Alexandria Foster is your name. You are a graduate student at the University of San Francisco. You are working towards a masters in psychology. You have been working as a Barista for four years, since your 20th birthday, to pay your way through undergrad and grad school. But the bills are piling up regardless. It seems no matter how hard you try you can't get on top of the bills. Your rent was late again last month, and your landlord said if it's late again he'll kick you out. You've had to take out several student loans, and at this point you are almost 75k in debt.
Frankly you are getting a bit desperate, and so you signed up for an online service. It's called "seeking arrangements." Basically, it's a... dating service where the people involved come to a... financial arrangement. It took you an hour or so to make yourself look perfect for the profile picture. Hey, beauty sells -- and here, that's what's being bought.
~~~
And... today is the big day. You are meeting with Wallace Fullmore today. You've chatted with him online a bit. He's a 54 year old businessman right here in SF. He has a large mansion overlooking the bay. There is a cast-iron gate flanked by a hedge wall as you exit your Uber ride. You are looking your best today. You tried to dress to match the profile picture as best as you could. What if you changed something and you changed what he liked. Best to be safe rather than living on the streets. Rent is due in about a week, and frankly if this doesn't go well you don't know what you are going to do.
You ring the buzzer next to the call box, and a voice comes over the comm. "Yes? Can I help you?" "Mr. Fullmore?" you inquire.
The voice on the other side of the line chuckles "No ma'am, I am Rene, Mr. Fullmore's butler. Might I ask whom you are?"
Butler? Do people still have those? Apparently so "um... I'm Alex. Mr. Fullmore is expecting me."
"Ohhh! Ms. Foster, yes Mr. Fullmore said you would be stopping by today. Please, come in." There is a buzzing noise as the door next to the gate unlocks. You pull it open and go inside, walking up the front yard towards the house.
The house is huge, three stories tall. It has a large overhang providing a sheltered area in front of the house for cars to pull up to the front door. The yard is large, and surrounded by tall hedges. There are several fountains and flower beds scattered around the lush green lawn. As you walk towards the house the door opens and you see Rene standing there. He reminds you of Alfred from Batman. You really didn't think butlers were still a thing, but apparently they are.
"Right this way Ms. Foster, you can wait for the Master in the sitting room to your right."
You thank Rene and walk past him into the house. Frankly you are stunned by the lavish display of wealth. It's a beautiful home. The sitting room wraps around the side of the house to the back, and it has a full view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the water. You stare in disbelief. You gingerly sit down on the couch. It looks extremely expensive, as does the rest of the house. You glance down at yourself. You are wearing your blue shawl and a low cut shirt to show off your bosom. You have a short skirt that cuts off above the knee and high heeled shoes. None of it is very expensive. The whole outfit cost you less than 50 dollars. Your grandmother knitted you the shawl...
Suddenly you feel incredibly self-conscious. Maybe you should just leave... If you do your lab work in the evening you could take an extra shift in the shop... you'd still be able to get... 4 hours of sleep? Maybe? For the next... month?