Robert leaned back in his chair, watching Evelina carefully as she recounted her story—though it was more about herself than any actual substance. “Van Buren,” she had said, in a somewhat proud tone, “I just came back from abroad, you know. Had to deal with some family matters. My stepfather’s funeral in San Francisco and all that.”
That name struck him immediately. He knew the Van Burens, or more precisely, her stepfather—a late wealthy merchant who had made his fortune in shipping and real estate. The man had built a small empire, but Robert had heard the rumors. When he passed, only a measly 2% of his assets were left to his step daughter and her mother, the rest going to other family members or locked up in trusts. It was no secret in his circle that her mother had a reputation for being difficult and extravagant, and Evelina wasn’t far behind. Robert's eyes narrowed subtly. She hadn't given him much detail, but her hints were enough. He knew more than she thought. He could practically piece together the story just from the way she dodged specifics—where she had schooled abroad, her vague reference to being in town for “family reasons.” He knew exactly who her stepfather was, and more importantly, he knew what kind of life they’d led, burning through cash like wildfire, until there was barely anything left to maintain their glamorous facade. Evelina, with her flirtatious glances and overly lavish gestures, was clearly on the hunt. She was looking for a man with deep pockets who could sustain her and her mother’s lifestyle. After all, living extravagantly on 2% of her stepfather’s fortune was laughable, and their dwindling resources would dry up quickly without outside help. Robert nodded politely as she talked, but his mind was elsewhere. He could see through her. This was just another attempt to latch onto someone wealthy enough to cover her bills and maintain appearances. She wasn’t here for him—she was here for his money. A typical gold digger, if he’d ever seen one. “Van Buren, huh?” Robert finally said, masking his disinterest with a smile. “I think I’ve heard of your family’s business in shipping.” Evelina’s eyes lit up, as if Robert’s recognition meant validation. “Oh yes, my stepfather was well-known in those circles. It’s been tough adjusting back to life here, but you know how it is,” she said, waving her hand dismissively as if this entire thing was beneath her. Robert simply nodded, already planning his exit strategy. This was going to be a long night. Evelina was in full performance mode now. She had slipped her phone out halfway through their conversation and started taking pictures—of her food, of the lavish surroundings of Quince Restaurant, and, of course, herself. Robert watched as she angled her phone for selfies, adjusting her hair and flashing smiles that looked as practiced as they were fake. She was snapping pictures of the beautifully decorated table, the lavish dishes, and, of course, herself—angles upon angles, pouting and posing as if she were a celebrity. "Isn’t this place gorgeous?" she gushed, leaning over the table slightly, her hand brushing Robert’s arm. He shifted in his seat, pretending not to notice the contact. She didn’t stop. Instead, she was all over her phone, now making a live video for her I*******m followers. "Hey guys, guess where I am?" she cooed into the camera, flipping it around to show off the restaurant. “Quince! Can you even believe it? This place is incredible, right? I’m having the best dinner.” Robert raised an eyebrow, quietly observing her little show. She was completely lost in her live stream, soaking up the attention. But when she started panning the camera around toward him, he immediately caught on to her next move. His mind worked quickly—no way was he about to let her broadcast him to her followers. The last thing he needed was rumors swirling about him being on a date with this woman, or worse, tabloids running stories about some supposed romantic link between them. Smoothly, he raised the menu tablet in front of his face just as her phone turned his way. Evelina’s expression faltered for a split second. Her carefully crafted smile wavered, and the look of frustration in her eyes was hard to miss. She was clearly irritated that her little plan had been foiled, but to save face, she let out a sheepish laugh and waved at her phone. “Oh, guess we’ll leave the mystery date for later, guys,” she said with forced enthusiasm, trying to mask her disappointment. “I’ll talk to you all soon! Byeee!” With that, she ended the live stream and set her phone down, though the irritation was still plain in her posture. Robert could sense it—a subtle tension as she composed herself and tried to regain control of the situation. Evelina leaned in again, her voice dripping with flirtation as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Sorry about that, babe,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “You know how it is, my followers love when I show them what I’m up to.” She gave him a coy smile, clearly trying to reel him back into her game. Robert, however, remained as unmoved as ever. Every move she made, every flirtatious glance, only confirmed what he already knew—Evelina wasn’t interested in him as a person. She was just fishing for attention, and possibly more than that. And he wasn’t about to fall for it. Her demeanor was even more flirtatious now, though there was a tinge of forced sweetness to it now. She leaned forward, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers, her voice dropping into a lower, more suggestive tone. “You know,” she said, resting her chin on her hand, “I’m so glad we’re finally getting to spend time together. You’re even more handsome in person.” Robert, uninterested and mildly annoyed, kept a polite but distant smile on his face. “Glad you think so,” he replied, his tone as flat as his enthusiasm. He already knew what she was about—desperation thinly veiled behind charm and flirtation. Evelina seemed oblivious to his lack of interest, pushing on with her coquettish behavior. “So, tell me, Robert,” she leaned in closer, “What’s a guy like you doing single?” Robert rolled his eyes, as he felt the sudden urge to leave.Sophia sat on her couch, scrolling through her phone absentmindedly when she noticed the notification she had missed earlier. A message from Robert, timestamped at about 5 PM. Her heart did a little flip, she was not sure if it was out of excitement or more out of curiosity. She clicked on it, and the words blinked back at her.“Got to work to make up for the time I’ll be spending on a blind date tonight, yh a blind date momma arranged . Can’t call back as promised, but we’ll talk as soon as I’m done. Talk later.”And, of course, a purple heart to end it.Sophia raised an eyebrow, letting out a soft, cynical laugh. A blind date, huh? She shook her head and placed the phone down on the armrest. She wasn’t even sure why she was slightly amused, or why she expected anything different.Typical Robert, she thought. Always busy, always juggling a million things at once. That millionaire playboy aura was something he wore like a badge of honor, and it didn’t surprise her in the least tha
ROBERT'S POV I sat at the table, trying my best to ignore Evelina’s constant flirting. God, she was doing the most. Every other sentence out of her mouth was some over-the-top compliment about how I “shouldn’t be this handsome and single.” I tried to keep my face neutral, but inside, I was getting more and more annoyed. "I mean, I’m single too, Robert," she said, batting her lashes like I hadn't heard that line a hundred times. "Maybe we could bond?" Bond? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I forced a polite smile and nodded, hoping she’d get the hint that I wasn’t interested. I didn’t want to be rude, but this was getting ridiculous. I was just trying to enjoy a quiet evening, and she had turned it into some weird game I didn’t sign up for. And then, out of nowhere, she pulled that stupid stunt with her ring. She giggled—an actual giggle—like we were in some bad romantic comedy, and let her ring “accidentally” fall to the floor. "Oops," she said, in this high-pitched, f
ROBERT'S POV As soon as I picked up my mum’s call, I braced myself for the usual. I figured she’d be all smiles, asking how the "date" was going and offering some annoying advice like she always does. Hell, I thought she’d still assume I was stuck with Evelina, probably trying to figure out how to get through the rest of the night. But nope. What I got was the complete opposite. Mum was pissed. “Robert, what is this I just heard?” she snapped through the phone, her voice already at that tone where I knew I was screwed. “You have to go back right now and apologize to Evelina! What the hell were you thinking, leaving the restaurant without even an excuse? She’s crying, Robert. Crying and in a really bad state. You hurt the poor soul!” What the fuck!! Evelina, Crying? Seriously? “When did you become so heartless?” she continued, her words hitting me like a hammer. “No son of mine would treat women like this! You’re going to go back and make things right.” Oh, for fuck’s sake. I
Robert leaned back in his chair, holding the phone in one hand while running the other through his hair. "Yes, Sophia, you were talking about something earlier today. Something about your ex?"Sophia shifted slightly on the screen, her voice coming through the phone with a tinge of hesitation. "Oh, that. My ex-boyfriend is going to be attending the cruise."Robert frowned. "And you don’t want him to?""It’s not exactly that I don’t want him to," she sighed, "but it’s complicated.""Wait a minute, what’s his name?" Robert asked, curiosity piqued. "Do I know him? Was he a classmate of ours back in high school?""His name’s Charles Brown," Sophia replied, almost like she was bracing herself.Robert’s brows shot up. Charles Brown? The name tugged at something familiar in the back of his mind. "Hold up. Charles Brown? That sounds way too familiar." Without wasting a second, Robert grabbed his MacBook off a nearby table, still on FaceTime with Sophia. "Give me a minute."He quickly typed th
Robert's eyes twinkled. They were both clearly thinking the same thing, and the realization hit him with a rush of excitement.“Is it what I think it is?” he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.Sophia shifted a little, her nerves apparent as she tried hard to convince her Inner self, that thi wasn't stupid. There was a look on her face, one that seemed to say, Look, I know this might be stupid, but I’m kinda desperate here.Robert shifted, his brows raised, waiting for her to spill whatever crazy idea she had in mind. The silence stretched for a moment, thick with anticipation.Sophia finally took a deep breath, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleevess she spoke with Robert over the phone. “Okay, don’t laugh, alright? But... what if you pretended to be my boyfriend on the cruise?”Robert smiled, then a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, one that quickly spread across his face. He didn't try to hide it cause, it was just him in the room at the moment. “You want me
I was finishing up my makeup, just adding the final touches to my eyeliner, when I decided to text Robert. “I’m ready,” I typed quickly, still trying to keep my hands steady as I applied mascara. Almost immediately, my phone buzzed with his reply.“Ok, text me your exact address.”I sent it to him, still getting excited about seeing him. It was just a chill weekend, but it was also three days before the boat cruise—our boat cruise—and I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. I checked myself in the mirror one last time. I had on a pastel-colored sweater, soft and cozy, but still cute enough for whatever the day might throw at me. My black leggings hugged me just right, showing off my legs, and my ankle boots gave the outfit that little extra edge. I added a simple necklace and left my hair loose. Casual, but still good enough to turn heads, I hoped.Right as I was finishing up, I heard the faint urrung of a car engine outside. I frowned, pausing mid-brush stroke.Ge was here so soon? I
ROBERT'S POV Sophia stood up with a little smirk on her face and said, “Guess it’s time I whooped your ass.”I couldn’t help but laugh, leaning back against the couch, shaking my head. “We’ll see about that,” I said, getting up. I was already planning on winning this, and I wasn’t going easy on her just because she was Sophia.I led her down the hallway to my gaming room. As soon as we stepped in, you could see the whole place was set up to impress. Dark walls, LED lights running under the shelves, the kind that changed colors based on your mood. There was this sleek, matte-black gaming setup with dual monitors, high-end gaming chairs, and a sound system that could probably wake up the entire estate if I cranked it up. Posters of classic games lined the walls, framed like artwork, and the controllers were all neatly organized on a rack like weapons ready for battle.Sophia glanced around, taking it all in, but I could tell she wasn’t gonna back down. I liked that about her. She had t
SOPHIA'S POV I was sitting on the couch, kind of zoning out while watching this cooking show on TV, some chef making a fancy pasta dish that looked way too complicated for a casual dinner. My phone was in my lap, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it. The weekend vibe had completely taken over, and I was feeling relaxed. Plus, the desserts I’d had earlier were making me feel a little too comfortable.And then, out of nowhere, Robert’s voice broke through the TV noise. I glanced up, but honestly, the words didn’t really register. What did register, though, was how damn hot he looked. I mean, for a second, I just froze. Robert was standing at the bottom of the stairs, one hand in his pocket, looking like he stepped right out of some luxury magazine. He was wearing this Tom Ford denim shirt that was perfectly fitted, highlighting his broad shoulders and chest, and charcoal grey pants that looked both casual and expensive at the same time. And, of course, he had on these black Chri