I can't believe that my online boyfriend is actually my boss, Yoel Gilmore, who refutes me at all times during my work hours!

So, I purposefully complain on the chat app, saying that my "boss" wants me to burn the midnight oil just to get a proposal done immediately. Almost immediately, I see my company's group chat updating with a new message that says, "A one-day extension has been given."

Afterward, I claim that I "want to quit my job because the food at the cafeteria sucks". On the very same day, the company makes a decision to increase the cafeteria meals' portions without hiking up the price. I'm also given an increase in bonus.

In the end, I say I want to break up with him because I can't hug him in real life. But I end up getting taken to the CEO's office, where I hear him telling me in a choked-up tone, "I'll let you hug and kiss me. Can we please not break up?"

The air in the department pitch meeting was sharp, snapping like a soda fizzing open. I had just reached the third slide when my hand slipped. With a sharp smack, the screen went black. It wasn't me. The computer had disconnected on its own.

At the head of the table, Yoel Gilmore looked up, frowning as if the world owed him millions. Three taps of his fingers on the table, and each one felt like a hammer pounding my skull.

"Three minutes left," he said coldly, like a knife pulled straight from the freezer. "If we don't start now, the meeting is over."

I didn't dare look up. When I first set up the projector, I had accidentally connected to the wrong Wi-Fi, and now the giant screen displayed his desktop wallpaper—my cat.

It had once been an ugly little mess that could scare neighborhood kids, but I had edited it into a fluffy, bright-eyed little prince, perched on the windowsill and posing cutely for the camera.

I had spent three hours editing it to perfection and stored it in a private album that even my mom hadn't seen. Yet now, it sat on Yoel's screen, gazing innocently at the whole company.

My legs went weak.

That night, he had been teasing me on voice chat. "Darling, show me your cat. I haven't seen it yet."

I replied, "Okay, close your eyes. I'll send you a surprise."

He got so excited that his voice shifted. "Really? Wait, I'll record my heartbeat to use as background music!"

Now that I thought about it, that heartbeat had sounded a lot like him tapping his fingers on the table during meetings.

I ground my teeth and told myself to stay grounded.

A man like Yoel wouldn't be texting "Darling, are you asleep?" at midnight. He wasn't the type to say things like, "Did you skip sugar today?"

He was the type to frown even when a colleague took an extra sip of milk tea, saying, "Too much sugar affects efficiency."

I couldn't connect the dots. How could he be the same man who sang off-key love songs on the phone, coaxed me to sleep, and sent me five hundred dollars so I could take a taxi instead of the subway?

"Nova Grayson, you look like a dead goldfish. Take it easy this afternoon and lie down," Jeremiah Stone said, trying to pat my head.

I recoiled instinctively, glancing past him to see Yoel standing there like a living ice sculpture, whose gaze held me frozen in place.

"Jerry, I still need to revise the plan. Mr. Gilmore hasn't finished giving his feedback," I said, struggling through the dryness in my throat.

Jeremiah didn't pick up on it.

"You're always complaining about the cafeteria food. I'm taking you out for barbecue tonight to cheer you up!"

Jeremiah snapped to attention, forgetting even to breathe.

Smiling like a judge who had just signed a death sentence, Yoel said, "Is the cafeteria food really that awful? No wonder Ms. Grayson can't deliver a proper plan."

Yoel didn't glance at me again. He simply turned and walked away, leaving behind a single command. "Bring it to my office once it's revised."

"Yes, Mr. Gilmore," I whispered.

Back at my desk, my phone wouldn't stop buzzing. Mr. Y's texts flooded in, one after another, like a relentless drumbeat I couldn't escape.

"Darling, the forecast says it's going to rain tonight. Come home early."

He then sent me 500 dollars. "Use it for a taxi. Don't squeeze into the subway."

"I learned a new song. I'll sing it for you tonight."

"Darling, I bet you must be busy this morning. Your boss is such a capitalist. You don't even have a moment to reply. Remember to get back to me when you can," he added, ending the message with a kiss emoji.

As I stared at these messages that felt sweeter than any happiness, fear came even faster. The more I thought about it, the colder I felt.

If Yoel really was my online crush, all I wanted to tell him was that I was stuck revising a plan late into the night. He couldn't expect me home early, and his boring meetings were the ones I had spent three all-nighters preparing for. He really was a ruthless capitalist, using me like a workhorse every single day.

"Are you really my boss?"

I typed the words over and over, erasing them each time. If it really was him, all our conversations could threaten my job. If it wasn't him, it would be painfully awkward.

I felt a pang of frustration. Mr. Y and I had been going back and forth for three months. We were supposed to meet before the national holiday.

My chat background was a selfie Mr. Y had sent, focusing on his hand, which I had begged him to share for ages. His fingers were slender and beautifully shaped, with nails that glowed a soft, pale pink.

I had finally come across a soulmate whose chat topics matched mine perfectly, and the hand was so beautiful. Even just the part shown in the photo hit all the points I loved.

Being a game nerd with a thing for voices and hands, I couldn't help but be intrigued by someone like Mr. Y online.

We had first met in a game.

At the time, we were both solo queuing when we ran into a pre-made team of three. They saw the jungler had gained an early advantage and then went roaming and taunting the enemy across all channels, only to be countered and feed the enemy marksman.

The match completely fell apart. The three of them took turns yelling and blaming the jungler, who stayed silent and kept playing.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I unmuted and started lashing out at the team. The three of them were silenced instantly.

After the match, I discovered I had been muted by the system and saw a friend request from the jungler. He invited me to queue again, and I explained that my mic had been banned.

He replied, "Should we continue on WhatsApp voice chat instead?"

Over time, we went from being game teammates to constant chat partners.

Once, I stayed up all night revising a plan, and he stayed on voice chat with me the entire time, saying he was overseas on business and just happened to be adjusting to the time difference. The next morning, he asked for my address, and half an hour later, a warm breakfast arrived.

At that moment, my lonely heart felt a little less heavy.

After that, we started voice chatting every night. He sang to me, told stories, made jokes, and coaxed me to sleep. Our flirting lasted three months, and when I realized we were both in Alderstone, I suggested we meet in person.

"Darling, really? Are you serious? Don't lie to me. "

"Only fools lie. I work at Riverview Tower. Do you want to grab a bite nearby?"

Mr. Y didn't reply.

Looking back, everything had seemed perfect, and then Mr. Y abruptly said something had come up and promised to meet next time.

He probably realized I had been one of his staff, which was why he had canceled at the last moment.

If Mr. Y really was Yoel, he was the sole heir of the wealthiest family in the country. How could he seriously be involved with someone as insignificant as me?

After all, he had said so many things that made my face flush and my heart race during our voice chats. Even a single screenshot of our conversations could spark a scandal that might affect a high-profile family's stock prices.

Suddenly, a hollow ache settled in my chest. The reason we never met was my identity.

People often said online romances ended when the truth came out. I kept hoping it had been only his insecurity about how he looked that had kept him distant, not deliberate cold reasoning.

Yoel likely hadn't realized that the employee he had criticized in front of everyone for wasting memory and ruining plans was the very person he had been calling his darling.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent me those clingy, overly sweet messages after the meeting ended.

Now I knew exactly who he was, yet he only knew me as a faceless nobody within the group. He was in the open, while I stayed hidden. Suddenly, the situation became interesting.

After some thought, I picked up my phone and decided to settle a personal grudge under the guise of work.

"Darling, we can't voice chat tonight. The boss wants us to rush a proposal overnight."

The work group chat immediately pushed a notification. The proposal presentation was postponed by one day.

"Darling, the company cafeteria is terrible. The boss piles on work but pays so little. Should I just quit?"

At noon, the cafeteria suddenly announced bigger portions at no extra cost. That afternoon, Jeremiah cheerfully informed everyone that this month's bonus would be doubled.

As I ate the extra food from the cafeteria, I calculated how much my salary had effectively increased this month. I was in an excellent mood. That was, until one day at the office when I overheard some gossip.

A colleague shared that her friend had tried to break up with an ex, only for the ex to demand repayment for every expense from the relationship. From trips and housing costs to shared in-game top-ups, nothing was spared. The ex refused to end things otherwise.

I felt a sudden chill. Lately, I had been hiding behind the title of his darling to tap into company resources and secure extra perks from him.

I had to cut this off cleanly before we ever met face to face. I asked Mr. Y one final time whether we could meet.

He refused again, saying he was busy with work and maybe another time. I steeled myself and sent the message I had prepared.

"Darling, if we can't meet and I can't even hug or kiss you, we should just break up."

I blocked him without a second thought. After the breakup, no one lulled me to sleep at night. My sleep deteriorated sharply, and the nightmares came one after another.

In my dreams, a secretary led me to his office. I pushed open the heavy door alone and found nothing but darkness.

"Would a hug or a kiss be enough to keep you here?" someone asked in a choked voice.

…

I woke up shaking and covered in sweat. There was no time for sorrow. The project deadline was near, and the team had been grinding nonstop. The only silver lining was that exhaustion sent us straight to sleep as soon as we lay down.

After several exhausting days, the proposal was perfected, leaving nothing for even a god to fault. When I stood outside the CEO's office on the 36th floor once more, the gorgeous secretary informed me that Yoel was absent.

The following day, and the day after, Yoel still hadn't appeared. Unease crept in as I worried something might have happened to him. I quickly unblocked Mr. Y.

As soon as I unblocked him, a location pin arrived with a brief message. "I want to see you."

It led straight to the city center's flashiest bar district.

At the same time, Irene Parker, a secretary I was close to, sent me the same address. "I heard Yoel has been coming here every night lately. If you need to find him urgently, you might want to try your luck there."

I brought the proposal with me and headed to a bar I had never stepped into before. It was not the chaotic, wild scene I had imagined. Instead, it was a quiet bar meant for casual drinks and conversations.

Yoel occupied the most luxurious private room alone, reclining across the sofa. Empty bottles lay scattered across the table.

His eyes were hazy with drink, his cheeks were damp, and the corners of his eyes were flushed red. His shirt was rumpled, the collar slightly open, revealing the faint rise and fall of his chest.

Seeing him in person was far more convincing than any photo he had sent as "Mr. Y".

He clutched something the size of his palm tightly to his chest. It looked like a phone.

I crept closer and greeted him softly. "Mr. Gilmore?"

Yoel lifted his eyelids and suddenly grabbed my hand. His alcohol soaked gaze slowly narrowed. When his eyes landed on the laptop in my arms, disappointment flashed across his face. He immediately released me. "Did Ms. Parker tell you I was here?"

Fearing he would fault Irene, I kept a blank expression and played dumb.

Yoel didn't press the issue. He lowered his head and continued drinking. "Leave the proposal here. I will review it."

The dismissal was unmistakable. Knowing he was safe, I felt a wave of relief and got ready to leave.