"Are you a pervert?"
Lunessa shoved Julian away instantly, putting distance between them.
"And what are you?" Julian arched a brow, his head tilting slightly. "I don't even remember having a girlfriend."
Her breath hitched.
Before she could snap back, a familiar chime rang sharply in her head.
[MISSION SUCCEED]
[$10,000 HAS BEEN CREDITED TO YOUR ACCOUNT]
She blinked rapidly.
"What?" Lunessa muttered under her breath.
Julian caught the split-second distraction. His gaze sharpened, studying her face with renewed interest.
"You look surprised," he said calmly. "Did I say something unexpected?"
"No—uh, I mean yes," Lunessa said quickly. She took a deep breath, still shocked that the mission had somehow succeeded without her even realizing how, while the so-called pervert was still standing right in front of her.
She blinked hard.
'Wait. That worked? Is it when I hugged him earlier?'
Julian watched her in silence, eyes narrowing slightly.
"You're thinking very hard," he remarked. "Should I be concerned?"
She snapped back to reality. "Yes. You should," Lunessa said flatly. "Because you just asked something completely inappropriate."
His lips twitched. "I did?" Julian blinked, looking genuinely amused. "You should know… there are only two types of women who approach me."
Her brows furrowed. "What?"
"One," he continued calmly, "wants money."
He lifted a finger.
"The other," his gaze dipped briefly before returning to her face, "wants more than money. Which one are you?"
Lunessa couldn't even answer when Julian suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her sharply into his chest.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Lunessa struggled, shoving at him, but his grip was firm and unyielding.
"Lower your voice," he muttered, his tone suddenly cold.
He glanced past her shoulder.
Flashes went off.
Cameras.
People had noticed.
In one swift motion, Julian shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over her head, blocking her face from view.
"Stay still," he muttered under his breath. "Unless you want tomorrow's headlines."
Before Lunessa could even process what was happening, a sharp notification rang in her mind.
[NEW MISSION AVAILABLE]
[MISSION: THREATEN THE TARGET WITH MEDIA EXPOSURE]
[TIME: 00:30:00]
Her breath hitched.
'What?'
Her hands clenched beneath the jacket.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.
Julian felt the tension immediately. His grip tightened just enough to warn her.
"Kidding?" he said quietly. "I don't have time to joke around. So now—"
"Wait—wait," Lunessa interrupted, frowning. "I'm not talking to you."
Julian paused, "What?"
She stared straight ahead, mind racing.
"Threaten," she repeated under her breath. "Media exposure…"
Julian tilted his head slightly. "I'm not threatening you. I'm just saying... if you don't want to be on tomorrow's headlines—"
"I want a house!"
The words burst out of her mouth.
She threw the jacket off her head and looked up at him, blinking rapidly as flashes immediately went off again.
"If not," she continued, voice shaking but loud, "I'll just expose myself to the media."
She swallowed, then added quickly, grasping for the logic.
"You don't want that, right? Because you have that special someone…"
Julian stared at her in silence.
He reached up and adjusted his glasses slowly.
"A house?" he repeated.
She nodded hard. "Mm. A house… by tonight."
Julian studied her for a brief moment.
Then, he nodded.
"Deal," he said. "Let's go."
He took her hand without waiting for a response and snapped his fingers.
At once, his assistant appeared, holding out a case. Inside were a pair of sunglasses and a cap.
"Wear this," Julian said.
Lunessa stared at the items, still trying to catch up. "Why… where are we going?"
He glanced back at her, already guiding her toward the car.
"A house," Julian replied calmly. "You asked for one, didn't you?"
Her mouth opened.
Then closed.
Before she could ask anything else, he added, "I'll give you three seconds—"
"Okay!" Lunessa blurted out immediately.
Julian paused.
A flicker of amusement, maybe… crossed his eyes.
"Smart choice," he said flatly.
She grabbed the sunglasses and cap, shoving them on in a hurry as flashes went off again.
Julian steered her toward the car without another word.
And just like that, she realized she had successfully threatened one of the most powerful men in the country… And he had agreed.
The system chimed softly.
[MISSION COMPLETED]
Lunessa swallowed. 'Yes!' She celebrated silently—
then froze.
'Wait.'
"There's no reward this time?" she blurted out without thinking.
Julian turned his head immediately. "Reward?" he repeated. "A house isn't enough?"
"Ah—uh—sorry!" Lunessa waved her hands quickly. "I wasn't talking to you."
She flashed an awkward smile and turned her face away.
Julian watched her for a second longer than necessary.
"You talk to yourself a lot," he remarked.
She laughed dryly. "Only when I'm stressed. Or confused. Or when my life is falling apart."
"Convenient habit," he said, opening the car door for her. "Just don't do it in front of reporters."
She paused, then looked at him. "You're really… Just give me a house?"
Julian met her gaze calmly.
"You asked," he replied. "And just to inform you… all of my deals have never been done one-sided."
His face was cold, but there were invisible subtitles written all over it.
You didn't seriously think this was charity, did you?
"And what's the deal?" Lunessa asked, even though deep down, she already expected the answer.
"You know what I want," Julian replied, leaning back in his seat and looking straight ahead.
She frowned instantly. "Why don't you ask that from your loved one?" she shot back. "I heard you're a loyal one… I guess the rumor is wrong."
"And I heard," Julian said calmly, "that gold diggers usually agree without hesitation. I didn't know someone like you would still cling to dignity."
The words landed hard.
Lunessa's chest tightened before she could stop it.
It hurt.
Not because she cared about his opinion but because, for a split second, she realized how easily people like him reduced women like her to a label.
Her fingers curled slowly in her lap.
"Don't lump me together with people you don't even bother to look at," she said quietly.
Julian glanced at her.
"What makes you any different, though?"
The question sounded like a mock.
Lunessa swallowed. "I didn't come to you because I wanted luxury," she said. "I came because..." She gulped, "I needed something. There's a difference."
Julian scoffed. "Did you hear yourself?" he replied calmly. "You just asked me for a house, Miss Lunessa."
Her jaw tightened. "I asked because you cornered me."
"No," Julian corrected, eyes forward. "You asked because you realized what you could get."
The words stung.
"And don't misunderstand," he continued, voice even. "Needing something doesn't make you different. It just makes you honest about the transaction."
Lunessa clenched her fists. "I'm not a transaction."
Julian glanced at her again, brief and assessing.
"Be my woman… and you could ask for anything…"