I have just secured a massive ten-million-dollar deal during the Black Friday Sales. I have endured several days of hectic work, yet I still find myself unable to turn down my girlfriend, Charlotte Ward.

We spend the night in passionate abandon and finally fall into a heavy, restful sleep.

The next morning, a loud thud jolts me awake. When I open my eyes, I realize that it's my luggage.

Charlotte suddenly says, "This is the end for us, Robert. It's time for you to move out. I've already wired the money for your past services, along with your salary. So get going."

I find myself caught in a daze and about to move to question her, but she stops me dead, jabbing her fingers into my chest.

"Know your place, Robert. You're nothing but a gigolo to me. I might, maybe, let you keep your job in Ward Group if you beg."

I almost reach out to grab her wrist but stop myself. Instead, I smile broadly and say, "You've got it all wrong. Your company wouldn't survive without me, Charlotte."

I had drunk way too much with Charlotte Ward, CEO of Ward Group, during our company's retreat last month.

The next morning, I woke up to find us both naked in the same bed. I was about to address the catastrophe when Charlotte—before I could say a single word—silenced me with a kiss and dragged me into round two.

For the past month, Charlotte had been glued to my side. Whenever she had a moment to spare, she would drag me to the bedroom.

I hadn't slept properly for days because I was working hard preparing my team for the Black Friday Sales, but the moment I walked through the door last night, I still needed to meet her needs.

I had believed that physical attraction was more reliable than emotional attachment, and I had assumed that we were already in a relationship without needing to say it aloud.

But when I woke up, I learned that I was nothing more than a warm body to her.

Charlotte was getting dressed while stating coldly, "Never contact me again, Robert. You and I live in different worlds—we should never have been involved."

I stared at her, forcing myself to stay calm. "Is that your way of telling me I am beneath you?"

Charlotte turned sharply, her gaze dripping with pure disdain. "Exactly! You were just someone I used to take care of my physical needs. I'm through with you now, and frankly, I've grown tired of this arrangement, Robert."

I froze for a moment, still unwilling to discard the tenderness of the past month. "Can you at least tell me why?"

Charlotte let out a cold, dismissive chuckle. "Why should I waste my breath explaining anything to you, a kept man who depends on women for your living?"

I scowled as I clamped my hand tightly around her wrist. "You're not going anywhere until you explain everything."

Charlotte yanked her arm away, unlocked her phone, and shoved the screen inches from my face. "Take a good look. Only an elite man like him deserves to be my husband. You don't even come close."

I looked at the screen and noticed that it was Steven Zimmerman, Charlotte's assistant, dressed immaculately in a suit. He had been dispatched to Barovia a month prior for crucial business negotiations. He was slated to return this very day.

Charlotte mistook my silence as a sign of weakness and pressed her advantage, her tone turning utterly ruthless. "I had made an agreement with Mr. Zimmerman. I told him that I would give myself to him the moment he finalized the Barovia deal."

So that was what this was about—the ten-million-dollar deal.

I slowly lifted my head, giving her a long, steady look. "Do you honestly believe that your assistant was the one who closed that deal, Charlotte?"

Her expression shifted drastically, a look of outrage spreading across her features. "Of course he did! Steven had worked tirelessly for the company, returning only now after being away for so long. Who else but him could have done it? Certainly not a useless kept man like you!"

I nearly burst into laughter. Charlotte was right about Steven spending a long time in Barovia. He had wasted the company's money, partied every night without ever meeting the client, and even bragged about it on social media the whole time.

I couldn't stand it, especially since my "girlfriend" worried so much about the deal. I made one phone call, and the client accepted the cooperation with Ward Group out of respect for me.

But in the end, in Charlotte's self-serving narrative, Steven received all the credit, while I—the person who actually secured the contract—was cast aside, entirely useless.

I felt my rage blazing from within as the thought sank in. "I'm asking you one last time, Charlotte. Are you sure you want to end this?"

Charlotte nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Yes! You and I are done from this moment onward! I have already paid you, so get out!"

Upon hearing Charlotte mention the payment again, the confusion I had momentarily dismissed came rushing back. "What payment?"

Charlotte let out a contemptuous laugh. "Drop the act. I had the finance department back wire you 99 dollars every time I slept with you, Robert."

It was only then that I understood the truth behind the mysterious 99-dollar deposits. I had foolishly assumed they were minor expense reimbursements, not the price of my "services."

I let out a weary sigh, acknowledging that it was genuinely hard to find someone suitable for that kind of intimacy. After a moment, I said, "I'm going to ask you just one question, Charlotte."

I shifted my tone, my face set in a serious expression as I gazed at her. "Did you really feel nothing for me in this past month?"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, her expression dripping with contempt. "Have you lost your mind? How could I, CEO of Ward Group, develop feelings for a man who lives off women like you? Your only assets were your stamina and skills in bed. You possessed no other redeeming feature beyond that."

She then fixed me with a sharp look and added, "I'll be honest with you, Robert. With my kind of upbringing and background, being in a long-term relationship with someone like you is simply impossible."

I fought to suppress a laugh, mimicking her disdainful delivery as I retorted, "I'll be honest with you as well since you were so candid, Ms. Ward. The heights you have reached are but the visible edge of the real world. Ward Group will amount to absolutely nothing once I'm gone."

I had barely walked out when the door slammed shut behind me. The cold autumn air whipped around me, and I realized that the luggage Charlotte had tossed at me contained nothing but a few flimsy pieces of clothing.

I stared at the now firmly locked door, a complex wave of emotions washing over me.

I had genuinely planned to disclose my identity and bring her home to meet my parents once this busy stretch ended. I hadn't expected that after all my efforts—nearly a hundred nights together—that my sole function was to satisfy her base desires.

I couldn't hold back my frustration any longer. I hailed a cab and went directly to Ward Group. I walked from the main entrance all the way to the CEO's office, with all the employees I passed pointing and gossiping about me.

"Isn't that Mr. Foster? Why is he here?"

"Haven't you heard what happened? Ms. Ward fired him! He must be here now to demand his severance pay!"

"That's what you get when you live off women. He not only got dumped, but he also got fired."

I understood right away that to all these people, I was already a complete and utter joke.

Charlotte stepped out of her office, her face full of disdain. "Haven't I already paid you? What are you doing at the company, Robert?"

I swallowed my rage and looked straight into her eyes. "I heard that I'm getting fired."

In that instant, the entire office floor went silent. Every employee was straining to hear, utterly captivated by how this dramatic confrontation would play out.

I had hoped for a clean break; I hadn't expected her to act so ruthlessly. A termination and a voluntary resignation were worlds apart. If this information had circulated within the industry, it would have severely compromised my professional standing.

Charlotte dismissively waved me off. "Stop being so pathetic, Robert. I made it clear this morning that I no longer want anything to do with you."

"I just want to know if I'm really getting fired, Charlotte," I said flatly.

"Yes, you are!" Charlotte snapped. "You just had to show up here when I was going to let you walk away with whatever dignity you had! I have no need for incompetence on my payroll, Robert!"

I fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "You're going to regret this, Charlotte."

She scoffed. "Why would I? Your position as the director of the company was a mere formality, a reward for your… services. Now that Mr. Zimmerman is back, your time here is over."

Charlotte's emotions flared as she concluded, "Listen up, Robert! You were nothing more than a lapdog I kept at my side. You don't have the standing to negotiate anything!"

I maintained my composure. After all, I still held a flicker of affection for Charlotte, which was why I had catered to her every whim back then.

"You'd better listen up as well, Charlotte. You're still my partner for now, regardless of whatever arrangement you've made with Steven. The deal in Barovia was the result of a single phone call I made—"

"Enough!" Charlotte cut me off, her eyes brimming with contempt. "How could you have closed the deal, Robert? I always thought you were trustworthy, but now you're even lying through your teeth!

"Mr. Zimmerman was the one who returned with the deal signed, sealed, and delivered. What have you contributed to this company besides warming my bed, Robert?"

I found myself unable to communicate with her; I had to pause for several deep breaths just to steady myself. "I already told you that the deal in Barovia was finalized through my efforts, but since you refuse to believe me, there is nothing more I can do."

Charlotte simply ignored my attempts to clarify the situation. "You should just take the money and leave at once if you have any dignity left, Robert. Beg all you want, but there is zero chance I will be with a kept man like you."

She smugly cocked her eyebrow after saying that, her eyes dripping with disdain.

I found the spectacle highly entertaining. I had always maintained a low profile and avoided revealing my true identity, yet here she was calling me a kept man.

Charlotte had summoned the security guards to escort me out of the premises before I could even say another word. "Take the money and leave while the option is still on the table, Robert. You'll receive nothing at all if I change my mind."

I decided further argument was pointless after seeing Charlotte's resolute stance. "I'll leave, but before that, I have one last thing to say."

I glared at her, declaring, "I'll make sure that none of you will be able to close a deal in Barovia once I walk out of this company!"

I had just turned to make my exit when Charlotte's voice rang out sharply from behind. "Hold it right there, Robert!"

I stopped and turned back, fixing her with a chilling gaze. "What's the matter? Have you finally regretted your decision, Ms. Ward?"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, her expression dripping with disdain. "Why would I regret it, Robert? Take a good look at yourself! What on earth makes you think you're worth regretting?"

Then, right in front of everyone, she roughly yanked off the work jacket I had just grabbed downstairs for warmth, leaving my thin undershirt visible. "You may leave, but the jacket stays."

I smiled faintly as I narrowed my eyes. "I'm genuinely curious, Charlotte. Why do you put so much trust in Steven? I mean, as far as I know, he didn't even meet the client in Barovia. So how could he have closed the deal?"

I had just said that when murmurs suddenly broke out all around me.

"Is he for real or just clueless? I mean, the client has already wired the payment into the company account, yet he's still running his mouth here."

"I know, right? It's clear that the kept man is just jealous of Mr. Zimmerman's success, so now he's trying to discredit him."

"How pathetic! He's just a kept man, yet he dared to challenge a key contributor to the company's success!"

I suddenly understood the whole situation. I had initially called the client and casually mentioned the deal, not realizing that the client would immediately wire the funds before even signing the contract.

Only then did I realize that I actually held so much influence. Ironically, my influence had left me no way to defend myself.

Charlotte took my silence as fear. Her face twisted in disgust, "That's enough, Robert. You should know that the company isn't your stage for empty talk. Hurry up and get lost."

I could no longer endure the insults; my patience had reached its limit. I took out my phone just as Charlotte turned to return to her office.

"You shouldn't dismiss me in such a rush, Charlotte. You don't believe me, right? You'll know the truth once I make this call."

I immediately called the number in front of everyone. "Hey, Calvin. It's Robert."

Calvin Baker, on the other end, sounded surprised. "What's the matter, Rob? Didn't you say you were preoccupied with your partner? Why did you suddenly call me?"

I shot Charlotte a knowing glance and sighed. "I just got played. Don't even get me started, Calvin."