Chapter 1: Introduction
Cecilia Duckett, age 25, stared at her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows of her minimalist apartment high above the city. With a sleek, modern panorama stretching out beyond the glossy glass, she felt a surge of pride as she took a mental count of her many accomplishments. Twentysomething whiz kid. Brightest graduate from MIT in her class at the age of 20. Successful burgeoning engineer at one of the best tech companies in the world. But pride soon dissipated, replaced by thoughts of the mountains of debt she'd accrued while pursuing her dreams.
The harsh reality of student loans loomed over her every decision like a relentless storm cloud.
As she turned from the window, her eyes landed on the framed certificates and awards that adorned the cool, sterile white walls. All proof of her hard work and intelligence, but little solace against the financial pressures that came with them.
"Bin Bin" -- her feline companion, perched on the polished wooden desktop, meowed softly, breaking the silence of her solitude. Cecilia smiled, leaning down to scratch behind his ears.
"I know, Buddy. I'm working on it," she murmured to the cat, ruefully aware that "it" referred both to her financial troubles and his insatiable hunger for attention.
A sudden buzz from her phone interrupted the momentary peace. Seeing Laci's name on the screen, she hesitated to pick up. Laci, her former roommate, was the embodiment of everything Cecilia was not: precocious, flighty, and carefree. She hadn't even been an MIT student, just a girl of the same age who also needed an apartment to stay in. They had barely interacted, outside of their weekly arguments, while living together, and they hadn't spoken AT ALL since Cecilia had left and gotten her own place before the start of her junior year.
"What could Laci possibly be calling about?" Cecilia muttered to herself, picking up the phone reluctantly. Her curiosity soon got the better of her, though, as she answered the call and heard Laci's voice.
"Well, well, well," Laci said, the tone of her voice dripping with false warmth. "How's my favorite smartass little genius doing? Still trying to invent the next big thing from your bathroom bathtub?"
Cecilia gritted her teeth, tired of Laci's condescending attitude.
"I don't have time for this, Laci. What do you want?"
"Oh, come on, Cece! Can't an old friend catch up without it being some sort of big production? Besides, I have something you might be interested in..." Laci replied, the offering in her voice impossible to ignore.
Curiosity piqued, Cecilia asked, "Something I might be interested in? That'd be a first coming from you. What exactly are we talking about here?"
Laci sighed dramatically. " Well, darling, I'm so glad you asked! I'll be frank: I want to have a little fun with you. See, I have this idea. If you're up for it, I'm willing to pay $500,000 to make it worth your while," she said, her words slipping out smoothly like a practiced line.
A silence fell between them as Cecilia raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Half a million dollars? That's ridiculous.
What could you possibly need me to do for that amount?" Cecilia asked, fighting to keep her tone neutral.
Laci responded, "Here's the scenario: I want you to do whatever I say for exactly one week, no limits, no exceptons. You can take PTO from work, and I even have a place in Maui where I'll put you up for the week. You'll follow my orders to the letter, and, in return, you'll walk away with $500,000." Laci's voice remained steady, as though the absurdity of the offer held no weight.
Cecilia felt a flicker of surprise, but her initial instinct was to brush it off as an amateurish joke. "Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, Laci. I don't know what game you think you're playing, but it's not funny."
Laci let out a shallow laugh, "Oh, Cece, you do surprise me sometimes. But I assure you – this isn't a joke. It's business. See, I've been moving up in the world since you moved out. I met man- Cece, I promise you, 500K is chump change as far as my hubby is concerned.
He's got billions, and he's got ways of making more. Point is, I'm bored. I need a project, and you, my dear, fit the bill. Think about it: 500K debt-free in a snap. What's there to lose?" Laci's voice, now aggressive and demanding, left no room for further argument.
Cecilia felt her breath catch in her chest, as if she had been punched.
Five hundred thousand dollars was an astronomical sum that could erase her debt overnight. A chance to escape the suffocating weight of being at the mercy of her student loans. "But what's the catch?" she found herself asking, quickly pushing down the excitement that threatened to bubble up within her. If something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.
Laci laughed on the other end of the phone. "There's no catch at all, hun. Just do as I say, and you get the money, it's that simple. I'll tell you again, though, you have to do EVERYTHING I say" Laci responded, her laughter fading to reveal a more serious tone. "No hesitation, no backtalk, no half-assing it. If I tell you to get a tattoo of a donkey on your forehead, you do it and don't think twice. If you can do that, you'll get the money."
Cecilia stared wide-eyed at the glittering city beyond the glass. Her thoughts reeled at Laci's proposition. Cecilia hesitated, and as if anticipating the question poised on the tip of her tongue, Laci added, "I know it's unconventional, but you'll sign a full NDA. If everything goes according to plan, we won't have to cross paths again."
Cecilia could feel herself beginning to give in to the offer.
The thought of being free from her financial burdens was too tempting to ignore. But as she wrestled with her morals and principles, she asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'everything you say'? I refuse to compromise my dignity, or become a tool for someone else's amusement."
Laci's laughter filled the void once again, and Cecilia gritted her teeth, determined to stand her ground. "Oh, Cece, I know you think I'm some sort of conniving villain, but trust me: this won't compromise you at all.
You'll actually love it – and I might throw in a couple of surprises to spice things up," Laci reassured, her voice dripping with mischief.
Cecilia wanted desperately to slam down the phone and relegate Laci's offer to the realm of crazy pipe dreams. However, the temptation of a life free from suffocating debt clawed urgently at her consciousness, and then it finally happened, all at once her waning resistance collapsed, she gave in.
"Alright," Cecilia finally relented, "I'll do it."
Laci released an airy giggle, "Fantastic dear! I guarantee you won't regret your decision. I'll send over the NDA and final details via email today. Lucky for you, I'm already in the Chicago area, so we'll get started tomorrow morning. I'll be by your place at 9am sharp to take you shopping before we get on the first plane outta here.
Wear something comfortable," Laci said, with a tone that tried to sound more like a supportive friend than an eccentric taskmaster.
"Wait. What? 9 am? You've got to be kidding. I can't be ready that early," Cecilia protested, glancing at her alarm clock as if it were a ticking time bomb waiting to shatter what was left of her composure. But, Laci had already hung up, refusing to listen to Cecilia's protest. The day had drained away, and perhaps due to the enormity of her decision, the weight of exhaustion pushed down on her weary shoulders.
Cecilia glanced at the clock; sleep would soon be a long-lost friend if she didn't make haste and retire to bed. The clock blinked 1:45 AM, in shining red digital numerals.
With no more than a reflex action, she trudged to the bedroom and sank into the oblivion that awaited her.