My dad was the driver for the Worthington family, and my mom was their housekeeper. But I was the restless one. I spent every day glued to Ethan Worthington’s side, a fixture he couldn't shake. He walked, I cleared the path. He ate fish, I picked out the bones. He was annoyed, I fought his battles. It took ten years, but after high school graduation, Ethan finally agreed to let me attend the same elite college as him. His buddies joked that I was Ethan’s most loyal dog. I ignored the whispers and veiled insults. They didn't matter. Then, the family started arranging Ethan’s engagement. My best friend, Chloe, came rushing over to talk some sense into me, only to find my parents and me frantically packing suitcases late at night. "I know you like Ethan, but the gap is too huge. It's never going to happen for you," Chloe whispered. "Wait, what are you guys doing?" I clapped a hand over her mouth, looking around nervously. "Keep your voice down. You think this is something to be proud of?" "I finally saved up enough money from the Worthingtons to study abroad! Don't ruin my great escape!" 1 Chloe’s face was a portrait of total bewilderment. "Wait, so you don't like Ethan? It was all an act?" I handed my mom a towel, signaling Chloe to speak softly. "Why call it an 'act'? My love for my Sugar Daddy was absolute and genuine!" "So all those years..." I understood her meaning and smiled slyly. "They all thought I wanted to be a sparrow flying onto a penthouse balcony, but I'm not stupid enough to dream that big." "I provided Emotional Labor. Ethan provided money as compensation. It's a fair trade, isn't it?" I held up my bank book, showing a balance of half a million dollars. Savings give me security. Love doesn't. Growing up, my family was poor. When we first arrived at the Worthington estate, I was shy and terrified of messing up and costing my parents their jobs. One day, I found Ethan, the pristine young master, sitting by the fountain in the garden. He seemed unhappy. Excited to see someone my age, I sat down and chattered endlessly. When I went back to the staff quarters that evening, I learned from my parents that he was Mr. Ethan Worthington. I was horrified and spiked a fever that night, delirious with self-reproach, terrified I’d gotten my parents fired. When the fever broke, I was relieved to find out the Worthingtons hadn't fired my parents. They'd actually given them both a thousand-dollar raise because I had cheered Ethan up. From that day on, I started sucking up to Ethan. He walked, I cleared the path. He ate fish, I picked out the bones. He was annoyed, I fought his battles. Everyone called me Ethan's most loyal dog. Even Ethan wrinkled his nose and told me to get lost. "Riley Chen, can you stop being so pathetic?" But I didn't care. Thanks to my efforts, my mom was moved from the brutal kitchen staff to the front of the house, my dad became Mr. Worthington's exclusive driver, and I got into the best private prep school in the city. But that wasn't enough! Through college, I endured the shade and the dirty looks, pretending I enjoyed every minute. Finally, I had saved enough to move my whole family far away. My mom squeezed my hand. My dad shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever you decide, we support you. Worst case, we do our old jobs somewhere else. I hear the pay is better overseas!" Chloe beamed: "So when are you leaving? I want to see you off." I considered this seriously. "Three days. I'm finishing a research project with Ethan. Once that's done, the resume entry will make my overseas applications smoother." I was too excited to sleep that night. 2 The next morning, the cook, Mrs. W., came to my room. "Riley, the Young Master wants you. Hurry." I was uneasy and headed to the living room, dark circles under my eyes. Inside, I heard laughter, and someone mentioned my name. "Yo, why isn't little Riley glued to him today? Did the dog get jealous and throw a tantrum?" Ethan's voice was cold. "Why bring her up?" "Come on, you won't let a female mosquito near you in school, but you tolerate Riley. Don't play dumb." "Seriously, are you actually doing the engagement? Aren't you worried Riley will be heartbroken and hang herself?" Ethan paused, then scoffed disdainfully. "My parents let her hang around, so what was I supposed to do? Tell her no?" "She's fine for killing time, but the Worthington engagement is serious. Who does she think she is to influence my decisions?" The guys roared with laughter, pitying my misplaced devotion. I arched an eyebrow. Great, here we go again. I'd heard this garbage for ten years. I was about to leave. "Hey, you must be Riley Chen. Why don't you come in?" A female voice called out. Everyone inside turned to look at me. The rich kids who had just been making fun of me looked embarrassed. When my eyes met Ethan's, I saw a flicker of panic in his gaze. He snapped at me coldly. "Riley, what are you doing here? Don't you know how to knock?" I was annoyed. You called me here! Now you're yelling at me? The next second, his eyes lit up. "Phoebe, you're here?" It was the first time I saw a genuinely soft expression on Ethan’s ice-cold face—something he had never shown me. The woman behind me was slender and elegant, clearly a rich heiress. Ah, so that’s the type he likes. From middle school through college, Ethan had an endless stream of admirers. His locker was stuffed with love letters I dutifully handled. He never stopped me. Now I knew: he wasn't immune to love; he just hadn't met the right person yet. "I wanted to meet Riley, so I took the liberty of calling her over. Don't be mad at her." The woman, Phoebe Cho, was gentle and thoughtful, yet I felt an instant hostility from her. She chose this deliberately awkward moment to call me in and humiliate me, even though a discreet call would have been easier. "Miss, do we know each other?" "You don't know me, but I know you." "Everyone in the circle knows how close you are to Ethan. Can I ask you for advice if I have questions in the future?" Phoebe tilted her head, looking innocent. I was instantly on high alert. When I heard her request, however, I felt a rush of excitement. A potential Sugar Mama! "Me? Sure, I'd be happy to help. I'll share everything I know. But consultations are by the hour. You look like a lady of means, Miss. How about five hundred dollars an hour?" Silence fell. Everyone was stunned. Phoebe's polite smile froze. I regretted it immediately, fearing I’d scared her off with the high price. Ethan's face darkened instantly. He must have thought of something, because he scoffed mockingly. "Riley Chen, you are the daughter of our staff. Stop pretending we're friends." One of his buddies chimed in. "Hey, Riley, why are your dark circles so bad? Did you hear about the engagement and haven't slept in days? We know you care about Ethan, but stop playing games." "Sadly, no one buys it. Go back to your room." Ethan gave a look of confirmation. "Why are you still standing there? Get lost." My face fell into an expression of abject misery, mourning the loss of a great payday. "Mhm, okay." Ethan looked satisfied with my suffering. 3 Back in my room, I quickly put the incident out of my mind and focused on packing. The crystal lamp Ethan had casually gifted me? Worth a few thousand. Packing it. The designer pen Ethan discarded? Definitely high-end. Packing it. I was so focused, I didn't notice someone enter my room. "Riley Chen, what are you doing?" Ethan's voice. I whipped around, my heart hammering. If he knew I was packing to flee, would he demand I return all this expensive loot? "I... I was just getting ready to rent an apartment, you know, to avoid any misunderstandings with outsiders." I lied quickly. Ethan stared at the meticulously packed valuables in my suitcase, looking utterly mortified. "Riley, I'm warning you, stop dreaming. It's never going to happen between us!" I realized he thought I was packing because I was desperate for him. But these things were worth money! I wouldn't return them. I zipped the suitcase shut while placating him. "I know. I promise I won't bother you again." I meant: I won't even have to see your face again. Ethan looked annoyed and closed his eyes. "Forget it. I just came to tell you that the Cho family is interested in my new project. Phoebe will join the team tomorrow. Stop causing trouble around her. If you don't want to be kicked off the project, keep a low profile." So, that woman was the engagement candidate. Ethan waited for my reaction. I frowned deeply, my eyes showing pain and reluctance, but only managed to speak after much deliberation. "If another person joins the project, will our payout be smaller?" Ethan's face was stunned. "That's what you thought about for that long?" I looked confused. "Well, yeah. I'm part of the team. I'm about to make money, and suddenly someone new comes in to cut the profit. Why would I be happy?" Ethan scowled and finally said coldly. "Don't worry, Phoebe isn't superficial like you. She's just helping out. She doesn't need the money." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." Ethan tested me again. "Aren't you upset?" Upset? About a new team member who won't take a cut? I'm thrilled! Ethan was completely fed up with my reaction, sneered, and left. I was left wondering why he was so mad. I reveled in the thought of studying abroad and crossing social boundaries. I just didn't expect trouble to arrive so soon. And the trouble wasn't caused by me; it was by Phoebe. 4 The moment I walked into the project office, the atmosphere was dead silent. Everyone looked devastated. Phoebe, it turned out, was in charge of liaising with the equipment investor. Yesterday, due to her poor handling, a crucial piece of equipment fell from the crane. Not only were several workers injured, but all the research data was lost. The company that paid a fortune for our findings filed a lawsuit that day, demanding compensation. Phoebe, teary-eyed, came out of Ethan's office to find me. "Riley, Ethan wants you." I assumed this had nothing to do with me. Surely, they wouldn't blame me? When I walked in, Ethan’s hesitation was obvious. Phoebe followed me in, and Ethan finally spoke. "Riley, we need you to take the fall for this." "What!" My eyes widened in disbelief. You can insult my character, but I will not be your scapegoat! Ethan impatiently tapped his fingers. "Phoebe is new. I had you overseeing the details. Did you do your job? After such a disaster, don't you feel responsible?" My eyes welled up with genuine despair over losing the project credit. No credit, no acceptance into the foreign university! Tears streamed down my face. I cried hysterically while subtly watching their faces. "No one in this office respects me! No one treats me like a real partner! They only give me grunt work and errands." "Even Phoebe rejected all my input." "I have no authority! Why should I take the blame?!" I fell dramatically to the floor, adopting the pose of a soap opera heroine. "Ethan, you can despise me, but don't you dare insult me like this!" Seeing my heartbroken display, Ethan finally spoke with patience. "The Worthington and Cho families rely heavily on this project. If Phoebe takes the blame, it damages the reputation of both families. She needs this project to establish her career. We can't let her get a black mark." "Look at everyone else on the team. They need this entry on their resume. You're the exception. You only want the money. This won't affect you." "I will remove your name from the project logs as a public explanation." I sat on the floor, crying silently, stubborn. Bro, why are you giving me excuses? Ask me nicely and give me the money! Phoebe looked uncomfortable. "Forget it, if Riley doesn't want to, I'll just beg my father for help. I'll just have to deal with his disappointment." Ethan looked pained, frowning at me. "Riley Chen, this isn't a game! How long are you going to let your petty jealousy ruin things? I'll compensate you. Name your price!" My downward gaze snapped up. There it is! That's what I was waiting for! This tactic always worked. When I displayed mock hurt, the rich jerks always doubled down with scornful, dismissive cash attacks. They thought it was humiliation. To me, it was raining money! My fake tears were finally worth it. "Who said I don't agree? Since you asked, I won't be shy. Half a million dollars. Wired to my account tomorrow. No less." Phoebe gasped. "That's extortion!" I shrugged nonchalantly. "You know how much this project is worth. Besides, I'm taking the fall for a massive screw-up. I deserve the money. Do you really think you're worth less than that, Miss Cho?" The resume entry was only insurance for my school application. With half a million dollars, I could pay my way into the best schools! My body was shaking with genuine excitement.
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