Chapter 1
Nina
Friday, 5 PM. The sound of rolling chairs and shuffling papers filled the Portland office of Shaffer Advertising as coworkers gathered their things to leave for the weekend.
I sat at my secretary desk, pretending to organize files while silently counting down in my head—five minutes left, three minutes, just a little longer...
"Nina."
Damn it.
I looked up, flashing my perfected professional smile. "Yes, Mr. Shaffer?"
Enzo Shaffer stood before me, impeccably dressed in his tailored suit, expression unreadable. His deep gray eyes scanned my desk before settling on my face. "I need you to organize all the VIP client files over Memorial Day weekend. I want a complete analysis report on my desk by 8 AM Monday."
My smile froze for a split second before I recovered. "Of course, Mr. Shaffer. No problem at all."
"Good." He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the now-empty office.
I maintained my smile until the elevator doors closed with a soft ding.
"Fuck Memorial Day!" I cursed under my breath, clenching my fist.
My date! That hot personal trainer Jason I'd finally managed to get a weekend with! We had plans to go to the beach! I'd even bought a new bikini!
The office fell completely silent except for the hum of the air conditioning and my angry breathing. I stared at Enzo's closed office door, my rage building by the second.
"Six months! For six months I've been working for you like I'm invisible!" I shouted at the empty air. "Do you know when my last vacation was? A whole year ago!"
I stood up and paced around the office. Suddenly, a crazy idea flashed through my mind.
I looked toward Enzo's office door. His spare key was in my drawer.
Ten minutes later, I was sneaking into the CEO's office. Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating his expensive furnishings. I pulled out my phone, opened TikTok, and started recording.
"Welcome, everyone, to 'The Broke Secretary's Revenge Auction'!" I announced excitedly to the camera. "Today we're auctioning off all my evil boss's precious possessions!"
I walked over to the Italian leather sofa and gave it a theatrical tap. "This couch, handcrafted in Italy, starting bid five thousand dollars! That could buy me five hot male models to watch movies with! Any takers?"
I grew more animated as I continued, moving to his desk. "And this Montblanc pen—enough to treat me and three gorgeous guys to a month of fancy dinners!"
Then to the smart coffee machine: "This coffee maker costs more than my rent. If I sell it, I could vacation in Thailand for two weeks!"
I picked up his electric toothbrush and wrinkled my nose: "Ew, this is too gross. I'll just give this away for free."
Finally, I faced the camera for my conclusion: "If I sell all this stuff, I'm hiring eighteen male models for the party of the century! Who says poor people can't dream big?"
I stopped recording, feeling better than I had in months. Back at my desk, I hit publish without a second thought.
"Just adding some fun to this boring overtime," I muttered, starting on those damn client files.
Two hours later, my phone began vibrating non-stop.
One like.
Ten likes.
One hundred likes.
"What's happening?" I opened TikTok and nearly dropped my phone.
One thousand likes!
The comments section was exploding:
[You're speaking for all us working stiffs!👍]
[I want to sell my boss's stuff too!😂]
[This is genius, I'm totally copying this!]
[We need updates! How did your boss react?]
My hands trembled with excitement. Four hours later, the count hit 10,000. Six hours later, 50,000 likes!
"Oh my God, I've gone viral!" I rolled around on my couch. "I'm TikTok famous! Jason is going to be so impressed!"
I was about to text Jason to brag when I noticed a pinned comment at the top:
[Are you insane? Why not just auction me off while you're at it? ]
I froze, then clicked on the profile.
Enzo Shaffer.
Verified account.
My phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
"No, no, no, no..." I covered my face. "This isn't real. This can't be real!"
But that blue verification checkmark was unmistakable, painfully real.
My heart raced, palms sweating. From heaven to hell in one second flat.
At 3 AM, my phone rang. Caller ID: Enzo Shaffer.
I stared at the screen, my finger hovering over the answer button for a full ten seconds before I finally pressed it.
"Nina Simons." His voice came through the speaker, terrifyingly casual. "Congratulations on your newfound fame."
"B-boss, I can explain..." My voice sounded like a strangled duck.
"No need." He cut me off, his tone carrying an unsettling playfulness. "I'm quite intrigued by your 'business acumen.' Tomorrow morning, 8 AM, my office. We'll discuss your 'sales strategy.'"
"I—"
"Dress professionally. You're a 'social media celebrity' now, after all." He paused. "Oh, and yes, my coffee machine does cost more than your rent. Good night, Nina."
Click.
I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the night sky through my window. The moon was the same, but my world had been turned upside down.
What would I face at 8 AM tomorrow? An angry boss? A cold termination notice? Or...
I closed my eyes, replaying Enzo's final words in my head. He didn't sound angry. He sounded... interested?
"What the hell have I done?" I whispered to my ceiling.