Chapter 1

A security guard caught a snake in our apartment complex and delivered it straight to my door.

I was just about to scream when floating comments cut in.

[The male lead got dumped and turned back into his real form just to spy on his girlfriend, and he actually got caught? This is funny as hell!]

[He got dumped, and his girlfriend hates him. He's probably gonna cry himself to sleep!]

[Aww, poor little snake can't curl up on his girlfriend tonight.]

The big black snake looked pitiful in the guard's hands.

It secretly sized me up with its slit pupils.

I tried holding out my hand, and the black snake stared in disbelief.

Two seconds later, it obediently rubbed its head against my fingers.

Chapter 1

The moment the guard let go, the black snake shot up from my wrist at lightning speed and wrapped around me tightly.

The floating comments popped up again.

[Miles isn't even worried about scaring Olivia, huh?]

[You can't blame him. Ten guards chased him halfway across the complex and hit him with their batons. Even a handsome snake-man would lose his fight after that.]

[Yeah, getting hit more than ten times is harsh. If Miles weren't ridiculously lucky, Olivia would already be moving on to someone else.]

At the same time, the guard said, "Miss, you're free to keep pets, but you can't let a snake that big just wander around. You're gonna scare somebody. If I hadn't suddenly remembered seeing this snake sunbathing by your window earlier, we would've killed your pet and made a pair of boots out of it."

As soon as the black snake heard that, it shuddered and dove straight down my collar.

[Whoa, not fair! I want Miles's point of view!]

[Me too!]

[Talk about turning disaster into a win. Miles seriously lucked out!]

I tried to soothe the snake tucked against my chest, then hurried to grab the watermelon I had just bought and handed it to the guard.

"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. Here, it's so hot out. Have some cold watermelon."

The guard looked a little happier with the watermelon in his hands. He gave me a few reminders and left.

I was about to close the door when I felt the black snake burrow deeper. It even flicked its tongue.

Damn it. Breaking up with Miles Richardson really was the right call.

This jerk of a snake-man pretended to be a normal human while dating me, and he wouldn't even let me touch him.

Yet when he wanted to take advantage of me, he never once hesitated.

I tried to pull the snake out, but it stubbornly wriggled farther in.

That slippery, warm sensation glided over my skin.

I had felt it in my dreams more times than I could count. Now, I seriously suspected those weren't dreams.

The black snake refused to come out. In the end, I had no choice.

I let it curl up against me and fall asleep.

[Miles can finally sleep well. Ever since breaking up with Olivia, he hasn't been able to eat or sleep. He drank himself numb until he finally couldn't take it anymore and turned back into his real form just to see her.]

I peeked down through my collar at the black snake nestled inside.

I didn't get it.

Sure, I was the one who suggested the breakup, but he agreed to it, too.

The reason was simple: Miles wouldn't let me touch him.

Imagine dating a guy with a perfect face, long legs, and abs… Just to have him tell you he didn't want to get intimate with you.

For a while, I even wondered if something was wrong with him, or if he was self-conscious of his size.

But every time things almost crossed the line, Miles would grit his teeth, get up, and march into the bathroom to take a cold shower, leaving me alone in the bedroom to clean up the mess.

Back then, I thought he must be in love with someone else, and he was saving himself for his one true love.

Chapter 2

Because of that, Miles and I ended up in a huge blowout fight.

"Miles, are you even a man? If you are, then touch me!"

Miles clenched his fists. A long silence passed before he finally said, "I just want to wait a little longer…until you're ready to accept it."

Accept it? Accept what? What was there to hesitate about?

I might be a little old-fashioned, but Miles and I had been together for four years. We were already talking about getting married.

I didn't care if some things happened sooner than planned.

I tried to stay calm and told Miles, "I want this. Whatever it is, I accept it."

But Miles just held his head and crouched. "Just wait a little more."

I had waited four years. That day, I didn't want to wait anymore.

I told him, "Either you give me an answer today, or we're done!"

Miles didn't, so we broke up.

Now, the livestream chat was telling me Miles turned into a snake because he missed me too much and came to see me.

It felt kind of unreal.

I reached out and touched the snake's head. It nuzzled against my hand and went right back to sleep.

The chat started gossiping.

[I can tell that Miles really wants to…with Olivia, but snake-men have a different anatomy. After all, they have… He's just afraid he'll scare her.]

Huh? What was that?

Why was the chat getting censored now?

But from the half-glitched messages, I pieced together the truth.

I pulled the sleeping black snake out of my arms and, following what I had read online, found its cloaca.

I took a closer look and froze in shock.

The chat wasn't lying.

Maybe my movements were clumsy, or maybe I sucked in air too loudly.

I woke the snake up.

The snake looked down, and saw my hand and its completely exposed cloaca…

Then, it lifted its head and locked eyes with me. Its gorgeous green vertical pupils widened instantly.

I swear I saw shock, shyness, panic, embarrassment, and despair all at once in a snake's eyes.

It scrambled away in a panic.

The chat went wild.

[I'm losing it. Who checks their partner's private parts the moment they meet?]

[Typical female-lead move, honestly.]

[I bet Miles's whole world just fell apart. He went to sleep fine and woke up with his biggest secret exposed to his girlfriend!]

I wanted to comfort the black snake, but it hid in the corner of the room, quietly crying.

I decided to just pretend I didn't know the snake was Miles.

I pretended I had just picked up a stray snake as a pet, while Miles pretended he really was just a pet.

The snake, thinking I didn't know its real identity, started causing trouble.

Every day, it kept asking to cuddle.

As soon as I woke up, I would always find it wrapped around some part of me.

When I used my phone, the snake would curl up on my chest and stick its head out to watch with me.

If a video with a ripped guy showed up, it would shove the screen away with its head.

If a video about "husband goals" popped up, and if any point matched Miles, the snake would turn and look at me with pitiful eyes.

Sometimes it would even flick its little tongue to lick my forehead, my cheek, my lips, or my fingers…

[Straight from a mess to a miracle. Miles really hit the jackpot.]

[Look at him opening his eyes every day to his girlfriend. He's living better as a snake than he ever did as a human.]

[I know, right? Dude's so happy that he doesn't even care about his company anymore.]

I peeled the snake off my chest.

"I'm gonna take a shower."

The black snake sulked.

Then, right before I closed the bathroom door, it squeezed in anyway.

I picked the snake up.

"Fine. We'll shower together."

Right when I started taking my clothes off, the snake whooshed straight into the corner, too shy to look.

[That's Miles for you. Desperate and scared at the same time.]

Chapter 3

[Miles is upset when Olivia doesn't let him look, but he can't bring himself to watch when she's giving him what he wants.]

[Why does the snake look like it just overheated?]

[Is Miles seriously about to explode from holding it in?]

The moment that comment popped up, the snake crawled onto the bathroom sink and turned on the water for itself.

It soaked in the basin, basically turning into a water snake. It even let out a soft hiss.

I tossed my worn clothes onto the sink, covering the black snake so it couldn't peek.

The black snake seemed upset and wriggled its way out.

I was lathering up and, out of habit, turned to check what was going on at the sink.

Next thing I knew, the snake froze, then it thumped and passed out. Its head smacked against the sink with a clear crack.

[Who would believe this? Miles got so excited from a full, unrestricted view of his girlfriend that he passed out!]

[That sounded like it hurt. Do you think he scrambled his brain?]

[Even if he did, it wouldn't matter. He never looked very smart to begin with.]

[What are you talking about? He's actually the smartest Richardson heir. He crushed a ton of rivals to become the CEO of Richardson Enterprise! He just turns dumb around Olivia.]

I picked the snake up and started wondering if Miles's on-and-off brainpower might affect our future kids.

-

I was curled up on the couch, scrolling on my phone, when a social media post popped up.

[Richardson Enterprise offers a huge reward for the return of its CEO's missing beloved pet.]

There was a photo of a black snake attached.

In the photo, the snake looked proud and imposing, a glint of intelligence visible in its vertical pupils.

It looked completely different from the silly snake now lying stiff and straight on my bed, still unconscious.

I checked the reward.

How much? Six million dollars?

Damn. I just hit the jackpot!

Without a second thought, I stuffed the black snake into a plastic bag and rushed to Richardson Enterprise headquarters.

The entrance was packed with people. Every single one of them was carrying a black snake. I suspected every black snake in Serlington had gathered here.

Right then, I noticed a young man with a briefcase trying to rush into the building.

An old man blocked him and lectured, "Kid, there's an order to things. Get in line."

The young man was sweating as he explained, "I work here. I'm about to be late. Please let me through."

The old man shook his head, looking like he owned the place. "Doesn't matter. You still have to wait in line."

The young man froze.

The chat completely lost it.

[Hahaha! That's the same thing they told me the last time I queued at a famous hotdog stall!]

In the end, their argument drew the attention of Richardson Enterprise security. With the guards escorting him, the young man finally made it inside.

After settling things down, the security captain turned around and noticed my clear plastic bag.

Yes, Miles was inside it.

To be fair, all the black snakes looked similar, but Miles was especially good-looking.

His scales reflected a gorgeous shine in the sunlight.

The security captain's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.

"Miss, please come inside as well." He personally escorted me while excitedly calling the executive floor. "Roger, we found it!"

I had always had unusually sharp hearing. Even though the voice from the phone was faint, I still caught the tired tone.

"Are you sure? We've gotten so many random snakes brought in lately."

The security captain felt a little guilty and scratched his head, lowering his voice.

Chapter 4

"It's my fault. I didn't train the others properly. They can't tell them apart," the security captain said. "But this time, I checked it myself. Don't worry. I've worked for the Richardsons for years. I'm sure this is the one."

Yes!

I pumped my fist inside my head. The money was locked in.

The security captain took me up to the top floor of the building.

I stepped out of the elevator first.

The moment Roger Reyes saw me, he forced a smile onto his exhausted, serious face.

"Mrs. Rich—I mean, Ms. Dittman, what brings you here?"

[Wow, Roger really slipped up and said what he was thinking!]

[Can't even blame him. Miles trained him into it. Anytime Roger calls her Mrs. Richardson when Miles is mad, Miles instantly cools off and lets him get through his report. It's basically muscle memory now.]

Roger had been through enough moments like this to recover quickly. He smoothly continued, "Are you here to see Mr. Richardson? He really missed you. If he knows you came, he'll be thrilled…"

Before Roger could finish, the security captain walked in behind me and proudly announced, "This young lady found the snake."

Only then did Roger notice the plastic bag in my hand, and the black snake inside it. The color drained from his face, as if his soul had just left his body.

The livestream chat instantly translated his horror.

[Congratulations, you've just short-circuited Roger's brain.]

[Roger must be screaming inside, "If I'd known the boss was with Mrs. Richardson, I would've never gone looking for him! I'm not gonna take him from her. Not for a billion dollars! If he finds out I dragged him away from his girlfriend and ruined his happiness, he's gonna kill me!]

Three seconds later, Roger shook his head in panic.

"No, no. This isn't the snake we're looking for. You've got the wrong one."

I didn't even have time to speak before the security captain jumped in, "No, I'm sure it's this one! I watched Mr. Richardson grow up. There's no way I'd mistake him…"

Roger tried several times to cut him off, but failed.

In the end, Roger had no choice but to reach out and slap a hand over the security captain's mouth.

"Please, shut up."

The security captain still tried to speak, but Roger shoved him into the elevator and smiled coldly.

"If you want to keep your job, zip it."

The security captain left, looking wronged as he pressed the elevator button.

Roger quickly straightened his slicked-back hair and suit, then turned back to me and politely guided me to the lounge area.

"Ms. Dittman, Mr. Richardson would be overjoyed to see you. But he's on a business trip and won't be back for a while…"

A young assistant soon brought over coffee and a few mini cakes.

Roger took the chance to speak up for Miles.

"Mr. Richardson had these prepared for you. Iced caramel latte with extra foam and less sugar. He also mentioned you're allergic to mango, so we ordered a chocolate mousse cake instead…"

Was that really the point?

The point was my six million dollars!

Damn it.

I fished the snake out, trying to make my case.

"Roger, I'm sure about it. This is the snake you're looking for."

Roger waved his hands wildly. "No, it's not!"

I stood firm. "It is. The markings are exactly the same."

Roger kept denying it. "No, it's not!"

What a stubborn old mule.

We went back and forth for ages and ended up waking the black snake.

When the black snake saw Roger, its sleepy eyes snapped wide open.

It closed its eyes, shook its head, then opened them again.

A hint of menace appeared on its face.