A BLIND DATE

Scarlett

We immediately headed out. Durian stood in the middle of the room, his board game overturned at his feet, pieces scattered everywhere. The TV remote lay broken on the floor nearby. Aurelia stood beside him.

“What happened here?” I asked, my voice calm, which seemed to agitate them more.

Aurelia’s face was pale, her eyes darting between Ethan and me with a flicker of hidden malice. “We… we heard your conversation in the bedroom by mistake.”

Before she could finish, Durian snatched a porcelain figurine from the side table and hurled it. It shattered at my feet.

“Durian! Stop it!” I snapped.

“Why won't you adopt me!” he screamed, his face contorted with a bratty rage that no six-year-old should possess. “I’m Daddy’s real son! I belong here more than you do!”

The air in the room curdled. “Durian—shut up!” Ethan roared.

It was the first time I’d seen Ethan lose his cool. He wasn't angry at Durian’s behavior. He was terrified Durian had just outed their secret.

Durian froze, his lips trembling before he dissolved into loud, uncontrollable sobs. Aurelia quickly pulled him into her arms, stroking his hair with a pointed look at me.

“Don’t be so hard on him, Scarlett,” Aurelia said, her voice dropping into that sweet, poisonous tone. “He’s just a child who wants to feel loved. ”

Then she looked at Ethan, her eyes softening into a plea. “You shouldn't let her scare him, Ethan. He's only acting out because he feels like an outsider in his own father's house.”

“His father's house?” I repeated, my eyes locked on Ethan’s sweating face. “That’s a strange thing to say, Aurelia. You’re making it sound like my husband has a secret family right under my nose.”

Ethan’s breath hitched.

“Don't be ridiculous, Scarlett!” Ethan cut me off, his voice cracking with panic. He turned on Aurelia, “Look what you've done—you've made Scarlett misunderstand everything! If she thinks I’m being unfaithful because of your loose tongue, can you even begin to fix that?!”

“I'm saying that—“ Aurelia stammered, shocked by his sudden venom.

As the argument between them continued, I quietly picked up the box of chocolate, slipped it into my bag. Then, I turned and walked out.

They didn't even notice me leave.

I hailed a cab and returned to the hospital. The doctor examined the chocolate carefully, placing a sample under the microscope.

His expression gradually turned serious. “The chocolate is laced with a concentrated synthetic toxin.”

My heart did a slow, painful roll in my chest. “What does it do?”

“It targets the endocrine system,” he explained. “In these doses, it causes hormonal chaos. It makes conception impossible and, over time, leads to early-onset organ failure. It’s a slow death, Miss Scarlett.”

My heart sank. Even though I had expected it, hearing it out loud felt like a low blow.

I gripped the edge of the desk until my knuckles turned white. “How much damage has been done?”

“Fortunately, your body is resilient. You’re in the early stages. With a detox protocol, you’ll make a full recovery.” He paused, offering a small, reassuring smile. “Your fertility is intact. You can still have children of your own.”

A chilling sense of relief washed over me. “Thank you, doctor,” I said, my voice steady.

As I stepped out of the hospital, the sunlight felt blinding. I realized just how pathetic the old Scarlett had been. Not only had Ethan poisoned my body to make me infertile, but he'd also tricked me into handing my assets over, turned me into a slave in my own home, and made me raise his mistress's son as if he were my own blood.

“I'll take back everything you stole from me, Ethan,“ I said in a low voice.

***

The next morning, at exactly 10 a.m., I arrived at the villa where I was scheduled to meet Lawyer Leonard, but he wasn't alone.

“Mrs. Scarlett,“ He greeted, standing up. “This is Mr. Hale, your late father's secretary.“

“I was entrusted by Alistair Gance to assist you with the true scope of your inheritance,” Mr. Hale said, opening a heavy leather file. “Ownership of Gance Industries. Controlling interest in the JK Group. Real estate holdings in four countries. And the liquid assets…”

He turned the page. This time, The number of zeros they didn't make my heart race.

“If you sign these, you aren't just wealthy, Scarlett. You become the sole sovereign of the JK Group.”

“I accept,“ I said without hesitation. I grabbed the pen and signed. With every signature, I was cutting the ties that bound me to Ethan’s parasitic grip.

“Is that all?” I asked, leaning back.

“There is one more matter,” Mr. Hale said. He didn’t look up immediately; instead, he adjusted his glasses, his expression turning grave. “It's not just a request, Miss Scarlett. It’s a safeguard. Your father knew that the moment you signed these papers, you’d have a target on your back.”

He slid a photo and a separate dossier across the table.

“The board of directors at JK Group is already restless. To them, you are an inexperienced outsider. They will challenge your authority, freeze your assets, and try to strip you of your chairmanship before the month is over.”

My heart chilled. I had the money, but I didn't have the teeth to protect it.

“That is why your father arranged a blind date with this man: Adrian Hartley.”

“Adrian Hartley,” Leonard whispered, his eyes widening. “The heir to Hartley Global? They gross ten million a month in the pharmaceutical sector alone. They are the market.”

The name didn't ring a bell from my past life. In that life, I was too busy scrubbing Ethan’s floors to ever see the heights of the elite. But I knew one thing. Ethan’s company was a flea compared to a giant like Hartley.

“Miss Scarlett, may I ask your current relationship status?“ Mr. Hale asked.

“Single,” I said, the word tasting like freedom.

“Then will you meet him? To be honest, without a powerhouse like Hartley backing you, the board will strip you of your title before the week is over.”

I looked at the photo of Adrian Hartley one last time. He looked cold, dangerous, and untouchable. Exactly what I needed.

I didn't need love or a partner. I had tried that, and it had nearly killed me. I needed a man whose sheer power would act as a gag for the board and a death sentence for Ethan.

If I was going to make a deal with the devil to burn Ethan’s world down, so be it.

“Tell him I’ll be there,” I said, my voice steady and devoid of emotion.