?" The hostess nodded vigorously, placing the contract on the table and handing him a pen. "Sign here!" Even an idiot wouldn't fall for this. My boss grabbed the pen and scribbled his name, as if he was afraid she’d change her mind. Then he handed it to me. I… I sighed. I had clearly overestimated his intelligence. I signed my name without hesitation. If I didn't, the whole charade would fall apart. The hostess, her mission accomplished, beamed and walked away, giving me a conspiratorial wink as she left. Great. Whoever hired her needs an eye exam. I'll pay for it. I sighed again and turned back to my boss, only to find him staring at me with a strange, intense expression. Oh, no. I’d gotten carried away. Had he finally figured it out? A knot of anxiety formed in my stomach. After a long moment, his eyes welled up with tears. "Zoe," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "you really are my good luck charm!" "First the money comes back, now we win a mansion! At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if someone offered me a fifty-million-dollar investment tomorrow." "Don't worry," he added, "this mansion is half yours. You're moving in with me." He paused, his expression turning serious again. "But you have to keep your distance. I'm really not looking for a relationship right now…" Oh, for crying out loud. How did this man ever manage to run a company?
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