"For the next five years that I'll be your manager," I said, my voice steady and clear, "you'll do what I say. If not, I'll make sure everything gets enforced. Starting with your schedules, your appearances, your productivity. All of it."
I let the words settle in the air before finishing.
"Which is exactly why you're going to follow my instructions."
I smirked.
Not because I found this fun—but because I wanted them to understand that I wasn't bluffing.
Samantha reacted instantly.
Her fist slammed into the floor with a heavy thud, the sound echoing slightly through the office.
"Why would I, a Goddess, have to do whatever you say?" she snapped, eyes burning as she glared straight at me. "As the manager, shouldn't you be the one dealing with our problems instead?"
Her tone dripped with irritation, pride, and something dangerously close to outrage.
"That's a fair point," I replied calmly, not raising my voice. "But I'm not here to babysit you."
I took a slow breath, keeping my composure intact.
"You seem to be confusing babysitting with actual management."
I looked around the room to look at each of them in the eyes.
"You're a Goddess, sure. You all are. That doesn't mean you get unlimited freedom without consequences. You can do whatever you want," I continued. "But what happens when that turns into fans losing faith in you? When admiration starts turning into disappointment?"
I met her eyes. "Do you really want that?"
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Samantha smirked.
It was wide, confident, and obnoxiously smug.
It was like she was pressing it right up against my face just to see if I'd flinch.
"My fans absolutely love me," she said without hesitation. "Even with my flaws, they don't care. They'll still support me."
She leaned back slightly. "And isn't it your job to make sure our fans don't decrease?" she added. "If a problem comes up, deal with it."
There it was.
The mindset.
"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head slightly, "but that's not how this works."
My tone stayed firm.
"Yes, part of my job is making sure your fanbase doesn't shrink. That's true. But I'm not your maid, and I'm definitely not your caretaker."
I straightened.
"I won't manage you the way you expect me to. If you think you can push me around the same way you did your former managers, you're mistaken."
My gaze hardened just a little.
"I'm not like them. They quit because of the abuse you put them through."
"Abuse?" Luna spoke up lazily, not even bothering to look at me as she examined her nails. "I think you're misunderstanding something."
She flicked a speck of dust away and finally glanced up.
"We didn't abuse our former managers. They simply found it too difficult to manage us."
She shrugged lightly.
"So they gave up."
Her lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.
"You say you're different, but that's exactly what the last manager said too. And she didn't even last a week."
Luna tilted her head slightly.
"I think the same thing will happen to you."
"Well," I replied, unfazed, "unfortunately for you, quitting isn't really an option for me."
I exhaled slowly.
"That said, unlike the others, I don't want this job."
I shrugged casually.
"I think managing Goddesses is dumb. A waste of time. I don't find it impressive. I don't find it meaningful."
I looked at each of them in turn.
"So I honestly don't care if I get fired. I don't care if your popularity drops. And I definitely don't care if you lose your status as Goddesses."
The room felt heavier.
"In fact," I added calmly, "I could make that happen right now."
"Huh?" Samantha frowned deeply. "What are you talking about?"
"I wonder," I said lightly, "what would happen if I posted your real personalities online."
I smiled as I took out my phone.
One tap.
Then another.
Post uploaded.
Samantha's phone vibrated.
Then another vibration.
Then several more.
One by one, the Goddesses' phones lit up.
"Uh… oh," Ella's voice came from her drone, floating nearby. "I think this guy's serious, Sam."
"W-What…?" Samantha muttered.
She grabbed her phone.
The others checked theirs too—except Eve, who remained eerily silent, staring off into a distant corner like she'd already accepted where this was going.
"Oh my…"
"This looks bad, doesn't it."
"….."
"Wow…"
"What the fuck?!" Samantha shouted, her voice sharp and panicked.
"Fufufu," I chuckled softly. "Do you really think you're the ones in control here?"
I looked straight at her.
"Do you honestly believe you have the power?"
What I posted online was simple.
That the Goddess of Fire didn't bathe.
That she neglected basic personal hygiene.
There was no exaggeration. There was no embellishment to it either.
Just facts.
"Damn you…" she growled. "T-This is fraud! You can't post lies like this online! I'll sue you!"
Her voice shook.
"Do you think management won't throw you in jail for spreading lies like this? I'll sue you for cyber libel!"
"But it isn't a lie," I replied evenly.
I raised my phone slightly.
"I have proof of your behavior. And honestly? It's not even hard to believe."
I gestured toward the screen.
"Look at the comments."
The comments were already piling up.
People talking about unpleasant smells when they stood near her.
People admitting they noticed something off but were too afraid to say anything because she was a Goddess.
"When proof keeps rolling in like this," I continued, "it only reinforces that what I said is true."
I glanced back at my phone. "And if it's true, then there's nothing you can do about it."
A brief pause.
"Oh," I added, almost casually, "would you look at that. Your ranking just dropped."
I scrolled slightly.
"You're down to about a million followers now. Weren't you at a million and a half earlier?"
Half a million followers gone.
Still massive—but losing that many so quickly was devastating.
"So," I said calmly, lifting my gaze back to them, "do you still think you're the ones in control?"
Samantha said nothing.
She just glared at me, her expression burning with anger, fear, and something dangerously close to panic.
I sighed internally.
Great.
This was shaping up to be a fantastic start.