A Blind date gone wrong

Chloe sat across from Adrian, barely touching her food as her mind raced.

Don't panic, she reminded herself. He doesn't know I'm Chloe. He thinks I'm Aria.

She stole a glance at him. Adrian sat completely composed, entirely unaware that she was frantically trying to sabotage their date. Desperate to escape before things spiraled further, she decided to try a new tactic. She tugged at her jacket collar and sighed.

"It's getting a bit warm in here, isn't it?" she asked, removing her jacket.

"Warm?" Adrian asked, looking toward the air conditioning vent. "It's actually quite cold."

"Well... my body runs hot," Chloe countered, pulling her hair back dramatically.

Adrian raised an eyebrow, staring at her bare arm. "You have goosebumps."

"I get goosebumps all the time!" she insisted, forcing a laugh.

Adrian simply nodded, unbothered. A moment later, his phone buzzed. As he began typing a quick reply, Chloe narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, just replying to a work text," Adrian said, putting his phone away. "You were saying?"

This isn't working, Chloe thought. Time for a last resort.

She set her fork down and lowered her head with exaggerated grief. "I'm just so sad. You seem completely uninterested in me, and it's making Samantha and Rachel really sad too."

Adrian looked at her, completely bewildered. "I don't think Samantha and Rachel have anything to do with this."

"They care about my happiness!"

"I see."

Clenching her fists under the table, Chloe tried to hide her frustration. Awkward excuses, uncomfortable moments, dramatic guilt trips—nothing was making him leave. She took a deep breath and decided to push the boundary even further.

"Adrian... do you actually like me?"

When Adrian paused, Chloe sat up straight, flashing a sudden, deliberate smile. "Really? Then... should we get a room?" She winked at him, confident this would shock him into running away.

Instead, Adrian picked up his phone, entirely unfazed. "All right. I'll book one."

Chloe's smile vanished. Wait. What?!

A few minutes later, Chloe stood near the lobby, watching in utter disbelief as Adrian completed the reservation at the front desk.

When he walked back over, his tone was completely calm. "Let's go."

"Right behind you," Chloe squeaked out, her heart hammering against her ribs.

As they walked down the hotel hallway, panic finally took over. What am I doing?! Whatever money Aria promised me, it's not worth this!

She abruptly stopped, spun around to sprint toward the exit, and slammed directly into a woman walking past.

"Oh! I'm so sorry—"

Before Chloe could step back, the woman grabbed her firmly by the jacket. "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, her voice tight with rage.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Chloe struggled against her grip.

"You really have no idea who I am, do you?" the woman snapped. "I'm Mason Carter's girlfriend."

Chloe blinked, completely lost. "Who is Mason?"

"You were in a hotel room with him just an hour ago!" the woman yelled, tears of anger in her eyes. "And now you're checking into a hotel with someone else?"

"I don't even know a Mason!" Chloe protested. "You have the wrong person!"

"Stop playing dumb!" The woman yanked out her phone and shoved an image in front of Chloe's face.

Chloe froze. The woman in the photograph was standing next to a man—and she looked virtually identical to Chloe.

Before the argument could escalate further, Adrian stepped in, calmly but firmly placing his hand between them and removing the woman's grip from Chloe.

"That's enough," Adrian said, his voice cold and steady. "Let go of her."

"This has nothing to do with you!" the woman shouted. "She's a cheat!"

"If your boyfriend was here with someone else, then your issue is with him," Adrian replied, completely unbothered by her anger. "It takes two people to cheat. Don't put all the blame on her without knowing the facts."

Chloe quickly slipped behind Adrian, using him as a shield. "I think she's crazy..."

The woman glared at them both, speechless, as Adrian turned to Chloe. "Let me take you out of here. Let's go."

They turned and walked away, leaving the furious woman behind in the hallway. But as Chloe followed Adrian toward the exit, her mind was spinning.

Who was the woman in the photograph?

And who was Mason Carter?