Once Upon a Star

Chapter 2-2

Zeke was still gaping at the luxurious decorations throughout the office when Lance called his name and ushered him into a spacious private office. Everything inside the room was incredibly expensive-looking, but what caught his attention was the man seated behind the desk—Sterling Lim, the thirty-year-old self-made billionaire.

He walked toward the desk and extended his hand. Sterling stood and shook it before gesturing at an empty chair. Zeke sat immediately, but before he could utter a single word, Sterling beat him to it.

“Mr. Wu, thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

“Call me Zeke, please,” Zeke said as calmly as he could even though his heart was beating a mile a minute.

For some unfathomable reason, his heart ached as he took in the sight of Sterling. Something about the man seemed very familiar, but he was unable to pinpoint exactly what it was. Certainly, with Sterling being so wealthy, his fame made him recognizable worldwide, but it was something more, something personal about the man that felt familiar to Zeke. He had no idea why, but he really wanted to hug Sterling and never let go. It was weird and creepy, and he couldn’t understand his strange reaction. It took him a moment to realize he had spaced out for several seconds. He would have been more embarrassed if Sterling didn’t appear rather out of sorts himself. He wasn’t sure if it was in his imagination, but Sterling might have been staring at him as if he wanted to pounce and devour him sexually. That didn’t make sense, though, since they had never met.

Sterling cleared his throat. “Right. Uh, anyway, I need a photographer.”

“I’m your man,” Zeke blurted in the next instant while grinning at Sterling before coming to his senses.

He winced deep inside. He was acting and speaking like a desperate and dorky pervert. In fact, his last statement bordered on being rather flirtatious, and that was rude, especially since his meeting with Sterling was a professional one.

Before he could apologize, Sterling beamed at him. It wasn’t a huge smile, but Sterling looked even more gorgeous than he already was while sporting a serious expression. Zeke was definitely mesmerized by him, and he was also rather envious of the man. Sterling was handsome, famous, and wealthy, and when the man shook Zeke’s hand earlier, it was obvious he had to be at least four inches taller than Zeke, who stood only five foot seven. Judging by Sterling’s broad shoulders and well-fitted clothes, the man must have a great build. Meanwhile, Zeke weighed one hundred and forty-eight pounds. He might not be made up of skin and bones, and he did have slight muscle definition on his chest, but he couldn’t compare to Sterling for sure.

“I hope you will be,” Sterling said, still beaming at Zeke.

Zeke felt himself blushing. He didn’t know how to continue. He was always so awkward when it came to flirting with people he liked. Then he sighed internally. That must be the reason why he had never gone out on dates with anyone, even though he was already twenty-two. When it came to romance, he didn’t know what to do to put himself out there. At the rate things were going, he would probably die a virgin.

To distract himself, he reached for his smartphone and tapped on the screen a couple of times, pulling up the folder that contained some of his best photographs.

“M-maybe you want to look at my portfolio.”

Sterling shook his head. “I’d seen some of your pictures in Robert’s phone. If you’re indeed that talented, it’s my lucky day.”

Zeke was simultaneously pleased and shy to hear that. “Thank you.”

After that, they discussed the details of the assignment. Zeke wasn’t overwhelmed by what Sterling needed. As a photographer, he had encountered similar demands in the past. However, the generous p*****t he would be receiving shocked him to the core. He didn’t even have to think twice about it and accepted the assignment immediately.

When Sterling’s lawyer came into the room with the contract a few moments later, Zeke looked through it as fast as he could before signing. All the while, he was highly aware of Sterling’s intense gaze on him. However, he figured that might be normal for such a powerful businessman. He decided he was overthinking the whole thing. There was nothing to it. It didn’t matter that his heart felt as if it was clenching painfully as he stole glances at Sterling. He wasn’t trembling a few minutes later as Sterling led him to the private elevator with one palm on his lower back, and they made their way down to the studio. He was just excited about his new assignment. That must be it.