Who Is My Blind Date

Lexi, my absolute best friend, had just set me up on a blind date.

Listen to me, Monica. This guy is basically untouchable. He practically runs the city's business sector, and get this, he fell for you at first sight! One look and he was absolutely hooked!

I couldn't believe my luck. But right as she spoke, floating text boxes suddenly popped up in my field of vision, scrolling past like a live stream chat:

[It's real! There actually is a guy like that! It's the corporate god himself, Victor Harrison!]

[He saw our girl at a banquet and it was totally love at first sight!]

[The thing is, Victor is a bit older and notoriously reserved. You just need to make the first move, show him you match his freak, and he'll take the lead from there!]

Seeing those floating comments, I immediately took action. I managed to get his contact info and started bombarding him with sweet good morning and good night texts, aggressively trying to lock down weekend dates.

Despite all my efforts, Victor's responses remained ice-cold. Frustrated, I finally complained to my best friend.

"Did Victor really fall for me at first sight? Who acts this cold to someone they supposedly fell for?"

Lexi just stared at me, completely lost.

"Who the hell is Victor?"

"The guy you set me up with. Obviously."

"Monica, the guy I set you up with isn't named Victor."

01

I froze. The world seemed to stop spinning.

Not Victor?

I had been sending borderline unhinged, flirty texts to this man for a solid month, and now you're telling me I was flirting with the wrong guy?

Lexi tapped her chin, trying to remember. "He's a buddy of my cousin Tyler. I think his last name is Grant."

Grant?

I just sat there looking absolutely stupid. I instinctively pulled out my phone and checked my pinned contacts. The name at the top was simply 'Victor'. That had absolutely zero connection to anyone named Grant.

The floating chat in my vision was equally entirely utterly panicked:

[Not Victor? Wait, it's not our CEO Harrison?]

[An untouchable corporate god who already met our girl at a banquet... I literally can't think of anyone else but Victor Harrison!]

[Hold up... Lexi never actually said the guy was a corporate god. She just said he was successful...]

[Holy crap. Have we been hyping up the completely wrong guy this whole time?!]

The color drained from my face, shifting through about five different shades of horror.

"But this Victor guy you mentioned," Lexi muttered, her eyes widening. "I swear I've heard that name before."

Before I could even process my own impending doom, Lexi sharply sucked in a breath.

"Oh my god. Are you talking about the CEO of Harrison Corp?"

She grabbed my arm, her nails digging in. "How on earth did you get tangled up with him? Word is that man is completely ruthless and a total germaphobe when it comes to romance. Every single person who has tried to throw themselves at him has been utterly destroyed!"

My vision literally went black at the edges.

My savings, my future, my dad's company. I could practically hear them all whispering their final goodbyes.

Right as I was spiraling into pure despair, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Victor.

02

It started with a picture. It was a sleek, velvet gift box.

Followed by three simple words:

[You bought this?]

I tapped the photo and zoomed in. It was a luxury men's watch I had painstakingly picked out a few days ago, intending to give it to Victor as a one-month talking-stage milestone gift.

In the month we had been texting, this was the first time I had ever sent him something genuinely expensive. I thought he would be pleasantly surprised. Now, I realized I was just lucky he hadn't called security.

Before I could even type out an excuse, Victor sent another text:

[Don't do this again.]

My heart sank straight to the bottom of my stomach. My fingers flew across the screen.

[I am so sorry! It won't happen again. Just return to sender.]

Victor seemed to pause. [Return it?]

I was practically crying in the middle of the coffee shop. [Or just throw it in the trash! Seriously, my bad. I'll never send anything again!]

There was a long silence. The little 'typing' bubble appeared and disappeared for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he sent one word:

[Whatever.]

What did 'whatever' even mean?

I genuinely could not read this man's vibe.

[Victor is probably only tolerating this because he's doing business with Monica's dad.]

[Yeah, the big boss is definitely giving our girl a pass this one time.]

[But Monica, take the hint! The man is dangerous. Run. Pack your bags and run.]

Reading the chat just made me want to scream.

Now they tell me to run? Where was this energy when they were gaslighting me into being aggressive?!

I thought back to how confident the chat had been, making it seem like Victor being head over heels for me was an absolute fact. I had literally begged my dad for Victor's private number based on their hype. Within days of adding him, I was trying to force him to call me 'babe'. I had even sent him a dozen of those obnoxious 'I know you're obsessed with me' reaction memes.

Thinking about it now made me want to spontaneously combust.

Lexi noticed my blank, traumatized expression. "Monica? You good?"

Lexi was a veteran in the dating scene. She could handle any romantic crisis.

I stared at her for two solid seconds, took a deep breath, and began.

"So, I have this friend..."

03

I invented a fictional friend and spilled the entire agonizing story.

When I finished, Lexi just grabbed my hands with a look of profound pity.

"I highly advise you, I mean, your friend, to block him, delete his number, and leave the country."

"The only reason Victor is putting up with your... I mean, your friend's dad having a business partnership with him, is for the money. That is his absolute limit."

"But you know how the saying goes. A quiet man is either plotting a murder or building an empire. Do you really think Victor Harrison is the type to just quietly take a loss?"

Obviously not!

He was the type to make other people take the loss. Usually a fatal one.

I took a deep breath, stood up, and grabbed my purse. "Goodbye, Lexi. I'm moving to the Southern Hemisphere for the summer."

I hadn't even made it out of the coffee shop, let alone checked flight prices, when my phone rang. It was my dad. His company, Croft Industries, was wrapping up a massive project with Harrison Corp, and they were throwing a celebration banquet next week.

"Victor is definitely going to be there," my dad added, his voice dripping with parental plotting. "Make sure you play your cards right."

Play my cards right? I was about to be played off the table!

"Also," my dad continued, completely oblivious to my internal screaming. "I need you to drop some files off at Victor's office tomorrow. See how much I look out for you?"

I choked on my own spit. Gee, thanks, Dad.

The chat tried to comfort me:

[Don't panic, Monica! The project isn't finalized yet. He won't nuke your dad's company before the ink dries!]

[Exactly. Just be on your absolute best behavior tomorrow. Drop the files and sprint!]

[Right! Just don't provoke him. Even if he wants to snap, he won't have a reason if you're perfectly professional!]

04

Okay, valid points.

So the next morning, I completely overhauled my usual wardrobe. I ditched the backless tops and the cute mini skirts. Instead, I pulled out the most modest, innocent-looking white sundress I owned and headed straight to Harrison Corp.

The receptionist recognized me immediately and reached for her phone to call Victor's assistant for the private elevator code.

"No, no, please," I stopped her quickly. "The regular elevator is perfectly fine."

I walked over to the main elevator banks like a totally normal, non-delusional employee.

While waiting, I took a deep breath, trying to psych myself up.

Keep your head down. Don't start nothing, won't be nothing. Just survive this week!

But as the metal doors closed and the numbers ticked higher, my stomach tied itself into knots.

Would Victor think I was here to harass him again? Was he currently adding another strike to my file in his mental burn book?

Ding. The doors slid open.

My heart jumped into my throat. Standing right there in the hallway, looking flawless in a tailored charcoal suit, was the man himself. All the courage I had spent the last ten minutes building instantly evaporated.

"Monica?"

Victor's deep voice echoed in the quiet hall. He looked genuinely surprised to see me popping out of the employee lift.

"What are you doing here?"

I let out a shaky breath and plastered on my most polite, emotionally distant corporate smile.

"Just delivering some documents for you, Mr. Harrison."

Victor visibly froze for a fraction of a second. Then, his dark brows pulled together into a deep frown.

05

Oh my god, why was he frowning?

Panic flared in my chest. I practically shoved the manila folder into his hands. "I'm seriously just here to deliver these! You can call my dad and check!"

Victor stayed quiet for a moment. He didn't take the folder. Instead, his dark eyes locked onto mine. "Did you just call me Mr. Harrison?"

I blinked, totally confused by the question. "What else am I supposed to call you?"

Another beat of heavy silence passed. He shifted his stance. "Why didn't you take the private elevator? Did my assistant not come down for you?"

I waved my hands frantically. "No need to bother your assistant! The regular elevator is perfectly fine for me from now on."

That is, if there even is a 'from now on'.

Victor's expression grew even more unreadable. He looked almost completely thrown off by my sudden burst of professionalism.

[Victor probably didn't expect our girl to suddenly gain self-awareness and boundaries.]

[He was definitely ready to give you another strike, but you didn't leave him an opening.]

[The CEO is officially buffering. Keep it up, Monica!]

Reading the room, I let out a tiny sigh of relief and pushed the folder closer to him, ready to make my grand escape.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll just be taking off..."

"Do you want to wait in my office..."

We both spoke at the exact same time. And then we both immediately shut up.

Victor looked down at me, the intensity in his gaze making my skin prickle. "You aren't going to come sit in my office?"

In the past, whenever I came to Harrison Corp, I would invent the most ridiculous excuses to trap him alone in his office. I once even faked a low blood sugar episode just so I could take a nap on his private lounge sofa.

But now? I would rather walk into traffic.

I shook my head vigorously. "No, no, I'm good. I actually have somewhere to be."

Victor, uncharacteristically, pressed the issue. "Where?"

I choked. "Just... meeting a friend."

His frown deepened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but a sharp ding echoed behind us.

It was the private elevator.

I turned around, genuinely startled. I was standing next to the CEO, and I definitely wasn't using it. Who else had top-tier clearance?

06

The polished metal doors slid open, and a woman stepped out.

She was wearing a stunning, body-hugging red dress, her lips painted a bold crimson. The moment she saw Victor, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. "Victor! Were you waiting out here just for me?"

She walked straight toward him, acting like I was completely invisible. "Let's grab lunch. I found this amazing new fusion place that you'll absolutely love."

Victor didn't reply to her. Instead, his hand caught my elbow, subtly pulling me half a step closer to him. His voice dropped lower, directed entirely at me. "Go wait in my office."

The woman in red finally seemed to notice I existed. Her eyes dragged over my plain white dress. "And who is this?"

Victor opened his mouth to introduce me, but my survival instincts kicked in and I beat him to it. "I'm just a business partner."

I gave Victor a crisp, totally professional nod. "Mr. Harrison, I really must be going. I hope the project goes smooth..."

"Stop."

Victor cut me off. His face had gone completely blank, his jaw ticking slightly. He jerked his chin toward the heavy oak doors down the hall. "Go wait in there."

It was a direct order to his private office.

I hesitated, terrified of pushing him over the edge, and ultimately decided to obey.

The heavy doors clicked shut behind me, completely soundproofing the room from whatever conversation was happening in the hallway.

I sat down on the edge of his expensive leather sofa, feeling like a kid in the principal's office. My eyes darted nervously around the immaculate, minimalist room.

And then, my gaze locked onto something.

Wait. Why did that little Capybara mystery box figurine sitting on his mahogany desk look so familiar?

That was the exact one I had unboxed a few weeks ago!

I had thought it was ugly and forced it into Victor's hands as a joke. I was entirely convinced he had thrown it straight into the garbage. But here it was, proudly displayed on the desk of a multi-million dollar corporation, looking absolutely absurd next to his sleek silver pens and leather folders.

[Why does this feel like he's keeping it as a warning? Like a king keeping the skull of his enemy...]

[He's definitely staring at that little rodent every day to remind himself to never let his guard down against crazy women.]

[Victor is a man who holds a grudge...]

Was it really that deep? Was he using my discarded plastic toy as a psychological anchor for revenge?

The more I read the chat, the colder my blood ran. Finally, I decided I couldn't take the risk. I stood up, tiptoed over to his desk, and reached out to steal the evidence.

Click.

The office door swung open.

Victor's voice hit the back of my neck like a physical weight. "What are you doing?"