Professional Stand-in: Daily Salary of 10,000 US Dollars

3

For an entire week, I hadn't contacted Archer.

Over the weekend, I was at home diligently studying for the CPA. I also have a second major in finance, and combined with my proficiency in Prench, I hope to land a job at a major company someday.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Archer.

Before I would have eagerly answered, always ready to help, but now I simply glanced at it and pressed ignore.

He called again, five times in total, and each time, I ignored the call.

Soon after, there was a forceful knocking at my door. I opened it to find Archer standing there, his handsome face utterly darkened.

I calmly let him in.

"Why aren't you answering my calls?" he demanded.

I looked up at him and said, "Archer, let's break up."

"Break up? Why on earth would we do that?" he asked, tugging at his tie, visibly irritated.

"You see me as a substitute for Sienna, don't you?" I confronted him directly, not wanting to waste any more time or emotions on him.

He froze.

I pushed him out of the room. "Leave, and don't bother me again. Oh, remember the three hundred and fifty dollars you owe me? Please transfer it."

With a loud slam, I closed the door and slumped down, exhausted. Then I got back up, my eyes resilient.

The sentiments of the past wouldn't bring me down.

The role of the wicked woman could be played by someone else! I was tired of entangling with trash. Sienna and those three guys, their love-hate drama, if I couldn't handle it, I could at least avoid it!

I needed to study hard and boost my abilities.

While I devoted myself to studying and working, Archer didn't want to break up. Initially, he was aggressive, thinking I was playing hard to get. After I threw the flowers he bought into the trash twice, he finally realized my resolve and softened his approach.

"What exactly do you want?" He cornered me outside the rental, reeking of alcohol, pinning me against the wall. "Sienna is a celestial beauty, and you're just dirt. She's pristine and untainted by greed, while you come whining to me over three hundred bucks. Being her double is your good fortune!"

"Get out of my way."

"No! You want money, right? I'll give it to you. How much do you want?"

I pushed him several times, but he didn’t budge.

To him, I was just dirt, a woman only after money.

Fine.

I smiled, "You're only after me because I look like Sienna. I can act like her, be her double. A thousand dollars per hour, how about that?"

He paused, then disdainfully transferred a thousand to me. "Is that enough now?"

His look seemed to say, "See, you just love money. There’s your true face."

He took me away to hang out with his friends.

I stopped and said, "That's a different rate. A hundred per friend, plus extra for running errands and buying things."

Archer's face turned pale, and after a moment, he begrudgingly said, "Fine!"

4

"Payment first," I said, opening my hands.

Archer exploded in anger. "Do you think I'd stiff you?"

I lifted my eyelids slightly. "The three hundred from a few days ago took several reminders before you paid. This isn't the first time you've tried to dodge."

"You..."

Archer gritted his teeth, and to prove he wasn't short on money, he transferred five thousand dollars to me directly.

I calmly said, "I'll refund the excess or ask for more if it's not enough."

At the club, I mingled with Archer's friends as usual, but without the previous eagerness to please, my smiles barely concealed my disdain.

Since there would be no future dealings and no benefits to gain, I didn't care about them at all!

Archer's friends were not pleased and seemed to whisper something to him. Soon after, Archer pulled me aside and said quietly, "Why can't you just be civil?"

What did he mean by being civil? I was only treating them the way they treated me. Oh, and I hadn't even started insulting them.

If you want me to greet everyone with a smile like before, it's an extra two hundred dollars per person. You have five friends, plus the initial one hundred dollars, that’s three hundred dollars each now, a total of fifteen hundred dollars," I said.

Archer, grinding his teeth, agreed, "Fine."

With Archer's approval, I plastered on a smile and chatted with the others. Soon, someone asked me to buy things.

I turned to Archer. "Running errands is five hundred dollars a trip, you decide whether you or your friends will pay."

Archer was fuming, gritting his teeth. "I'll pay!"

I deliberately dawdled when I went out to buy the items because I didn’t want to deal with their faces. Around eight, I returned to the club, handed the items to Archer's friends, grabbed my bag, and told Archer. "I'm leaving."

"What? Ashley is leaving?" a friend joked, "Don't go, hang out with us."

Archer was stunned for a moment. "Why are you leaving?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hour's up. If you want me to stay, you'll have to pay up."

Archer's face turned crimson, his teeth gritted. "Renew it!"

"I'm short five hundred dollars bucks," I said with a shrug.

Fuming, Archer transferred me twenty thousand dollars. Considering the money, I stayed with him until midnight. Then, grabbing my bag, I said, "I'm leaving. Got work tomorrow. Oh, and do I need to announce our breakup? I'll tell your friends I dumped you, and that's the end of it..."

"No way!" Archer cut me off angrily.

He cared a lot about his image.

I smiled and said, "Mr. Flynn, feel free to order again next time. Goodbye."

This time, I didn't drive him; I just walked out of the club, hailed a cab, and left him and a few friends gaping.

He could buy time with money, but only if I was willing to sell.

The evening breeze was gentle, and I had made over ten thousand dollars in one night without much emotional or mental effort. Quite a joyful evening indeed.