Why Is Smart Ass: How A Donkey Challenged Me So Popular?

He was a billionaire for a reason, yet he was swayed by a woman. Recalling the moment he entered into the living room as she hurled her red satin bra at him, revealing her naked treasure. She had captivated his attention in a manner that no other woman had before. Then she'd contested and dared him, and he'd discovered he enjoyed it. Women frequently become charmingly submissive around him. But she was so unique. Forget danger. Challenge could have been her middle name.

Jace Griffin was my childhood friend. One of us was a total slacker, and the other was a real troublemaker. The year we were at the peak of our bragging, I said that I would get second place in the exam, and he said he would get first. The results came out. I scored 20 points, and he scored 10 points. Later, I said that I was going to sleep twelve hours a day to make up for it, and he said that he could sleep a full twenty-four hours. In the end, we both spent the night at an internet cafe and stayed until morning. Then, I said that I was going to confess to someone. His eyes flickered. But his thought suddenly came into my mind, “If I accept her confession and stop her from studying, then Winnie’s spot in Harrington University will be secured!” He opened his mouth and was about to say “I do.” But I turned around smoothly and hugged a stray dog that happened to walk past. “Doggy. From now on, you’re my only one.” Jace’s handsome face twisted in anger right away. “Xena, you would rather choose a dog than me?” I rolled my eyes before smiling brightly. Choose him? What was the point of choosing him? Could he even earn me money? I already had a guaranteed admission to Harrington University. I just wanted to raise dogs. I did not have time for a loser like him.

I was the fat girl, the nerd who everyone bullied just for the fun of it. They even nicknamed me 'the ugly duckling.' They threw things at me, hurled insults at me and laughed at me. My parents choose my sister over me every time. My crush, Ashton Hill even humiliated me in front of the whole school. But I rose above it. I turned the pain into purpose—the humiliation into power. Now, the ball is in my court and I am about to make the game as hard as it can get for every single person who ever tainted me. Especially Ashton Hill! Everyone was about to know what regret meant because I would make sure to teach them a lesson they never forget!

“You think you can tame an old daddy like me?” Mr. Domenico Lombardi’s stone-like voice makes me nervous, but I’m not backing down; I know what I want. “Yes,” I added a nod to confirm it but cursed internally at my luck. I’ve never had a boyfriend, and here I am trying to tame a man old enough to be my father. It is said that the apple does not fall far from the tree. I guess I am truly Kate’s daughter. I had an internal laugh at my stupidity. He scoffed, and I responded by nodding once more while watching the darkening of the silvery gray pupils in his eyes. How come? I brush it off as his cold eyes wash over me. Domenico Lombardi’s presence makes me squirm. When I’m around him, I get the impression that I’m being judged and ignored at every turn. “How old are you?” “18” “How old is your father?” “38,” I replied truthfully. “Well, I’m 37 years old.” He stared at me; his eyes darkened again, and I became terrified. I fiddle with my nails, clipping them together as I lean back on my heels to help relieve some of the anxiety he’s causing me. “You see, I’m like a father to you, or maybe a grandfather or a great-great-grandfather. How many boyfriends have you had in your life?” “None.” He chuckled as I responded. “You see, I’ve lost count of how many ladies I’ve fucked, thousands or millions, over the centuries. You are just a little girl to me with nothing to offer; now, get lost!” “My panties made you hard!” “You think so?” “Yes,” I responded confidently. “Well, I wasn’t hard; I just have a donkey-like cock.”

I’ve always taken people literally. When Dad told me to empty the basin, I asked where he wanted me to pour the water. “On my head,” he snapped. So I did. When Mom told me to do the laundry, I asked whether I should add detergent. She gave a cold laugh. “Sure. Add caramel sauce.” So I poured an entire bottle of caramel sauce into the washing machine. Everyone said I was stupid. But this “stupid” guy took first place in a nationwide academic competition. I earned my school’s only direct-admission spot at one of the country’s top universities. The day the results were announced, Lucas Hale, the school bully, ripped my application apart in front of the entire class. “You can’t even understand sarcasm. Why should someone like you get direct admission? “Last night, I saw you get out of a luxury SUV. Who knows what kind of deal you made with the woman inside?” The whole classroom went quiet. Then everyone started looking at me differently. Lucas stood there with a self-righteous expression. “I’m just speaking up for the rest of the class. Why should we work ourselves to death only to lose out to someone who got in through connections?” I thought about it seriously. Then I took out my phone and called my older sister. “Claire, they said I got my admission spot by sleeping with someone. Is that true?” A few seconds later, I held the phone out to Lucas, whose face had gone pale. “My sister wants to know something.” “What’s your name?” “And your student ID number?”

I am Erika Setyani Atmaja—a final-year business student trapped in a perpetual state of "almost." Haunted by the shadow of my father’s mounting ultimatums and the threat of being cut off, I find myself pushed to the brink. This year, failure is no longer an option. Desperation leads me to Pak Jefri, the cold, formidable gatekeeper of my future. To secure my degree, I am prepared to play any game, no matter how dangerous. "Dit... help me out. What do I have to do to get Jefri to sign off on my thesis?" "Just sleep with him." What began as a calculated move to manipulate a man I despised soon spirals into a labyrinth of forbidden desire. Somewhere between the cold clinicality of academia and the heat of stolen moments, the lines of hatred began to blur. Will I emerge with my degree, or will I lose myself in a love that was never meant to exist?