The Durian Deal
I accidentally became a viral sensation at the
local farmer’s market after I casually split a
durian with my bare hands. That’s when a rich
lady, Mrs. Thompson, saw me.
She offered me half a million to be her son’s
girlfriend, specifically to reign in her
rebellious, lovesick son.
As a stunt double, money isn’t my motivation;
it’s all about the challenge, baby!
That same night, I moved into her son’s
mansion.
But what she didn’t tell me? Her son was
none other than the mega–famous,
notoriously difficult pop star, Chase Sterling!
<
At first, Chase treated me like dirt. “I don’t
know what kind of scam you and my mom
cooked up, but just get out of my face.”
Later, I was on set with him as his “assistant”
for some lame TV show, but he gave me the
cold shoulder the whole time.
I’d had enough! I yelled, “Get your head out
of your ass, dude!”
Chase suddenly dropped to his knees, in front
of the whole damn internet, grabbed his ears
and yelled, “Okay, okay, babe, I messed up!”
The whole internet was like, “Whoa, what the
heck just happened?”
1
く
I hauled my suitcase up the stairs, when a
half–naked dude with messy hair and a
seriously cranky face wandered out of the
bedroom.
He squinted at me.
My heart did a little flip.
Mrs. Thompson hadn’t mentioned her son
was that difficult–to–deal–with pop idol
Chase Sterling!
“Who are you?” Chase asked, eyeing me
suspiciously.
I was scared he’d call the cops on me for
trespassing, so I rushed to explain. “Hey, I’m, uh, your mom’s choice for your new girlfriend.
Name’s Alex, and I’m here to help you get
<
Chase stopped scratching his belly, his eyes
all glazed over with confusion, “You’re
kidding me, right?”
I repeated myself, “No joke. I’m your
girlfriend, starting now.”
“Are you for real?” Chase’s eyes bugged out,
pure disbelief written all over his face.
“Totally for real. Your mom gave me the
house code.”
11
Hearing I was a ‘plant‘ from his mom, his expression turned ice cold. “Whatever game you and my mom are playing, just get the hell
out of here.”
Well, I knew this whole thing was a little out
there, especially dealing with someone like
Г
I did a quick turnaround, grabbed my phone
and texted Mrs. Thompson: “Ma’am, I’m
gonna have to return the 500k. Maybe find
someone else for the job?”
The 500k was a fortune, more than I’d make
in a lifetime, but I also wanted to live to see
tomorrow.
Chase Sterling’s temper wasn’t for the faint
of heart.
I finally understood why she was willing to
spend half a million just to get someone to
control him.
After all, if she tried to do it herself, he’d
probably spend the inheritance early.
Г
Mrs. Thompson texted back quickly: “You
met my son?”
“Yeah…”
“Okay, how about this: I’ll give you another
half–million if you last three months. Just
stick with him, get him away from Tiffany, do
whatever it takes- you can ground him, slap
him, I don’t care.”
Was this woman even his mom?
I clenched my fist.
You don’t turn down half a million dollars
twice!
“Deal, Mrs. Thompson! Consider it done!”
く
The money–grubber in me immediately
switched to friendly mode. “So, just to be
clear, I’m your temporary girlfriend, Alex.”
Chase’s face twisted in disgust. “Did you not
hear me? I told you to get lost! Don’t bother
me!”
I lost the smile.
Just when Chase thought he’d scared me off,
I calmly punched the door of the next room.
“I also told you, this is my job! You mess with
my paycheck, you mess with me.”
Chase jumped back, his hand flying to his
face.
He looked at the dent in the deer gulped
لمصمـ
く
He looked at the dent in the door, gulped, and
didn’t say another word.
I walked towards him, grabbed his chin and
whispered in his ear, “Good, I like obedient
boyfriends. And sweetie, no more bad
language. Now go find me a room with
sunshine. I need to get some sleep.”
Chase started to protest but then looked at
my bent suitcase handle, and just swallowed
his objections.
