Part 2Restoring His Male Pride

With less than a hundred roses left, Seth returned.

This time, he wasn't on his scooter. He was driving a flashy blue Aston Martin. The roar of the engine made my customers turn their heads.

Seth beckoned to me. "Hey, you. Get in. I need to talk to you about something."

"I can't," I refused. "I haven't sold all my flowers."

"I'll buy the rest."

He scanned my QR code with his phone.

【Venmo payment received: $1,990.】

Holy crap!

He really was the purest-bred sucker I'd ever met. Buying back the flowers he'd thrown away, at the original price.

I gathered the remaining flowers and scrambled into his car like the good little lackey I was.

Seth took me to a high-end, minimalist bar.

"What's your name?" he asked, fiddling with his car keys and glancing at me.

"Lily Bell," I answered.

"Alright, Lily Bell. You need money? I've got a job for you. Interested?"

"I don't sell my body or my 'talents'," I said, crossing my arms.

He scoffed. "You? Not my type."

Seth laid out his plan. Tonight's public rejection had been a major blow to his pride. So, he wanted to hire me to be his fawning, sycophantic girlfriend.

He wanted to get his dignity back.

"Why me?" I asked.

"You're the most shameless girl I've ever met. You're perfect for the job."

"If you're so rich, why were you pretending to be poor?"

A faint blush crept up his neck. "In high school, I got tired of all the attention. I just wanted to be a normal person."

But with his looks, "normal" was never an option. The "Handsome Pauper" title was born.

And tonight's confession had been the ultimate humiliation.

"To hell with the 'Handsome Pauper'!" Seth cursed.

"Lily Bell, your job is to fawn over me as much as you can. You get paid per fawn. Five grand a month, base salary."

"We need a contract," I said.

"Done. It's effective tonight."