A Summer's Coincidence With The Alpha CEO

Jannah

He's here.

The same man I fell for in Mexico.

The same man who kissed me like he meant forever...

Then ghosted me like none of it ever happened.

Only now, he's my boss.

What the actual hell.

This is either the cruelest prank, or I really have horrible fate. I'm too embarrassed to even make eye contact with Ethan—Aaron—or whatever his real name is.

What else am I going to uncover? I should’ve known he was lying the moment he said he was in the Marines. Marines, my ass. The guy drives around in a five-figure Aston Martin. The fact that he gave me a fake name—Ethan fucking Hunt—makes me want to die from sheer embarrassment. And I liked him. I made out with him. I fell for a walking lie.

Shit, shit, shit.

Kaitlyn, my best friend and office buddy is still chattering excitedly about the hot CEO while I grit my teeth and stay silent. All I feel is resentment.

I can’t take my eyes off him. He looks different—his hair’s shorter, his tan’s faded, and he’s leaner now. But that stupidly confident look on his face is the same. He even speaks with an Australian accent now. Seriously?

He’s dressed in brown slacks and a crisp long-sleeved shirt that somehow still manages to show off his broad shoulders and smooth chest. Images from that night we made out flicker in my head, and my cheeks flush. You shouldn’t be thinking about that, Jannah Cole! Kaitlyn’s right—I do need a therapist.

“Come on, they’re talking about you, Jan,” Kaitlyn, taps my shoulder.

“What? I mean, who?” I blink.

“Did you get lost in Wonderland? HR is introducing the HODs to Aaron. You’re up.”

Right.

I sigh and step forward, barely managing to walk without tripping. Each step feels longer, more suffocating than the last. I still can’t look up. My mind is a whirlpool of dread. God, I feel like the biggest fool alive.

HR clears her throat behind me.

“Mr. Steele, this is Miss Cole, Head of the Research and Development Department.”

My heart pounds so hard I’m convinced everyone can hear it. Slowly—painfully slowly—I lift my gaze to meet his.

Aaron’s smile is professional. Warm. Too perfect. He stretches out his hand like we’ve never met before.

Like I’m a stranger. Does he really not recognize me or this is an act?

“Are you okay, Miss Cole?” His voice is calm, his eyes searching my face with polite concern.

“Yeah, I am,” I lie smoothly. “It’s an honor to work with you, Mr. Steele.”

Honor, my ass.

He nods and shakes my hand. I force myself not to flinch.

His smile doesn’t falter. But his eyes? Nothing. No flicker of recognition. No guilt. Not even a hint that he’s seen me before.

He looks at me like I’m crazy.

I slip out of the handshake and retreat into the crowd, my chest burning. This has to be the worst day of my life.

***

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Kaitlyn’s voice cuts into my mental spiral.

After the meeting ends, she finally notices I haven’t responded to her non-stop commentary about Aaron. I hesitate, then glance around.

“Promise you won’t shout ‘the fuck’?” I mutter, already knowing she will.

“Okay?” she says slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Once we’re in my office, I shut the door, flop into my chair, and stare at the ceiling like it holds answers.

Kaitlyn perches on the edge of my desk. Her wide eyes never leave me.

“Aaron is Ethan,” I say flatly, letting it hang in the air.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” she gasps, slapping a hand over her mouth and making the sign of the cross. Dramatic.

Tell me about it. It’s not every day you fall for a man over the summer, only for him to ghost you, disappear off the face of the earth, and resurface months later—as your new boss.

I remember the countless unanswered calls and dead-end messages. He didn’t block me—he vanished. The number stopped existing. It felt like I’d been played. And it hurt.

I left Mexico early. Everything reminded me of him. I was so sure he was different. We didn’t even have sex, but it felt real. I let my guard down for once, and he shattered it.

When I got back, I put my phone on DND and ghosted the world. Couple videos, breakup songs, all over my FYP—it was hell.

Now he’s here.

Smiling.

Acting like I’m just another employee.

“ Poor you, this sucks big time,” Kaitlyn mumbles.

I don’t answer. I’m stuck in my own head.

That’s when she suddenly springs to her feet, eyes wide with realization.

"You need to see this, Jan." She turns her phone to me. My eyes skim through the contents of her screen as I read slowly. A picture catches my eye, and I snatch the phone from her.

"Clinton Steele," I murmur, reading the rest of the write-up. My voice reduces to an inaudible whisper, each word I read about him connecting certain dots in my head.

Aaron has a twin brother. Not only that, they're non-identical twins. I tap on Aaron's profile, trying to compare and contrast, but these boys are too damn similar. I mean, even that shallow dimple on the left cheek-they both have it. The same haircut, the same eye color... When I check their I*******m, it's private, so I don't get to dig deeper.

"Holy shit." I shake my head slowly as I face Kaitlyn, who has a similar "yeah, no shit" expression.

"That was the same thing I thought." She concurs, her eyes still fixed on me like she's waiting for me to say something. But for once, I, Jannah Cole, am speechless.

Who really is Ethan?