Chapter 1

On my first night as Pharaoh, a gaggle of weeping beauties surrounded my gilded bed.

Each one claimed to be madly in love with me, competing to serve me before sleep.

But I, Emma Sterling, a weary office worker, wanted to clock out.

Silently, I pulled out a die. "Truth or Dare, got it? Whoever wins gets to spend the night with me."

The chamber was dead silent. Over in the corner, the general Hephaestion wore a frosty expression, but his ears were burning so red that he looked ready to burst from embarrassment.

*****

My head was about to explode, and I wasn't exaggerating. Not metaphor, true agony.

It felt like three hundred interns were mobbing me, all yelling at once.

"Ms. Sterling, should I fix this PowerPoint?"

"Ms. Sterling, the client hates this proposal."

"Ms. Sterling, my computer crashed again."

I gasped awake. Before my eyes hung saffron-dyed drapes, and the air was thick with myrrh that tickled my nose.

But what really caught me off guard was the row of shirtless men around my bed. Some lean as reeds, others broad as oxen, each handsome in his way.

One wept with pearly tears, his eyes rimmed red, looking like a hare cruelly cornered. "Pharaoh, you haven't summoned me to your bed in three days. Do you not love me anymore?"

Another bit his lower lip, looking so deeply wronged one'd think I owed him a million dollars. "Pharaoh, I've composed an ode just for you, and I haven't played it for you. How could you visit Eugenios first?"

And then there was one who crawled right up to my feet, desperately trying to cling to my leg. "Pharaoh, my heart burns for you. It burns!"

My temples throbbed. Blood rushed to my head, and my thoughts exploded into a jumble of static.

Did I transmigrate? Become a Pharaoh? And one with a crowded court of lovers?

This was pure torture, way worse than a three-hundred-person project conference kickoff.

What I was seeing was so much like a hustling workplace. The way they cried and whined totally reminded me of those interns back at my company, grinding like crazy to hit their bonus targets.

I, Emma Sterling, a battle-hardened project manager in the tech world, pulled ninety-six hours of nonstop overtime, only to manage the ultimate achievement: dropping dead right at my desk.

But fate had a twisted sense of humor. Instead of letting me rest in peace, it transferred me to a whole new workplace, still in management.

I took a deep breath, rummaging through the memories of the body's owner for anything useful.

The owner of the body, the Pharaoh of Chelidonia, was a textbook tyrant: spoiled, extravagant, and totally obsessed with hot guys. She turned the Pharaoh's court into pure chaos.

Tonight was her night to "choose a hetaira."

These beauties were her hetairas.

Seeing them all acting lovesick and crazy for my affection, I felt my insides go cold, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me.

I wished only to end my shift, to sleep, to stretch on a bed longer than a man was tall, and never waked.

I had no time to mess around with their romance drama.

My gaze swept across the room, finally locking onto a figure in the corner who stood out like a sore thumb.

Like the other guys, he wore the same thin linen, but he stood up straight while others humbled themselves. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a narrow waist. His honeyed skin glowed in the lamplight.

His face was almost dangerously handsome, with sharp brows, piercing eyes, a high nose, and thin lips pressed into a tight line. Every inch of him screamed, "Don't you dare come near me."

There wasn't a hint of flattery in his eyes, only raw, unfiltered mockery, and maybe even a touch of disgust.

Fragments of memory flooded my mind.

Hephaestion, a general of Chelidonia, honored as Ares' Chosen, commanded an entire army. The Pharaoh had snatched him right off the battlefield and shoved him into the Pharaoh's court, all to humiliate him and to put his family in their place.

From the moment he entered the palace, Hephaestion never once gave the Pharaoh a friendly look. He was as cold as a block of ice.

But that only made the Pharaoh crave him more. The harder he was to get, the more she wanted him. Tonight, she was ready to make her move, no matter what it took.

Seeing that unbreakable look on his face, as if he'd rather die than give in, oddly enough, I felt relieved.

Nice. That was what I liked to see. I loved coworkers who actually respected boundaries.

"Silence, all of you," I commanded.

My voice wasn't loud, still husky from sleep, but it instantly silenced the room, cutting off all the crying.

These guys turned to look at me in unison, a hint of panic in their eyes. They were afraid I'd blow up again like before whenever they fought for my attention.

I ignored them and sat up, stretching out my hand casually while everyone stared at me in shock.

In my palm, a small white cube marked with crimson dots appeared.

This was my only possession I had after I transmigrated here: the die I used to ease my troubled mind.

"All of you wish to share my bed?" I shook the die. It clacked cheerfully.

Everyone was thrown for a loop. Even Hephaestion shot a cold look at my hand, his brows furrowing in disbelief.

It looked like he was thinking, "What is that? Is she using some kind of sorcery? What kind of trick is this woman up to now?"

I could see their confusion written all over their faces.

I didn't bother explaining, but went straight to the rules. "Truth or Dare, ever played? It's simple. We take turns rolling the die. Whoever rolls the lowest number has to choose Truth or Dare.

"If you pick Truth, you answer whatever I ask, no lies. If you pick Dare, you do whatever I tell you, no refusing."

My eyes swept over the room. Every guy was putting on his own dramatic show, each expression more colorful than the last.

"Of course, you can opt out," I said with a little smirk. "Walk out now, and I swear I'll never touch you again."

As soon as I said that, several men's faces changed dramatically.

They competed for power, for their family's honor, for the wealth that the Pharaoh's favor brought.

If I didn't touch them, it would be meaningless for them to be the Pharaoh's men.

I watched their shifting expressions, cold amusement flickering in my mind.

They were like a bunch of office sharks treating the Pharaoh's court like a workplace battlefield, and now they were all acting like they were hopelessly in love with me? Give me a break.

Time to show them what cutting-edge management from the modern world really looked like.