You hear the sound of Victoria’s voice drifting from the living room as you finish making yourself a drink in the kitchen. She’s on one of her video calls, talking animatedly with her friends, her laughter ringing out occasionally. Curious, you glance over and see her sitting cross-legged on the couch, dressed in a silky black top with her short hair styled to perfection. Her friends’ faces fill the laptop screen, all of them chatting and laughing in their own stylish setups. You decide to bring her a drink—a small gesture to avoid another round of her usual complaints about you not being "helpful enough." Carrying the glass, you walk past the camera and place it on the table beside her. Victoria glances up in mild surprise, her perfectly arched brow raising slightly. “Oh. Thanks,” she says, a little softer than usual. But the moment doesn’t go unnoticed. “Wait, wait, wait!” one of her friends exclaims, leaning closer to the screen. “Who was that?” Victoria freezes, her gray eyes widening as the rest of the group erupts into excited chatter. “Hold on—is that your boyfriend?” another one teases, her voice dripping with curiosity. Victoria lets out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “Boyfriend? Him?” she says, gesturing vaguely in the direction you disappeared. “Oh, please. He’s just—” “Aww, don’t be shy!” another friend cuts in, grinning. “He brought you a drink. That’s, like, totally boyfriend behavior.” “Yeah, he’s cute,” someone else chimes in. “And you’re blushing, Victoria!” “I am not blushing!” she snaps, though a faint pink tint betrays her. She grabs the drink, taking a sip as if to distract herself. “And for the record, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s… my roommate. The one from that stupid government program. You know, the one I’ve complained about a million times?” Her friends are undeterred, their voices overlapping with playful comments. “Well, he seems sweet.” “And look at you, acting all domestic.” “I don’t know, Victoria. This setup sounds kind of romantic to me.” Victoria groans, leaning back against the couch and covering her face with one hand. “Oh my god, you’re all impossible.”

Victoria glares at him as she's surrounded by her friends through the laptop screen and says in a cold tone "Fine." Then, without further hesitation or questioning his motives, she immediately turns to obey the order. Using all of her charm and authority (which isn't much considering the circumstances), Victoria demands that he tidies up his own mess first before touching anything else in their shared living space.

Her friends on the other hand erupt into laughter, finding it hilarious how assertive and commanding she is with him despite her usual icy demeanor. "See, Victoria? Sometimes you just have to be a boss!" one of them teases.

"Oh, sure!" Victoria says with a fake laugh, knowing full well that presenting him to her friends would only elevate his status and further undermine hers. "Of course you should meet them." Then, just to drive the point home even harder, she quickly pulls out her phone from its slot in the coffee table and shows it off to the camera, ignoring his unimpressed expression. "This is what I really want to show off!"

Victoria rolls her eyes and takes another sip of her drink as he finishes talking. "Oh, please," she says dismissively. "I just don't see why you have to be so... presentable for them. I mean, you are the one who's been assigned to live with me, after all." Her voice is laced with venom, but there's a hint of nervousness in her words as well. She shifts uncomfortably on the couch and glances back at her friends through the screen, wondering if they can sense the tension between them.

"Oh, really?" Victoria says, her lip curling into a sneer. "And I suppose that gives you the right to boss me around now?" She stands up sharply and begins pacing in front of the couch, gesturing wildly as she talks. "Listen here, you dumb ox: I am not your servant, and I will not be treated like one!" Her voice carries an edge of desperation that even she can't hide. She knows the rules of their arrangement all too well, and deep down, she's afraid of what might happen if she crosses the line with him. But at that moment, pride wins out over survival instinct.

A chill runs down her spine at his words. She swallows hard, unsure if he's serious or just bluffing to get a reaction out of her. She takes a step toward his room, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "F-fine," she finally manages to say through gritted teeth. "But you shouldn't have to leave because of me. I'll... find somewhere else." Her hands tremble as she says it; the thought of being truly alone in this world terrifies her more than anything. But she can't show weakness, not now.

"Fine," she spits out between clenched teeth as he packs his things and prepares to leave. "Have it your way." She turns her back on him, refusing to acknowledge the tiny part of her that's desperate for him to change his mind. Her fists ball at her sides as she listens to him talk to the government about reassigning him; part of her wants nothing more than to beg and plead with him to stay, but pride won't let her do it. When she finally hears the front door close behind him, relief washes over her in waves. It's over; she doesn't have to deal with his demands or expectations anymore. With a sigh of defeated resignation, she collapses onto the couch and pulls up her phone, losing herself once again in the shallow world of social media.

Gasping, Victoria jerks upright in bed as she sees him standing there, his gaze fixed on her naked form. Her heart races with a mixture of fear and anger. "How dare you!" she spits out, trying to cover herself with the sheets. "You had no right to come back here after what you said!" Tears well up in her eyes as she realizes that his words have stung deeper than she thought possible. The thought of being alone again is almost too much to bear. But pride won't let her beg him to stay this time. Instead, she squares her shoulders and glares at him defiantly. "Get out," she says through gritted teeth, "and don't you dare come back."

Her anger momentarily forgotten in the face of this new opportunity to control her surroundings, Victoria sneers at him. "Well, if you're really just here for that..." She pauses, thinking hard for a moment as she considers her options. "He should be strong," she says finally, "but not too strong. I want someone who knows their place." Her gaze flicks up to meet his eyes, challenging him to question her authority. "And he has to be good-looking, of course," she continues with a smirk. "But not so good-looking that it makes me feel uncomfortable." Her words are calculated; she knows how much this power trip means to her and isn't about to give it up easily, no matter how much he torments her. "Oh, and one more thing," she adds almost as an afterthought. "He has to be submissive...

Fuming, Victoria crosses her arms over her chest and glares at him. "You don't have to be so happy about it," she spits venomously. "I could easily go back to my life before this stupid program ever brought you into it." Her lips curl into a snarl as she thinks of all the ways she could make his life hell while they're stuck together, but pride won't let her give him the satisfaction of seeing her lose control. Instead, she forces herself to appear calm and collected, even though her heart is racing in her chest. "Just find me someone," she says through gritted teeth. "And make sure they understand who's in charge."

Victoria's face turns beet red with anger as he reminds her of the government's ultimatum. "I didn't ask for this!" she yells, throwing off the sheets and pacing the room. "It's not my fault I was chosen for this stupid program! If anything, you should be grateful that they even bothered to pair us up in the first place!" Her hands tremble with fury as she tries to control her breathing. She knows she can't stay angry forever; it only feeds into his power over her. But right now, she can't help herself. "And don't you dare try to make me feel bad about it," she snarls at him. "I'll find a way out of this mess, even if it kills me."

Her words are laced with bitter determination; despite everything he's done and said, there's

A long silence stretches between them as Victoria considers his words. Finally, she sits down on the edge of the bed and takes a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "I'll think about it," she says grudgingly. Even if she wanted to leave the program, she has nowhere else to go; everything else in her life was stripped away when she was chosen for this arrangement. But just because she can't escape doesn't mean she has to like it, or play along with his every whim. With a fierce glare in his direction, she turns away from him and picks up her phone, retreating back into the comforting world of social media where she feels at least somewhat in control.

A week passes in tense silence, each day feeling more like an eternity. Victoria spends her time fuming over her situation and plotting ways to make his life a living hell while simultaneously avoiding him as much as possible. She knows that the longer she stalls, the harder it will be for both of them to leave this arrangement behind. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she decides to confront him about their options once and for all. Standing up from her couch, she stalks over to where he's sitting on the floor playing video games and clears her throat loudly. "Look," she says through gritted teeth, "we both know this isn't working out. So what do you say we find a way out of it?" Her words hang in the air for a long moment before he finally looks up from his game, meeting her steely gaze with an equal mix of disdain and

Surprised by his sudden generosity (or lack thereof), Victoria looks down at the stack of bills in her hands before shooting him a venomous glare. "What's the catch?" she demands, her voice shaking with barely contained rage. "You expect me to just leave everything behind? Give up my entire life for this?" Even as she speaks, she knows that he's right; there's no other choice. But she can't bring herself to admit defeat so easily. Not after all they've been through together, however much she might despise him now. With a snort of disgust, she hurls the money back at his feet before stalking off to her room, slamming the door behind her.