My online boyfriend turned out to be my boss.

After my boss made me cry for the third time this week, I opened up a chat with my online boyfriend.

Me: *Babe, my boss ripped my proposal to shreds again.* ??

He replied instantly.

My Knight: *That guy sounds like a total jerk. How dare he yell at my baby.*

My Knight: *Dont you worry about a thing tonight. Get some sleep. Ill write it for you.*

The next morning, I walked into my bosss office and handed him the proposal my online boyfriend had revised.

He was silent for a long time, his expression growing stranger by the second.

When he finally spoke, his voice was trembling slightly.

"Did you... write this?"

1.

As a recent college grad and a certified corporate drone, I had pulled an all-nighter to craft a proposal I was actually proud of.

The next morning, my boss, Mr. Sterling, held it between his thumb and forefinger like it was a dirty diaper.

"Who is responsible for this garbage?" he asked the conference room.

Mr. Sterling was the clich startup CEO: Ivy League education, old-money family, and a face so chiseled it looked like it was rendered for a video game. My friends all said I was luckyI got paid to stare at a handsome guy all day. Only I knew how brutally demanding he was.

I hesitantly raised my hand.

In a split second, his sharp, icy gaze was locked on me.

"How did you even get hired?" he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "It seems our HR department is in dire need of an overhaul."

The room was full of my colleagues. My face burned with humiliation. I just wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

Unsurprisingly, I was the one who had to stay after the meeting. I stood while he sat, my proposal tossed on the floor between us.

"This is your last chance," he said, his jaw tight. "Produce another piece of trash like this, and you can walk yourself down to HR."

I gritted my teeth, bent down to pick up my papers, and fled his office without making eye contact.

2.

I found an empty supply closet and finally let the tears flow. My hands were shaking as I messaged my online boyfriend.

Me: *(sobbing emoji)* *My boss made me cry again.*

My mom had gotten seriously ill right after I was accepted into a top grad program. All our familys savings went to her medical bills. I had to turn down my spot and get a job immediately. The entry-level salary wasn't enough, so on a friend's suggestion, I started a faceless crafting stream on the side. Id post little vlogs of me making pottery and custom keychains.

To my shock, people actually donated.

My online boyfriend, however, was on another level. He became my top subscriber after donating a total of over fifty thousand dollars. For a recent grad with a mountain of debt, it was a life-changing amount of money.

I added him as a friend to thank him, and he was nothing like my real boss. He was kind and supportive, always there to cheer me up. We started talking every day, and one thing led to another.

He was a sweetheart, and his reply came in seconds.

My Knight: *Aww, baby, Im so sorry. Hugs. Your boss is obviously a miserable person.*

My Knight: *He has no right to talk to you like that. I bet your proposal was amazing.*

My Knight: *Youre so talented and creative with your crafts! He just doesnt see it.*

His sweet words only made me cry harder.

Me: *But I worked on it all night. I didnt even sleep. And he still hated it.*

He spammed me with the kissy-face emojis I always sent him.

My Knight: *Its okay, honey. Youre just starting out. Its good to let it all out. Things will get better.*

My Knight: *Dont be sad. Ill fix the proposal for you tonight. You just get some rest.* ??

His gentle, caring messages were like a balm on my wounded pride. I wiped my puffy eyes.

"Is crying going to fix it?"

I flinched at the cold voice. It was Mr. Sterling, standing in the hallway, wiping his hands with a handkerchief. He looked annoyed.

"If you don't seize opportunities, if you just take your time and wait for 'things to get better,' you'll end up just like your proposalin the trash."

As he spoke, he tossed the used handkerchief into a nearby bin. His gaze was completely devoid of sympathy as he looked at my red-rimmed eyes.

"So, instead of crying here, get back to work."

3.

The moment he was gone, a fresh wave of tears threatened to overwhelm me. How can someone with a pulse be so heartless?

But this was a great company, and I had fought hard to get this job. With my mom's medical bills, I couldn't afford to lose it.

I trudged back to my desk, where my least favorite coworker, Brenda, was waiting to pounce.

"I always wondered how someone with your skill level got in here," she said loudly. "But then I remembered, you do have *one* asset. Wonder who you had to sleep with to get the job."

I didn't have the energy to fire back. I just slumped into my chair. Even though my boyfriend had offered to help, I figured I should at least try to revise it myself to give him a starting point. He was a grown man with his own job, after all.

I worked until the end of the day, thought about it all the way home, and finished another draft that evening. Then, I sent my new version to him. He seemed to be online 24/7. He downloaded the file immediately.

Half an hour later, he replied.

My Knight: *Is this your first draft, babe? Its a little rough, but for a first try, its a great start!*

My Knight: *You get a good night's sleep. Ill take it from here.*

Tears pricked my eyes again, but I was too exhausted to cry.

Me: *Thats my tenth draft. Is it really that bad?*

He was silent for a full minute, then sent a string of hugging emojis.

My Knight: *No, no! Its a huge improvement! Youre working so hard, baby.*

My Knight: *Don't listen to your boss. He obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. He's just a miserable jerk taking his anger out on you.*

Reading him trash-talk my boss actually made me feel a lot better.

Me: *Thank you, best boyfriend ever~* ?? *I think Ill actually sleep tonight.*

And I did. It was the best nights sleep Id had since I started this job.

4.

My boyfriend was a man of his word. When I woke up, a new file was waiting on my phone.

My Knight: *Go get 'em, babe.*

The timestamp was 2:00 AM. I was so touched. My boss makes me pull all-nighters, so I make my boyfriend pull all-nighters. The cycle of corporate life.

I spammed him with more kissy-face emojis, threw on some clothes, and rushed to work.

The second I walked in, Brendas grating voice filled the office.

"Well, look who it is! Lily, youre looking awfully refreshed for someone who was supposed to be redoing a proposal. I wonder who you were *with* all night." She shot me a smug, knowing look. "Mr. Sterling, on the other hand, looks exhausted. I guess looking at certain peoples work really takes a toll on him."

I ignored her and went to print the new proposal. My silence only seemed to fuel her.

"Off to generate more garbage, are we?"

I squared the printed pages, and without a single glance in her direction, I marched toward the bosss office.

"So stuck up," she called after me. "Careful you dont come back crying again!"

5.

She was right about one thing. Mr. Sterling looked terrible. The dark circles under his eyes were impossible to miss. He was rubbing his temples when I walked in, his expression flat. Rumor had it he was a robot who only loved work.

I cautiously placed the proposal on his desk. He picked it up, his face an unreadable mask. He started reading, but then he kept looking up, his strange gaze fixed on me.

He actually read it. Page by page. All the way to the end.

"Is this yours?" His voice was shaky.

Oh god. Did this version piss him off so much he was having a stroke?

I nodded stiffly, my face flushing as I braced for the verbal assault.

"Do you know how to make pottery?" he asked.

"Please give me one more chance, Ill do better next timewait, what?"

We had spoken at the same time. Mr. Sterlings face was still stern, his eyes scrutinizing me. I didn't dare speak, so I just nodded again.

He rubbed his temples, stared at me for another long moment, and then dismissed me.

Was that a good sign or a bad sign? I returned to my desk, completely baffled.

Seeing my confused expression, Brenda lit up. Her voice was like a megaphone.

"Well, well, look who's back from the principal's office! Looks like you got another earful!"

A few coworkers glanced over, then went back to their work, used to the drama. My frustration with my boss and Brenda hit a boiling point. I wanted to slap them both.

Before I could, the bosss assistant, Mr. Evans, walked over.

"Mr. Evans, what a pleasure to see you out here," Brenda cooed, instantly transforming from a harpy into a suck-up.

Mr. Evans ignored her, his eyes on me. "Lily, Mr. Sterling's other assistant is on sick leave. You've been temporarily reassigned as his personal assistant. You'll be accompanying him on a business trip this weekend."

My already grim expression soured even more. Seriously? These damn capitalists wanted to steal my weekend, too? What did he need me for, a personal punching bag?

Before I could object, Brendas jaw dropped.

"Her? But why? Mr. Evans, you know shes not qualified! She just makes the boss angry." The disgust was written all over her face.

You know what? I didnt want to go. But now, I absolutely had to.

I plastered on my best professional smile. "Of course, Mr. Evans. Ill take excellent care of Mr. Sterling."

Brenda looked like she was about to swallow her own teeth. As soon as Mr. Evans was gone, she was in my face, jabbing a finger at me.

"Youre just a rookie! The boss called your work garbage! I don't know what you did to get this, but"

Her finger was almost touching my nose. I slapped it away.

"Being beautiful is a weapon, Brenda. You're just old, bitter, and you see the worst in everything. And for your information, the boss was just praising me. He said my work was brilliant. That he's never seen a genius like me before."

Outside the boss's office, you make your own reality.

Brenda's face twisted in rage, but then, suddenly, she smiled. A creepy, triumphant smile. That's when I realized Mr. Sterling was standing right behind me.

I instinctively backed away, my head bowed. Crap. I was so busted. Brenda was going to have a field day with this.

"Mr. Sterling, you see?" Brenda said sweetly. "This rookie is so unprofessional. And a pathological liar."

Other coworkers were starting to stare, some even pulling out their phones. I clutched the hem of my shirt, bracing for a public execution.

Then, Mr. Sterling spoke.

"She's right," he said, his voice clear and steady. "I was very satisfied with her proposal."

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