When Your Internet Boyfriend Is Your Boss

My online boyfriend had a weird thing for lets call it corporate larping.
When his mom called him home for dinner, hed text me: Returning to the estate to dine with the matriarch.
I caught on fast.
So when my friends were short one player for poker night, I messaged the group: Its a meeting of the scions. The game doesnt start until I arrive.
My online boyfriend totally got it.
I always thought we were just a couple of weirdos playing a game.
Until, just before the holidays, he added me to his childhood friends group chat.
"These are the guys I grew up with," he said. "They wanted to meet you."
I tapped open the member list, and my blood ran cold.
Why was the stone-faced, ultra-serious CEO of my company in this group chat?
His nickname: Adrian's Loyal Puppy.
Oh. My online boyfriend's name was Adrian.
A moment later, the CEO tagged me in the chat.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: @UrbanFatigue Sis-in-law! Say something!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: cute_cat.jpg
I couldn't move. I literally could not move a muscle.
Weren't we just playing a game? How are you guys for real?!
1
To be honest, the moment Adrian pulled me into that group chat, my spidey-senses were tingling.
It was a small group, just four of them, and they were deep in conversation, so they didn't notice me at first.
I scrolled through their recent messages, a thoughtful frown on my face.
[Max]: It's winter. We should hit Zermatt for some skiing. I lost to Leo last year, and I need a rematch!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: You couldn't beat me last year, what makes you think this year's any different? ;)
[Sam_ing]: Can't. Taking my fiance to St. Barts for the holidays (sigh).
[Max]: Oof. Good luck, man. That fiance of yours is a handful.
I stared at my phone, tapping my chin.
Something was off.
Something was very, very off.
Why did all these names sound so familiar?
Especially the guy whose screen name was "Adrian's Loyal Puppy" Leo.
The name Leo was familiar, but his profile picturea shot of him mid-air on a snowboardwas even more familiar.
Just as I was racking my brain, they finally noticed me.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Whoa, we got a new member!!
[Adrian]: Everyone, this is my girlfriend.
He tagged my username, @UrbanFatigue.
The chat went silent for two beats, then exploded.
[Max]: Sis-in-law!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Sis-in-law!
[Sam_ing]: Sis-in-law!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: FINALLY! We've been bugging you for ages, Ade, and you finally let us meet her!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: I'm dying of curiosity. Who is this goddess who finally managed to capture our boy Adrian's heart?!
A blush crept up my neck.
Adrian and I had been dating online for over two years, but this was the first time Id had any contact with his friends.
I was about to type something back when my eyes caught on "Adrian's Loyal Puppy's" profile picture again. My fingers froze over the keyboard.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew where I'd seen that face.
My brain buzzed.
I immediately swiped out of the chat and opened my companys internal website.
After a frantic search through the archives, I found it.
A photo from three months ago, when our company finalized a major international partnership.
There he was. A young man in a tailored suit, his expression severe and unsmiling as he stood beside the foreign executives, radiating an aura of pure power.
I stared at the caption below the photo. The name "Leo Guillory" jumped out at me.
Leo Guillory. The CEO of my company, Stratos Tech.
And the only son of its founder.
Ah
Ah?
The chat was buzzing again.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: @UrbanFatigue Your username is hilarious, sis-in-law, lmao.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: So how did you and Adrian meet?
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: C'mon, sis-in-law, say something!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: curious_cat.jpg
2
The curious cat GIF just spun and spun.
I frantically sent a generic waving emoji and exited the app.
With trembling hands, I opened my private chat with Adrian and tried to sound casual. "Babe, your 'loyal puppy' friend looks kinda familiar."
He replied instantly. "He's a bit hyper. Did he overwhelm you?"
"His name is Leo Guillory. He's the CEO of Stratos Tech. Your line of work is pretty broad, maybe you've crossed paths with him before."
My mind was a complete mess.
While texting Adrian back, I started googling the other names from the group chat.
And the last bit of hope I was clinging to finally died.
Max Sterling, youngest son of real estate tycoon Robert Sterling, currently studying in the US.
Sam Chen, second son of the founder of South Sea Construction, a bona fide trust fund kid
My brain shut down.
My fingers, moving on their own, typed Adrian's name into the search bar.
The results popped up instantly.
Adrian Guillory, eldest grandson of the founder of Guillory Holdings, youngest board member of the group, a driving force behind the companys tech innovations, with a net worth of
I counted the zeros.
Then I sucked in a sharp breath and nearly passed out.
In the group chat, "Adrian's Loyal Puppy" was still going.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Sis-in-law, c'mon, how did you two meet?
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: I'm dying here, spill the tea!
[Adrian]: We met online. How do you think we met? Online.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Could you perhaps elaborate
3
Online dating: proceed with caution.
For the first time, I truly understood the weight of that warning.
I met Adrian after stumbling upon a help forum post.
[User]: "Help, why is one hot dog three dollars, but two hot dogs are five dollars?"
I thought the poster was hilarious, so I commented, "I bet you also don't know the first thing you're supposed to do after signing up for the $9.99 premium membership."
He replied almost immediately. "YES! I got that one wrong too!"
He called me brilliant. A genius.
In my 24 unremarkable years of life, I had never been praised so directly.
I was instantly intrigued, and we started chatting.
Eventually, we exchanged numbers.
We weren't super close at first, until he noticed I was playing a popular mobile game.
He asked, "Is it fun?"
I replied enthusiastically, "So fun! You should play! I can carry you, I'm a pro."
"Okay, I'll set up an account I'm familiar with the genre, but I've never actually played this one. I might be terrible, so don't get mad."
We played together for three months.
His skills were average, but his attitude was top-tier. He never raged, his voice was amazing, and he was emotionally stable. And he could actually form coherent sentences!
My crush on him grew exponentially, and I decided to make my move.
After Adrian and I made it official, our chats became much more relaxed.
I have to admit, the guy was my perfect match.
Except for one thing. Sometimes, the way he talked was abstract.
His mom called him for dinner: "Returning to the estate to dine with the matriarch."
A friend of his was a public servant: "A colleague in the political sector. Its inconvenient for him to join our gatherings."
He turned down an arranged date: "I'm not interested in a familial alliance."
I learned.
And I quickly began to apply the lesson.
My friends needed a fourth for poker: "It's a meeting of the scions. The game doesn't start until I arrive."
I was going to a concert for my favorite idol: "Visiting a young protg I've been sponsoring for some time."
I ordered food delivery: "Reviewing a high-risk venture with my partners in the digital culinary space."
Adrian was deeply impressed.
"It seems our lifestyles are quite similar."
I sent a "cheers" emoji.
"We're a match made in heaven."
I genuinely thought Adrian and I were just a couple of weirdos with a shared abstract humor.
It never occurred to me to doubt him.
Until today. My entire worldview has collapsed.
Wait a second. Was I the only one playing a game? How are you guys actually this rich and powerful?!
4
I was still staring blankly at my phone when my coworker, Chloe, poked me.
"Mia, still on your phone?"
She leaned in close. "Rumor has it the CEO might be doing a surprise inspection of our department today," she whispered. "No idea when, so you'd better not get caught."
Chloe and I started at the company around the same time.
Besides us, our department was mostly made up of people with overseas degrees or family connections.
Naturally, we banded together for survival.
She knew my background was modest and that getting a job at Stratos Tech had been a huge struggle for me.
If a manager saw me slacking off, Id get my pay docked at best. At worst, I'd be on the chopping block for the next round of layoffs.
Chloe's warning was a kindness.
I snapped back to reality.
The CEO? That's Leo.
Buzz. Buzz.
My phone vibrated with a new notification from the group chat.
It was Leo.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Gotta go, duty calls.
[Sam_ing]: Where you going? You coming back for dinner?
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Got to do a walkthrough of the departments today. My dad's orders, can't skip it.
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: @UrbanFatigue We'll chat later, sis-in-law!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: I'll treat you to dinner sometime!
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: cute_cat.jpg
[Sam_ing]: Aren't you right near the office anyway?
[Adrian's Loyal Puppy]: Yeah, five minutes away. Gotta run.
Ten minutes later, I saw him in person.
The lively, goofy guy from the internet had transformed into a revered prince, surrounded by his court.
Leo was dressed in an impeccable suit, not a single hair out of place.
He was flanked by several managers, moving slowly down the hallway.
His expression was cool and distant.
My supervisors, usually so arrogant, were practically bowing before him fawning, sycophantic.
Leo didn't linger in the marketing department.
His gaze didn't fall on me for even a fraction of a second.
To people like him, we lived in completely different worlds. Wasting their attention on us would be just that: a waste.
He was like that.
Which meant Adrian was on another level entirely.
In that moment, I understood the chasm that separated me from them.
5
So I made a decisive choice: I had to break up with him.
6
It was better to cut my losses now than to be found out later, face the combined wrath of several powerful families, lose my job, lose my dignity, and get blacklisted from the entire industry.
This job was hard-won, and I cherished it.
These rich kids had no shortage of girlfriends. If I broke up with Adrian, he probably wouldn't even care that much.
It was just a bit of fun, right?
But people who have been pampered their whole lives definitely don't take kindly to being deceived.
Even though I truly hadn't meant to deceive anyone.
The quirky little girl who loved playing games had been quietly shattered.
I stewed on it for a few days, then started intentionally picking fights with Adrian.
My behavior grew increasingly unreasonable.
At first, he would patiently try to soothe me, but eventually, even he couldn't take it anymore.
"Babe, is something wrong? Did something happen recently?"
"You don't seem like yourself. You can talk to me about anything (hug)."
My eyes lit up.
This was my chance!
"You think I'm emotionally unstable?" I shot back, full of righteous anger. "What are you trying to say?"
[Adrian]: ?
"Fine. I get it. You're tired of me," I typed.
"Let's just end it. We're done."
After sending the message, I executed a flawless block-delete-remove SIM card maneuver.
With this major threat neutralized, I sat alone in my empty room, nursing a broken heart.
Ugh damn it. Why couldn't Adrian just be a little bit poor?
He had a great personality, was kind, and ridiculously handsome. I really, really liked him.
But then, a sense of resignation washed over me.
His wonderful personality was probably a direct result of his privileged upbringing.
7
The breakup left me in a funk.
Even my coworker Chloe noticed something was off.
"Mia, what's wrong?"
I sighed. "We broke up."
She gave me a surprised look, then silently patted my shoulder in sympathy.
I picked up a file, ready to lose myself in work, when my team lead called out.
"Mia, you don't look too busy. Go downstairs and get me a coffee."
I rolled my eyes.
Again with this.
In our department, Chloe and I were the only ones without connections, making us the designated errand runners.
Seeing my gloomy mood, Chloe offered, "I can go."
"Don't worry about it."
I slowly got to my feet. "I could use the fresh air."
I floated down to the lobby like a ghost, picked up the coffee, and was heading back when the private elevator doors opened. Leo and his entourage stepped out.
I quickly moved aside.
"Mr. Guillory!"
Someone rushed up from behind him, completely oblivious to me standing there. He slammed into my shoulder, and the coffee went flying all over him.
The entire lobby went silent.
I recognized the man: Mark, the head of the marketing department.
"Mia!" he screeched, furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Leo shot him an impassive look.
"You bumped into her."
Mark choked on his words and fell silent.
Leos gaze fell on the dark stain spreading across Mark's shirt, his expression one of pure disgust.
"Go home and change."
Mark nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course. Then I'll just"
"We have a meeting with Guillory Holdings today. Its time-sensitive. I don't have time to wait for you to change your clothes."
Leo's eyes shifted, landing on my employee badge.
"Marketing Department. Mia."
He pointed a casual finger at me. "You're coming with us. It's just for note-taking."
"I remember your project proposal. Your work is solid."
The name "Guillory Holdings" was still ringing in my ears as I was swept up by the group and bundled into a car.
8
Guillory Holdings wasn't close.
The drive took forty minutes, and I spent all forty of them in a daze.
The woman sitting next to me must have noticed my anxiety.
She leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry. Our Mr. Guillory and their Mr. Guillory are good friends. This partnership is a sure thing. We're just going through the motions"
Just going through the motions. Id just be a background prop, standing behind everyone else.
No one would even notice me!
I repeated this mantra to myself until my racing heart finally started to calm down.
When we arrived at the Guillory Holdings building, Leos phone rang.
He motioned for us to wait and stepped a few feet away.
Unfortunately for me, I have excellent hearing.
His voice carried clearly.
"He's been in a really bad mood lately"
"Ran into some kind of scammer"
"I don't know the details, something about millions of dollars. I was going to tell him to call the police"
My blood ran cold. I couldn't stop myself from shouting, "What?!"
In an instant, every head turned to stare at me.
I froze, then with lightning-fast reflexes, I slapped my phone to my ear. "What? The signal's terrible over here! Hello? Oh, well! I'll just call you back!"
The other executives looked at me with open disdain, whispering among themselves.
"So unprofessional."
"No sense of decorum"
"These new hires really need more training."
I didn't care what they were saying.
My mind was consumed by Leo's words.
Scammed out of millions?!
Who?!
Me?!
I swear on my life, I never took a single cent from Adrian during our entire online relationship!
Who was spreading these vicious rumors? This was slander!
My heart was pounding like a drum. In my state of shock, Leo had already finished his call.
We walked into the Guillory Holdings building.
Guilt-ridden, I stealthily pulled a mask out of my pocket and put it on. Leo happened to turn around right then and jumped. "Where did you get that?"
"I have a bit of a cold," I mumbled. "Don't want to get Mr. Guillory sick."
Leo was silent for a long moment. "And you think my immune system is just fine?"
The group around me silently took a step back, creating a perimeter.
I was about to say something to ease the tension when Leo's gaze landed on someone in the distance. A wide grin spread across his face. "Adrian!"
I froze, then slowly turned my head.
My pupils contracted.
This was the first time I had ever truly seen Adrian.
He was even more striking in person than in the photos Id seen online.
He had to be at least six-foot-one, with broad shoulders and long legs. He was wearing a simple black shirt and black, half-rimmed glasses. His features were sharp, his eyes piercing. He radiated an intense, elite aura.
He walked past me without a second glance, his eyes on Leo.
"You're here? Let's go. My office."
His voice was deep and smooth.
Exactly like it sounded through my phone.
I stared at his back, completely dazed.
Only five words echoed in my mind.
I'm screwed. He's my type.

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