I was a streamer famous for doing random, unhinged stuff online.

And now the richest woman in Bayford wanted me to seduce her son.

"Make my son fall for you. I'll give you ten properties. Houses, apartments, condos."

For a second, even I thought, 'Okay, this is insane.'

Marianne Jensen looked at me like I was her last hope. "Please. I'm out of options. Ever since he was little, I kept pretty girls around him. When he got older, I introduced him to every type of girl possible. But he's thirty now and has never dated anyone."

Then she lowered her voice. "I think something's wrong with him. Like those billionaire guys in drama shorts. Maybe he only likes weird girls from the bad side of town."

I just stared at her. Wow. Appreciate that.

'Did I just meet a crazy person?'

I was about to say no when she shoved ten property deeds and a photo across the table.

"Go seduce my son. If you pull it off, the ten properties are yours."

I looked at the deeds, then the photo, and instantly decided to help this desperate but incredible mother.

Forget something being wrong with him. Even if he liked men, I'd still make him fall for me.

Thanks to Marianne pulling strings behind the scenes, I became the personal assistant to Jace Jensen, Bayford's golden boy.

And the first thing he said when he saw me was, "How much did my mom pay you? I'll double it. Now get out."

Two months later, the job was over, but Jace stood there with red eyes, crying.

"How could you use me and throw me away? I don't care. You're taking responsibility for this."

"How much did my mom pay you? I'll double it. Now get out."

I'd barely stepped into Jace's office before he threw that at me.

Wow. We spawned straight into nightmare mode.

No wonder he was the hardest guy in Bayford to crack.

The second I thought about those ten properties, my motivation came roaring back.

Didn't matter how impossible he was. For ten properties, I'd crawl through hell smiling.

I pressed my lips together. "You already know your mom paid me to be here, so why waste money offering double?"

Jace looked a little surprised by how direct I was and finally glanced up from behind his desk.

That look practically screamed, 'Alright. Let's see your game.'

I didn't care. I dropped onto the couch like I owned the place. "How about we help each other out? You pretend to be a little interested in me, I get paid and leave, and you get your mom off your back forever."

His brows pulled together. Judging by his face, he was two seconds away from throwing me out again, so I cut him off first.

"Relax. I'm professional. I'm not crossing any lines." I shrugged. "I'm here for the money, not for men."

Jace nearly choked on my answer. After a long silence, he let out a cold laugh.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. But remember what you said. Cross a line once, and you're gone."

Wow. Rich boys really did come with attitude problems.

"Got it." I stood, then corrected myself. "Sorry. Mr. Jensen. I'll go learn the assistant stuff now?"

He didn't answer. Just flicked his hand at me impatiently.

'Yeah... this guy's gonna be a pain.'

Still, whatever. He already agreed to play along. One way or another, I was getting those properties.

As I walked out of the office, I touched my face and remembered what Marianne said.

Maybe he liked girls who were a little weird. A little messed up.

Fine. I could do weird.

We were talking about ten properties here. Pride wasn't worth that much.

For real estate, my dignity could die peacefully.

The secretary outside stood the second she saw me.

"Ms. Shay, thank you for your effort. I'll walk you out."

"Huh?" I blinked at her. "Why would I leave? I work here now."

"Oh." She froze for half a second before fixing her expression. "Sorry. I'm Mr. Jensen's executive secretary, Lisa. I'll show you around and walk you through your duties."

Lisa paused before adding, "As Mr. Jensen's private assistant, you'll handle his day-to-day needs during work hours. He's very particular about details. He hates being interrupted, and he especially hates... unnecessary social interaction."

"Unnecessary social interaction?" I caught that part instantly.

Lisa just gave me a knowing look. "The previous assistants were all fired because of... that."

"Ohhh." I nodded and flashed her an OK sign.

At three that afternoon, I had to accompany Jace to a community library donation event.

My first chance.

By the time our car pulled up to the community center, the place was already packed.

The second Jace stepped out, people swarmed him.

"Mr. Jensen! Thank you so much for supporting our community!"

"Mr. Jensen, over here! Can we take a picture?"

"Mr. Jensen, I'm a creator online. Can I get a quick comment?"

I felt Jace stiffen beside me instantly.

Wait. Bayford's golden boy—the guy running Jensen Corp's Bayford branch—was bad with people?

Jackpot.

I immediately stepped in front of him.

"Everyone, Mr. Jensen's on a tight schedule. Let's get through the donation ceremony first, okay? Photos and interviews can wait until afterward if he has time."

While talking, I shot Mr. Lybert from the community board a quick look.

He caught on immediately and started leading the way.

I slipped to Jace's side, one arm around his waist while using the other to block the crowd as I guided him forward.

"Boss, walk faster. Let's get this over with."

My excuse sounded reasonable enough, so Jace only stiffened for a second before letting it go.

The ceremony itself was short. Jace barely talked the entire time. He mostly just stood there for pictures.

Afterward, Mr. Lybert still tried to walk him through the new library.

Jace said nothing. He just glanced at me casually.

I got the message immediately and hooked myself around his arm.

"Mr. Lybert, Mr. Jensen still has meetings after this, but we really appreciate it. Maybe next time."

Then I leaned close to Jace's ear and whispered, "Boss, the car's waiting outside."

I made sure my breath brushed lightly against his ear.

Just like before, I kept an arm around his waist while guiding him toward the exit, and I could feel how stiff he was the whole time.

At one point, he got so flustered he almost forgot how his legs worked.

Wow. This guy was ridiculously innocent.

Messing with him was actually kind of fun.

I escorted Jace all the way into the car before finally relaxing once the door shut.

Damn. That tiny event was more tiring than a full-on livestream battle.

I'd barely settled into my seat when Jace let out a cold laugh.

"You did that on purpose."

I turned and caught the faint red on his ears.

Playing dumb, I blinked at him. "Boss, what exactly did I do?"

"You—" Jace glared at me, practically grinding his teeth together. He looked completely flustered. "Did you... did you just blow in my ear?"

"No?" I lifted my hands innocently. "I'm a human being. Humans breathe."

Jace instantly went silent. The tips of his ears turned even redder, embarrassment melting straight into irritation.

"The second we get back, we're signing a contract. Ground rules." He shot me a warning look. "Cross the line again and you're fired on the spot. And forget about getting paid."

After that, Jace made a contract that was ridiculously long.

No physical contact without permission. No standing too close without permission. Any contact during emergencies had to stay "reasonable."

Honestly, it was hilarious. Did he seriously think a contract could stop me?

...Unfortunately, yes. It totally could.

The guy clearly had no idea how shameless I could get.

I had to find other ways to stay in his face. I pulled every trick I could think of and practically worked myself to death for half a month before finally feeling like we'd gotten a little closer.

Then, right when I started getting comfortable, Jace worked himself sick.

Ten minutes into an international video meeting, I realized something was off.

His reactions were slower than usual. His voice sounded rough, and there was sweat on his forehead.

"Boss, are you—"

"I'm fine." He cut me off, grabbed his coffee, took a long drink, then rubbed his temples.

"Mr. Jensen?" someone on the screen asked uncertainly.

Jace swayed a little and had to grab the desk to steady himself.

"Ten-minute break," I said into the mic before cutting the video feed.

"Boss, you have a fever. Let me check."

I reached for his forehead, but he stopped me immediately.

"No touching me without permission." His voice was weak, but he still sounded stubborn. "Continue the meeting."

"Okay, okay. I won't touch you." I lifted my hands. "But you can barely sit upright right now. Let me take you to the hospital."

"No." He dropped back into his chair and shut his eyes.

I stared at him while those ten properties flashed through my head.

Whatever. Taking care of a sick boss definitely counted as 'reasonable.'

"Fine. No hospital." I gave in. "Then at least go lie down in the lounge. I'll get you something for the fever."

He opened his eyes and looked at me, his gaze a little unfocused. He was probably burning up badly enough that he didn't bother arguing this time.

After getting him onto the bed in the lounge, I searched through the medicine cabinet. Luckily, there was a thermometer and fever medicine inside.

"Open your mouth."

I slipped the thermometer under his tongue.

He frowned but still kept it there obediently.

Five minutes later, I checked the thermometer. 102.5.

"Take these." I handed him the fever medicine and some water.

He swallowed everything without complaining.

I pressed a cold towel against his forehead.

He stiffened a little but didn't pull away.

"There. Go to sleep."

"Don't even think about—" he started weakly.

I cut him off immediately. "Relax. I'm not gonna take advantage of you while you're passed out."

He choked on my words, let out a cold huff, then passed out anyway.

I sat on the small couch nearby to keep an eye on him. After God knows how long, he suddenly shifted and grabbed my hand by the bed.

"Don't go..." he mumbled weakly, brows pulled tight together. His damp hair made him look weirdly vulnerable.

Oh my God. How was anyone supposed to deal with this?

This was the same man who could crush an entire boardroom without blinking, and now he was lying here burning up with a fever, holding my hand and asking me not to leave.

Any girl would fold seeing this.

I pressed a hand to my chest and forced myself to calm down.

'Ten properties. Ten properties. Ten properties. If I screw this up by crossing the line, I'm dead.'

After a while, he finally calmed down, and his grip loosened a little.

I carefully slipped my hand free and changed the towel on his forehead.

***

When I opened my eyes again, it was already dark outside.

I'd somehow fallen asleep on the couch.

I stood up and noticed Jace starting to wake, so I leaned over to tuck the blanket around him tighter.

And casually touched his face while I was at it.

My hands were cold, and the second they brushed his forehead, his eyes flew open.

"What are you doing?" He jerked away from my hand, his voice still rough from the fever.

"Tucking you in. Checking if your fever went down too." I looked at him with the most innocent expression I could fake.

He stared at me for a second before quietly saying, "...Thanks."

I grinned and made sure to emphasize, "You're welcome, Boss. Your health is directly connected to my ten properties, remember?"

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just let out another annoyed huff.

"You hungry? I ordered soup. It should be here soon." I pointed at my phone.

He looked at me again.

And wow, that look seriously did something to me.

A second later, he looked away and muttered, "...Don't stay here taking care of me next time."

"That's not happening." I sounded completely reasonable. "What if your fever gets worse and you roll off the bed or something? There go my ten properties."

"You—" He got choked up again, his ears turning red all over. "All you care about are those ten properties."

"What else would I care about?"

Watching him get flustered was seriously addicting. Suddenly, I wanted to push him a little more.

I leaned closer, looked straight into his eyes, and smiled.

"Don't tell me you want me to care about you instead?"

The second I saw Jace's breathing catch and panic flash across his face, I felt completely satisfied and leaned back right away.

"That wouldn't be good, though." I smiled innocently. "I'm very professional."

But before I could pull out of his space completely, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"Sherlyn, what exactly does 'professional' mean to you?"

He looked straight into my eyes.

"Does it mean flirting with me and then running away every time?"

Now it was my turn to panic.

"Boss..." I tried to pull my hand back. "Um. You're crossing a line here."

To my surprise, he pulled me even closer instead.

"And what if I am?" he shot back. "I made the rules. I decide what counts."

'Okay, the fever seriously got to his brain. What is he doing right now?'

Fine. If he wanted to play, I could play better.

I gritted my teeth, shut my eyes for half a second, then let him pull me closer.

"You're not actually falling for me, are you? I wasn't even gonna tell you this, but while you were out, you grabbed my hand and told me not to leave." I sighed. "You know, people should really confess their feelings out loud."

Jace instantly short-circuited. His ears went bright red again as he shoved me away.

"Hmph! I was testing you!" he snapped. "Testing whether you were really trying to seduce me. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh really?" I grinned. "Then why are your ears so red, Boss?"

Jace froze halfway out of bed.

"I-I have a fever! Isn't it normal for them to be red?"

"Ohhh." I dragged the word out on purpose. "Then why won't you look at me? Is that because of the fever too? Or are you shy?"

"Sherlyn Shay! Get out!"