Tokyo Branch Inspection

The sunlight reflected off the glass facades of Tokyo’s skyscrapers, filling the streets of the business district with warmth and crystal-clear brightness. Yumi Nakamura—a young HR intern—stood with her hands at her sides and her head slightly bowed, greeting one of her many bosses. After all, in this company, every second person thought of himself as one.

"What a nightmare. I didn’t think this place would be such a mess," flashed through her mind as she tried to maintain a polite smile, feeling how her white blouse clung tightly to her breasts, squeezed by an uncomfortable bra. The blazer constricted her shoulders, and the pencil skirt hugged her rather generous ass. At least she wasn’t forced to take tiny, cautious steps—since she was just standing still.

She blinked her long lashes and let her gaze slide over the passersby. No one suspected a thing. No one knew that this "sweet girl" was, in reality, 52-year-old billionaire Stephen Brains—who had just finished negotiating a multimillion-dollar contract. Due to a mishap, he had ended up in Nakamura’s body—the body that was supposed to belong to his secretary.

And when the time came to switch back, he realized that something about this office didn’t sit right with him... Something was here that shouldn’t be. This was part of his empire, and spy games had always been his strong suit—without them, he would never have reached such heights.

The idea came quickly. He made a deal with one of the lab technicians to fake the swap—pretend that the real Yumi had returned to her body. It had seemed like the perfect cover just an hour ago when he had stepped out, introducing himself to everyone as "Yumi," only to immediately notice how people’s behavior around him changed.

— Nakamura-san, — a sharp voice came from the left.

She turned her head, trying to do so smoothly, just as Yumi would. Her long, dark hair swayed gently, falling onto her shoulders, and her face remained frozen in a polite, unreadable smile.

In front of her stood a thin man in a strict gray suit. He was short but carried himself as if he were a head taller than everyone else. His narrow eyes looked at her from above, despite their negligible height difference.

— Nakamura-san, are you deaf? — he snapped coldly, drilling into her with his gaze. — What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in the office?!

His voice was harsh, filled with a kind of rotten stench that seemed to pollute the air just by existing. But Yumi—or rather, what they thought was her—only bowed her head slightly deeper, mimicking a submissive nod.

Tanaka Hiroki, the name flickered in her—his—borrowed memory. Head of the logistics department. A careerist with a superiority complex and a penchant for humiliating interns. Stephen had remembered his name from reports, but now he saw his face up close—thin lips, wrinkles of disdain at the corners of his eyes, and the cheap cologne smell.

— Apologies, Tanaka-san, — Yumi’s voice was soft, almost gentle, though inside, Stephen was seething. How dare he? I built this company, and this worm... — I was assigned to greet the guests at the entrance.

— Guests? — Tanaka scoffed, giving her an assessing look. His gaze lingered on the curves accentuated by her skirt, and Stephen felt a shiver run down his spine. Rage boiled inside him, but he held back, continuing to play the role of Yumi. His new form required patience, while his true nature demanded strategy. Right now, the key was not giving himself away.

— Yes, Tanaka-san, — she replied softly, lowering her gaze slightly to hide the flicker of fury in her eyes. — I was instructed to welcome the delegation from the Singapore branch. They should be arriving any minute now.

Tanaka smirked, his thin lips twisting into a barely perceptible grin. He stepped closer, and Stephen caught a whiff of his cheap cologne mixed with something sharp, as if the man were trying to mask his morning alcohol breath.

— A delegation? — Tanaka Hiroki dragged out the word, savoring it, relishing the grating sound of his own voice that scratched at the air like a rusty nail on glass. — Looks like a certain whore has gotten a little too into her role, huh, Nakamura-san?

Yumi—no, damn it, Stephen—felt her fingers curl into fists, nails digging into her palms. If this bastard knew who he was really talking to, he’d probably be groveling at his feet, begging for mercy. But no. Right now, she was Yumi Nakamura—the sweet, obedient intern. Or at least, that’s what everyone here thought she was.

— Apologies, Tanaka-san, — she forced out with impeccable politeness, though inside, everything burned with rage.

— Oh, no need for all that formality, — his smirk widened, and his eyes gleamed with some disgusting understanding. — You know your place.

My place?

Stephen mentally repeated the phrase, feeling its weight press on his consciousness. Her place? In this body? In this game? In this farce?

— I heard this circus was already over, — Tanaka continued, stepping closer. His hand suddenly touched her shoulder, sliding over the fabric of her blazer. Stephen barely managed not to flinch, though panic bubbled deep inside him.

— I’m sorry... what? — She lifted her eyes, feigning mild confusion.

— Oh, my dear, — he leaned in slightly, his breath burning against her ear, — you were supposed to be gone by now. Your job here is finished. We hired you for a temporary role, and yet, here you still are. That’s... odd.

A cold chill ran down Stephen’s spine. Hired? For a role?

Oh, fuck.

It took him only a second to analyze the situation.

Yumi Nakamura. The girl whose body he had ended up in. She wasn’t an intern. She didn’t work in this office. She wasn’t part of the company.

She was... someone else.

— P-Pardon me, Tanaka-san, but... I don’t quite understand what you mean, — she stammered, stepping back slowly, though her thin heels made it difficult to do so confidently.

— You don’t understand? — Tanaka gave her a look of blatant skepticism. — Don’t play dumb. You know exactly why we brought you here.

No, I fucking don’t.

But now, he was starting to get a clue.

— Oh, for fuck’s sake... — Tanaka rolled his eyes and suddenly pulled Yumi by the waist, pressing her against him. — Do I really have to explain to a whore that she is a whore? We hired you for this body swap bullshit and to entertain those American pricks.

What?! What the fuck is he talking about?! A prostitute? What the hell is going on in this office?!

— And, I know the negotiations are over, yet you’re still hanging around. You know what? — Tanaka continued, leaning in even closer, his breath scorching her ear. — Come to my office. Strip down, and we’ll have some fun. You’re here for that anyway, aren’t you? I’ll pay you well—you won’t regret it.

His hand slid down to Yumi’s round ass and squeezed it hard. Stephen felt a wave of revulsion and panic surge through him. He couldn’t believe this man—this insignificant worm—dared to touch him. Him. Stephen Brains. The owner of this company. A man who could ruin Tanaka’s entire career with a single phone call.

But right now, he wasn’t Stephen. He was Yumi.

Or... was he even Yumi? At this point, he wasn’t sure if that was her real name at all.

And at that exact moment, he spotted the lab technician—the one he had secretly struck a deal with—running out of the building with a look that screamed he had no intention of ever coming back…