My online boyfriend is very rich. Every time I get treated badly by my unscrupulous boss, he transfers money to me.

But after another late overtime shift, I finally snapped.

I was on the phone, yelling, “I’ll never forgive Zack Barlow. That scumbag!”

However, my online boyfriend suddenly becomes quiet.

He then asks, "Is your boss also named Zack Barlow?"

His words made me pause.

The biggest regret of my life was joining this company because of the boss' good looks. I thought I was going to get paid to admire a hot guy, but I was subjected to his indiscriminate criticism every day instead.

Zack Barlow's head was propped up against his hand, his fingers resting on the proposal I spent all night working on.

After flipping through a few pages, he glanced at me, his voice completely detached when he spoke. "Ms. Hayley Atlas, this proposal of yours is rather conservative."

I lowered my gaze, knowing he had more to say.

"It lacks anything novel, with no feasible way to implement this. It's perfectly mediocre. How did you manage to be so consistent?" he added.

I clenched my fists, wishing I could take off my heels and give Zack a proper thrashing.

However, I merely took the documents he tossed over, smiled, and said, "I'll revise it immediately."

Zack's cold gaze swept over me before he turned and tapped impatiently on the table.

William Marr immediately caught on and handed over the documents to Zack with a servile expression.

William then looked at me smugly before saying, "Mr. Barlow, I pulled two all-nighters on this. Do have a look."

William and I were from different planning teams and never got along. I couldn't help but get mad at his smugness.

I only hoped that Zack's bloody mouth wouldn't spew any niceties. Thankfully, he didn't disappoint. Zack was consistent.

"Mr. Marr," Zack began, "if hard work were a virtue, then this proposal you spent two nights on is a paragon of virtue. However… I run a business, results matter more than anything. Why don't you find another job?"

William's smile froze as he awkwardly accepted the documents Zack tossed back at him. "I'll revise this at once."

I pursed my lips and stifled a laugh.

Just as I was about to give Zack a mental thumbs up, he turned around and coldly said, "If you can't submit a proper proposal by tomorrow's end, see yourselves to HR."

This cocky prick. Forget the thumbs up.

I worked overtime until 10:00 pm before I finally finished revising the proposal.

I'd just shut down my computer when my online boyfriend, Z, sent me a message. "What are you up to?"

I typed out a series of responses. "I'm working myself to my grave for greedy capitalists. I'm furious! He tortured me verbally again, the prick.

"I bet even a kiss from him poisons his girlfriend.

"Oh, wait. The prick's a bachelor! Ha! What girlfriend?

"There are men and women, and there are creatures like him who need his own species. He stays away from people in general."

As I ranted, my screen was full of speech bubbles.

Suddenly, a transfer notification popped up. Z had given me 8000 dollars.

He then texted, "You worked hard. Go treat yourself."

All I could say was that money was the best form of self-care.

Seeing the amount immediately cleared a lot of my resentment, but what followed was confusion and bewilderment.

How could men be so different from each other? Z was someone I met via an online game, but he was now my online boyfriend.

Unlike my heartless capitalist of a boss, Z was gentle and kind, polite and generous. Plus, I got to see his eight-pack for free each day.

Compared to Z, Zack was just some guy.

I stepped out of the office with my bag as I typed a response, "You're the best, darling! I'm so lucky!

"Give me 30 minutes. We'll go on with that game."

I followed up with a kiss emoji and another text. "I want to cuddle with you online right now. Hehe!"

As I waited for a reply, I saw a tall figure in my periphery and hurriedly put the phone away.

I was unsure if it was because I felt guilty for badmouthing him, but I blurted, "Mr. Barlow, you're leaving work?"

Zack glanced at me coldly and replied, "Mind your own business."

I tamped my irritation down wordlessly for the sake of my six-figure salary.

My phone kept vibrating. Z had likely responded, but I dared not look at his messages. Zack was taller than me, and I was worried he'd see my messages cursing him. Then I'll be doomed.

Once inside the elevator, I tried to make myself seem smaller. I stared at the falling numbers, wishing I could arrive sooner.

I caught a glimpse of Zack's reflection on the elevator doors. A strange smile had appeared on his perpetually icy face while he looked at his phone.

What?! Zack Barlow knew how to smile? Who on earth was that person on the phone?

I was so stunned that I forgot to look away.

Zack caught me staring, and his expression turned icy once more. "Do you find my looks so surprising, Ms. Atlas?" he asked mildly.

I did not respond.

After getting home, I took a quick shower and lay down, launching my game.

As soon as Z came online, I pulled him into a chatroom. "There you are, darling! I've missed you. Come hug me!

"Oh, you're playing as Lilly? Go put on the new skin I bought."

If there was one downside to online dating, it was that Z was a bit of a novice when it came to games.

Yet, it was alright. I could play as Rex, and that was enough. I was in charge of chaos and killing, while his job was to wait and celebrate for our victory.

Back then, it was my decent gaming skills that won Z over.

I heard a low chuckle through the receiver. "Are you feeling better?"

I grinned and replied, "Much better. As long as I don't have to breathe the same air as that prick, I feel fantastic."

There was a brief silence before I heard Z's voice, tinged with mirth. "Would wearing a mask make you feel better at work tomorrow?"

"Honey, don't be so cheesy," I retorted.

Since I left work late, I only played a few rounds before it was time to sleep.

We had switched from the in-game voice chat to a regular phone call. "Darling, I've not seen your abs yet today."

Z then sent me three pictures taken from different angles. I zoomed in on each one to admire it.

I was likely silent for too long because Z asked, "Do you like them, honey?"

I kicked my feet in the air wildly before squealing, "They look amazing!"

I was never going to get tired of them, even if I saw them every day.

"Do you want to see them in person?" Z suddenly asked.

This made me pause mid-swipe.

Z and I had been together for almost a year, yet this was the first time he brought up meeting in person.

To be frank, I was a bit hesitant. I was worried he wasn't what I imagined him to be, and that I wasn't what he envisioned, either.

Given how rushed things were at first, I never imagined us lasting this long.

From our daily interactions, we seemed to get along well. He was very stable emotionally. No matter what I dumped on him, he took it in stride and never behaved condescendingly.

When that thought crossed my mind, I had the urge to say yes.

Sensing my hesitation, Z did not press the issue.

"It's okay. If you're not ready, we can wait a little longer," he said. "We can take it slow, darling."

I felt a wave of warmth wash over me, followed by a surge of courage.

Bracing myself, I replied, "Let's meet up, sweetie. How about we catch a movie this Saturday?"

Today was Tuesday. I still had three days to be properly prepared.

There was a pause, followed by a soft chuckle. "We're just meeting up, babe. No need to brace yourself like it's certain death."

I was speechless. This was Z's second flaw—he'd occasionally channel Zack's ruthlessness, always catching me off guard with his dark humor.

"What else do you want to do apart from the movie? What kind of food do you prefer?" asked Z.

Perhaps sensing my nervousness, Z chatted with me about a lot of things, mostly involving the details for our meeting.

In the end, we hadn't decided on a restaurant, but we narrowed down what we wanted to eat.

For some reason, I suddenly felt less nervous. I even found myself looking forward to this.

The next day, I went to work, humming a tune.

I couldn't resist texting Z while I was out. "We're meeting up in two days! I'm excited! I wish it were Saturday already!

"It's a great day, too! I don't need to see my boss' stupid face, and we get to cuddle!"

After exiting the subway, I still had to cross the road to get to the office.

I'd just reached the crossing when I spotted Zack waiting for the red light in his red Ferrari convertible.

I was just about to feign ignorance when he happened to look over.

I had no choice. I forced out a smile, prepared to greet him. Before I could speak, he looked away and sped off the second the light turned green.

This prick. Did he think he was a hotshot just because he had a Ferrari? Well, it WAS quite impressive. Why couldn't I be rich, too? Could the world not handle one more?

At the office, I went to the pantry to make myself coffee.

Just then, my colleague, Jenny Wilkins, walked in looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Holy crap, I have breaking news! I just sent Mr. Barlow his coffee, and I saw him smiling at his phone!" she exclaimed. "He was actually smiling! Is he even human?"

I loved a good spectacle. "He wouldn't be human if he couldn't smile, you mean."

I held my coffee, thinking of the scene in the elevator last night. "But I did see him smile at his phone yesterday, too," I added.

Jenny's eyes widened as she covered her mouth. "He must be in love!" she whispered. "When I left, I think I heard him say 'baby.' Goodness! I wonder who this person is, to have snagged him!"

I couldn't help but shake my head as I thought of the way Zack was impassively telling people off. I wondered who'd fall in love with a mouth like that. She must've been really unlucky.

However, this was none of my business. There were so many unfortunate people in the world, and I couldn't possibly care about them all.

The most important thing now was to give Zack the revised proposal while he was still in good spirits. Otherwise, I was going to be in big trouble.

…

Jenny was right—Zack was definitely dating.

After reviewing the proposal, not only did he not criticize me, but he even offered me a warm compliment. "Thanks for your hard work, Ms. Atlas."

He was completely different from the man who sped off, leaving me inhaling exhaust fumes.

When had I ever heard him speak so kindly? Was this the power of love?

Even his withered heart could become whole.