[Miles is upset when Olivia doesn't let him look, but he can't bring himself to watch when she's giving him what he wants.]

[Why does the snake look like it just overheated?]

[Is Miles seriously about to explode from holding it in?]

The moment that comment popped up, the snake crawled onto the bathroom sink and turned on the water for itself.

It soaked in the basin, basically turning into a water snake. It even let out a soft hiss.

I tossed my worn clothes onto the sink, covering the black snake so it couldn't peek.

The black snake seemed upset and wriggled its way out.

I was lathering up and, out of habit, turned to check what was going on at the sink.

Next thing I knew, the snake froze, then it thumped and passed out. Its head smacked against the sink with a clear crack.

[Who would believe this? Miles got so excited from a full, unrestricted view of his girlfriend that he passed out!]

[That sounded like it hurt. Do you think he scrambled his brain?]

[Even if he did, it wouldn't matter. He never looked very smart to begin with.]

[What are you talking about? He's actually the smartest Richardson heir. He crushed a ton of rivals to become the CEO of Richardson Enterprise! He just turns dumb around Olivia.]

I picked the snake up and started wondering if Miles's on-and-off brainpower might affect our future kids.

-

I was curled up on the couch, scrolling on my phone, when a social media post popped up.

[Richardson Enterprise offers a huge reward for the return of its CEO's missing beloved pet.]

There was a photo of a black snake attached.

In the photo, the snake looked proud and imposing, a glint of intelligence visible in its vertical pupils.

It looked completely different from the silly snake now lying stiff and straight on my bed, still unconscious.

I checked the reward.

How much? Six million dollars?

Damn. I just hit the jackpot!

Without a second thought, I stuffed the black snake into a plastic bag and rushed to Richardson Enterprise headquarters.

The entrance was packed with people. Every single one of them was carrying a black snake. I suspected every black snake in Serlington had gathered here.

Right then, I noticed a young man with a briefcase trying to rush into the building.

An old man blocked him and lectured, "Kid, there's an order to things. Get in line."

The young man was sweating as he explained, "I work here. I'm about to be late. Please let me through."

The old man shook his head, looking like he owned the place. "Doesn't matter. You still have to wait in line."

The young man froze.

The chat completely lost it.

[Hahaha! That's the same thing they told me the last time I queued at a famous hotdog stall!]

In the end, their argument drew the attention of Richardson Enterprise security. With the guards escorting him, the young man finally made it inside.

After settling things down, the security captain turned around and noticed my clear plastic bag.

Yes, Miles was inside it.

To be fair, all the black snakes looked similar, but Miles was especially good-looking.

His scales reflected a gorgeous shine in the sunlight.

The security captain's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.

"Miss, please come inside as well." He personally escorted me while excitedly calling the executive floor. "Roger, we found it!"

I had always had unusually sharp hearing. Even though the voice from the phone was faint, I still caught the tired tone.

"Are you sure? We've gotten so many random snakes brought in lately."

The security captain felt a little guilty and scratched his head, lowering his voice.

"It's my fault. I didn't train the others properly. They can't tell them apart," the security captain said. "But this time, I checked it myself. Don't worry. I've worked for the Richardsons for years. I'm sure this is the one."

Yes!

I pumped my fist inside my head. The money was locked in.

The security captain took me up to the top floor of the building.

I stepped out of the elevator first.

The moment Roger Reyes saw me, he forced a smile onto his exhausted, serious face.

"Mrs. Rich—I mean, Ms. Dittman, what brings you here?"

[Wow, Roger really slipped up and said what he was thinking!]

[Can't even blame him. Miles trained him into it. Anytime Roger calls her Mrs. Richardson when Miles is mad, Miles instantly cools off and lets him get through his report. It's basically muscle memory now.]

Roger had been through enough moments like this to recover quickly. He smoothly continued, "Are you here to see Mr. Richardson? He really missed you. If he knows you came, he'll be thrilled…"

Before Roger could finish, the security captain walked in behind me and proudly announced, "This young lady found the snake."

Only then did Roger notice the plastic bag in my hand, and the black snake inside it. The color drained from his face, as if his soul had just left his body.

The livestream chat instantly translated his horror.

[Congratulations, you've just short-circuited Roger's brain.]

[Roger must be screaming inside, "If I'd known the boss was with Mrs. Richardson, I would've never gone looking for him! I'm not gonna take him from her. Not for a billion dollars! If he finds out I dragged him away from his girlfriend and ruined his happiness, he's gonna kill me!]

Three seconds later, Roger shook his head in panic.

"No, no. This isn't the snake we're looking for. You've got the wrong one."

I didn't even have time to speak before the security captain jumped in, "No, I'm sure it's this one! I watched Mr. Richardson grow up. There's no way I'd mistake him…"

Roger tried several times to cut him off, but failed.

In the end, Roger had no choice but to reach out and slap a hand over the security captain's mouth.

"Please, shut up."

The security captain still tried to speak, but Roger shoved him into the elevator and smiled coldly.

"If you want to keep your job, zip it."

The security captain left, looking wronged as he pressed the elevator button.

Roger quickly straightened his slicked-back hair and suit, then turned back to me and politely guided me to the lounge area.

"Ms. Dittman, Mr. Richardson would be overjoyed to see you. But he's on a business trip and won't be back for a while…"

A young assistant soon brought over coffee and a few mini cakes.

Roger took the chance to speak up for Miles.

"Mr. Richardson had these prepared for you. Iced caramel latte with extra foam and less sugar. He also mentioned you're allergic to mango, so we ordered a chocolate mousse cake instead…"

Was that really the point?

The point was my six million dollars!

Damn it.

I fished the snake out, trying to make my case.

"Roger, I'm sure about it. This is the snake you're looking for."

Roger waved his hands wildly. "No, it's not!"

I stood firm. "It is. The markings are exactly the same."

Roger kept denying it. "No, it's not!"

What a stubborn old mule.

We went back and forth for ages and ended up waking the black snake.

When the black snake saw Roger, its sleepy eyes snapped wide open.

It closed its eyes, shook its head, then opened them again.

A hint of menace appeared on its face.