A Bride He Never Expected

The moment Adrian stepped out of the hotel, the cool night breeze brushed against his face. His expression remained cold, but his mind refused to let go of the woman he had just met.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his secretary.

“Ethan, bring the car around.”

“Yes, President Adrian.”

A few minutes later, the black luxury sedan stopped in front of him. Adrian slid into the back seat, loosened his tie, and leaned against the leather seat.

Ethan glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Rough date?”

Adrian let out a dry laugh. “You could call it a disaster.”

“What happened?”

“She admitted she got caught cheating on another man. Then she told me she likes dating men and usually keeps three or four guys around at the same time.”

Ethan’s eyes widened.

“She actually said that?”

“She did.”

“She sounds like the worst kind of woman.”

Adrian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stared out the window as the city lights blurred past. Something about the woman’s performance felt too dramatic... too deliberate.

Before he could think further, his phone rang.

Grandfather.

Adrian answered immediately.

“Yes, Grandfather. I just left the hotel. I’m on my way home.”

“The date is over already?” William Blake asked. “Sounds like it failed. Put Ethan on the phone. I’ll arrange another blind date.”

“There’s no need.”

Silence followed.

“What do you mean there’s no need?” his grandfather asked, his voice turning sharp. “Are you breaking the promise you made me?”

“No.”

Adrian’s eyes remained fixed ahead as he spoke without hesitation.

“I’m going to marry Aria.”

Ethan nearly hit the brakes.

On the other end of the call, William Blake was speechless.

“You... what?”

“The woman I met tonight is the one I’ll marry.”

Adrian ended the call before his grandfather could argue, completely unaware that the woman he had spent the evening with was not Aria at all—it was Chloe.

Not far from the hotel, Chloe and Aria sat inside a cozy restaurant, laughing over milkshakes.

Chloe leaned forward. “Seriously, how on earth did your company’s CEO end up being your blind date?”

Aria covered her face in embarrassment. “Don’t remind me.”

“So... how did I do?”

“How do you think it went?” Aria replied with a playful smile.

Under the table, she secretly gave Chloe a thumbs-up.

Both girls burst into laughter.

“I deserve an award,” Chloe said proudly. “I used every personality trait men hate. I acted rude, arrogant, dramatic... everything.”

She tossed her hair with a grin.

“I’m one hundred percent sure President Adrian will never contact you again.”

Aria clapped happily.

“Mission accomplished! Thank you for saving me.”

The friends raised their glasses and toasted to Chloe’s successful performance.

Convinced the nightmare was over, they left the restaurant and headed to a karaoke studio.

Music filled the room as they sang at the top of their lungs, laughing until tears rolled down their cheeks.

Then Aria’s phone rang.

Seeing her father’s name on the screen, she excused herself and stepped outside to answer the call.

A minute later, she returned.

The smile on her face was gone.

She looked pale.

“Chloe...” Her voice trembled. “What did you do?”

Chloe blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean? I was just singing my heart out.”

“No.” Aria grabbed her wrist. “Not here. At the hotel.”

Chloe frowned.

“What did you do to make President Adrian say he wants to marry me?”

The words crashed into Chloe like thunder.

“What?”

“He called my father,” Aria said, panic filling her eyes. “He told my family he wants to marry Aria.”

Chloe’s mouth fell open.

“Marry... you?”

“Yes!” Aria shouted, shaking Chloe’s shoulders. “You were the one who went on that blind date pretending to be me. Tell me exactly what happened.”

For the first time that night, Chloe’s confidence disappeared.

She realized her “mission” had gone terribly, terribly wrong.