Aoi followed Celestine into the elevator, and after crossing several floors, they reached the CEO's office.
"Do you have an appointment? Without an appointment, you can't go in to see Miss Rusthford," pointed out a secretary who was filing her nails while sitting in her cubicle.
"She's with me," Celestine replied.
"Oh, alright, I suppose she'll attend you quickly. Go ahead…" the girl exclaimed.
They walked down a long hallway covered with a red carpet. Along the way, there were portraits of the CEO painted on canvas, depicting her in various facets: winning awards, posing with large and exotic felines, and others where she wore evening dresses while smoking, striking artistic poses.
They reached a pair of fine wooden doors with golden frames.
"Tsch! With what they spent on these decorations, they could've raised my salary…" Aoi muttered under her breath, frowning.
"Eh?!" Celestine exclaimed.
"No—uh, nothing! I mean, it's very nice decoration… yes… that…" the girl added nervously.
Celestine opened the doors and the girls entered. The first thing they saw was the backrest of a large, comfortable swivel chair, and the CEO arguing on the phone amid a light haze.
"No! That contract closes today! Did you hear me?!" she said, waiting for the voice on the phone to respond. "I don't care if the fiscal year ends in a week! That contract must be closed today or I'll fire you! End of discussion!" Her voice thundered as she hung up her phone.
At that moment, Celestine cleared her throat slightly and spoke to the CEO.
"Ahem… Miss Rusthford, I have brought Miss Amamiya just as you ordered."
Aoi froze solid. She trembled, turned pale and rigid, waiting for her boss to say something about her.
The CEO's chair was still facing away from both girls. A thin column of smoke rose as the sound of the woman exhaling heavily could be heard.
"Ufff… good… Thank you, Celes. You may leave. Please leave Miss Amamiya and me alone," replied the CEO, letting her right hand hang from the armrest, showing a half-burnt cigarette.
"Eh?! B-but… M-Miss Rusthford, don't you think I cou—" Celestine exclaimed.
"Miss Clarmont, wasn't I explicit enough in my order?" the boss barked in a serious tone, tapping her cigarette with her fingers to shake off the excess ash and let it fall to the floor.
"Oh… y-yes, miss. Forgive my audacity…" Celes added, staring at the floor with a face full of disappointment toward herself.
"Good…" said the boss, smoking her cigarette without turning around yet. "Leave! Now!" the CEO shouted furiously.
"Yes, miss! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Celes cried out and left the room almost running, sobbing uncontrollably while flailing her hands desperately.
Aoi was instantly petrified. Soon, the bitter smell of burnt tobacco began to invade her senses.
"Mmh…" the CEO murmured.
"Uh… well… I…" Aoi tried to speak, but broke down under her boss's presence. "If this is about my cubicle… I promise it won't happen again! I'll be cleaner next time! I won't eat at my cubicle anymore! Please don't fire me!" Aoi begged for mercy.
On the other hand, her mind was saying something else:
"If you fire me, I swear I won't rest until I end you! I'll look for your grave, piss on it, and dance drunk all night celebrating how filthy and fucking disgusting you were in life!"
Her mind went from a whirlwind of insults directed at her boss to realizing that couldn't be possible, and soon landed in her cruel reality.
"Besides… if… if she fires me… I'll… I'll starve to death… and I'll be homeless because I won't be able to pay rent…" she thought, completely overwhelmed by her emotions.
An image of Velya wearing an apron with her ass completely out appeared in her mind.
"That's it! Velya! How could I not see it?! With her huge boobies and that massive ass, I can squeeze money out of horny lowlifes!" she thought as her mind flew off, imagining the demon girl pole dancing amid a curtain of purple smoke. "Yes! With her body I'll become rich! I won't depend on this bitch to eat or pay rent anymore!"
"Fire me, bitch! Fire me!" she screamed inside her head, while the CEO still hadn't said a single word.
"Mmh… Amamiya Aoi… how interesting…" the CEO sighed through the smoke, her voice soft and firm.
"Eh?!" Aoi exclaimed, confused.
The woman slowly turned around, imposing respect while creating suspense that, although only seconds long, felt like hours to Aoi.
She stood facing her: red hair, dangerous eyes shining like polished jade. Aoi had no choice but to swallow hard.
The CEO stood up and slowly walked toward Aoi, giving a red kiss to the cigarette butt as she inhaled. She stopped right in front of Aoi, making her look tiny—especially since her face ended up right in front of her boss's cleavage.
"Uff…" She slowly blew smoke into Aoi's face, clouding her vision and asserting dominance over the very air she breathed.
Aoi grimaced at the unpleasant, acrid stench of smoky breath mixed with mint.
"Six consecutive months as Employee of the Month," she said. "You're practically the best asset I have in this company full of idiots. Do you seriously think I'm going to fire you?" she added, walking away as her heels echoed, approaching the window to admire the daytime cityscape.
"Oh! Oh! Ooh!" Aoi rejoiced in her mind. "I get it now! I get it! She called me in to give me a raise! Not to fire me! How exciting! How exciting! I'll earn more money and be happy!" she cried mentally, tears of fulfillment forming in her thoughts.
At that moment, an image of Velya crossed her mind, dressed as a maid and offering a sandwich container while laughing with innocent warmth.
"Oh, Velya, I'm so sorry… you just wanted to do your part of the deal, but I promise we'll go out to eat something someday. Maybe not as maid and mistress, but as friends…" she thought, then remembered the contract and a look of indifference formed on her face. "Maybe before you take my soul, we'll become friends… I want to believe…"
"Due to your highly competitive performance, I've made a decision that could change your stay at this company," said the CEO while still looking out the window.
Aoi couldn't help but smile, her eyes glassy as her mind fluttered.
"She's going to raise my salary! Yes! Let's go! Let's go!" Aoi thought excitedly.
"Amamiya Aoi… I, the successful corporate CEO, Rusthford Sharon…" she praised herself.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Aoi celebrated in her mind.
"I will offer you a contract in exchange for your soul!" the CEO bellowed with a doubled feminine voice, her eyes turning bright, glowing green like beacons.
"Huh?" Aoi exclaimed, confused.
The entire office was covered by a translucent red force field. Beneath Sharon, a magic circle with impossible runes appeared, and from it emerged four columns of red smoke that burst upward and filled the room completely.
"Ah… no…" was the last thing Aoi complained before a dense, almost solid cloud struck her, wrapping around her suffocatingly.
From the smoke emerged a pair of enormous black wings with red inner membranes and dark claws at their tips. Wearing lascivious black garments, the CEO stood there, her long hair flowing within the thick crimson haze. Her tail was long with an inverted heart-shaped tip, and her horns spiraled thickly from the sides of her head.
"Aoi Amamiya… today, your life will change forever…" the demoness said with an imposing yet soft and feminine voice.
Aoi stood coughing violently amid the smoke.
"Fuck!" the girl shouted. "Is all this smoke really necessary?! Cough! Cough! I can't breathe! Cough! Cough! I can't see anything!" she complained.
Sharon gently flapped her wings, dispersing the smoke between them with a powerful gust. In the blink of an eye, Sharon was close to Aoi, who was rubbing her eyes with both hands while coughing.
"Little one…" the demoness murmured very close to her. "All demons make their entrance with tons of smoke. It's part of the show," she said in a dominant and dangerous tone while gently holding her chin. Aoi felt uncomfortable.
"Ah… okay…" Aoi nodded fearfully.
The woman let out a soft chuckle, then looked at Aoi mischievously.
"Very well. Since you've seen me in my demonic form, I must humbly say that…" She leaned closer and crushed her chest against Aoi's face. "You may accept the contract… or die… hehe~" she added flirtatiously.
"Damn it! Another fucking daughter of a bitch after my soul!" Aoi cried in her mind. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" she repeated internally, completely losing control.
Suddenly, Aoi let out a phrase that Sharon heard immediately.
"I just wanted to earn more money…" the girl murmured fearfully.
"Oh? Money? Is that all? Money is no problem, little one! I can give you all the money you desire!" the demoness said.
Immediately, Sharon snapped her fingers and the visitor's swivel chair slid over to Aoi, receiving her in great comfort. The demon woman snapped her fingers again.
"Celes, please…" she said, and a portal appeared beside her, through which the secretary entered.
"You called, my lady…" Celestine said with a servant's politeness.
"Yes. Give Miss Amamiya a contract and a blood pen for her to sign," the woman said as she took a seat at her desk near her.
"Yes, miss," Celes replied quickly.
Once Aoi held the contract, Sharon spoke again.
"Very well. Everything is in the contract. I'll explain: you'll have your own house, water, electricity, food, and money in the bank at all times. You'll never face any financial problems of any kind. You won't have to work, and this will last until the day of your final breath… when I will claim your soul. Capisce?" she said, summing it up quickly. "Any questions?" she added flirtatiously.
"Damn it! It has everything I want! Damn it! Damn it!" Aoi thought while staring at the contract, which was literally the size of an old encyclopedia. "But… what about Velya… I guess I shouldn't mention her…" she thought anxiously.
"Mmh…" Aoi groaned.
"Is something wrong?" Sharon asked attentively.
"Yes… uh… Ve—" she started, but stopped herself, thinking she shouldn't mention Velya for some reason. "Mmh… it's just that… the other one turned into my maid for life…" she added without thinking.
"The… other?" Sharon murmured maliciously, glancing sideways at Aoi as her green iris contracted until her pupil sharpened like a snake's eye.
"Uh… well… I… this…" Aoi stammered fearfully.
"Fine, it doesn't matter!" Sharon said, snapping her fingers.
A screen of smoke appeared in front of Aoi's face, and the contract vanished.
"Celes!" Sharon called.
"Yes, my lady!" she replied instantly, conjuring an even larger contract on her clipboard amid a curtain of red smoke.
"Very well, Miss Amamiya. The contract has been updated. You will enjoy all previous terms, plus the bonus of having Miss Rusthford herself as your Demon-Maid, among other conditions you'll be able to review after signing."
"WHAT?!" Aoi screamed.
"Oh! How embarrassing! A secretary will see me in a maid outfit, and I'll be under her command! Oh! I don't know what to think of that!" Sharon said, blushing deeply.
"Embarrassing?!" Aoi shouted. "You're literally in lingerie…" she added nervously. "Wait a second—this is also in exchange for my soul!" the girl yelled.
"Oh! Ah-ha!" Sharon exclaimed nervously, intoxicated by forbidden desire toward Aoi.
"Mmh…" Aoi murmured.
"So? Do you sign… or die?" the demoness added with a mischievous smile.
"Where do I sign?" Aoi asked with marked indifference.