Caught in His Own Lie

Adrian sat in his top-floor office, scrolling through the production system with a tense, distracted energy. He barely registered the soft rustle of footsteps until Ethan, his secretary, appeared in the doorway.

"You asked for me," Ethan said, raising a hand in a quiet wave as he stepped inside.

"Yes." Adrian kept his eyes glued to the screen. "The production line in Africa... when are we restarting the second line?"

"It'll take at least a week to finish the replacement work," Ethan replied. He glanced down at his tablet before adding, "And today's Mr. Dylan's first day, isn't it? James's replacement?"

"Let's have lunch with him today," Adrian said, his mind already racing ahead to the next item on his agenda.

Ethan hesitated, adjusting his posture. "Actually... your schedule has changed. Starting from lunch today."

Adrian looked up, caught completely off guard. "What? What do you mean?"

"The order came directly from the Chairman." Ethan braced himself. "He's scheduled a series of blind dates for you."

"What?" Adrian exhaled sharply, a cold edge in his voice. "So that's how it's going to be, huh."

Shortly after, they got into the car together. Ethan took the wheel while Adrian sat in the back, his glare fixed on his laptop screen as he reviewed his first date's profile. Ethan filled the heavy silence by detailing her interests and throwing out tips on how to appear more attentive.

They arrived at the upscale venue, exchanged the obligatory pleasantries, and sat down. Adrian offered almost nothing to the conversation, occupying himself with slow, rhythmic sips of coffee while his date carried the entire dynamic.

"People say it's a shame that I have to get married because of my career," she said, leaning back. "But I think bringing a child with good genetics into the world and raising it well is worthwhile too."

Adrian wasn't listening. His mind was elsewhere, counting the seconds until he could leave.

"She's the second daughter of the Minister," Ethan noted afterward, sliding back into the driver's seat. "She studied at Harvard, too."

Adrian barely remembered making the transition to the second location before the next woman across from him was already speaking.

"You know Professor Edward, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes. He was my advisor."

"He speaks very highly of you." She leaned forward slightly, bestowing a practiced smile. "Mr. Adrian, I've heard so much about you, and you're even better in person."

Adrian offered nothing back, letting the silence stretch thin.

By the third date, he abandoned even the pretense of listening. One profile blurred seamlessly into another. One quiet café bled into another polished restaurant. Every conversation began to sound strangely identical.

By the time late evening hit, Adrian had survived ten blind dates, and the words spoken at every single table had merged into a single, repetitive noise.

"Is there anyone else in the world," he muttered, collapsing back into the car seat, utterly drained, "who's gone on ten blind dates in a single day?"

He turned his exhausted gaze toward Ethan.

"Congratulations," Ethan said, biting back a twitching grin. "You'll probably set the world record for the most blind dates in a single day."

Adrian shot him a look sharp enough to draw blood.

Later, in the corporate elevator, Adrian glanced at the glowing display. "You hit the wrong button." He gestured at the panel. "Why did you press the roof?"

"I didn't press the wrong one." Ethan offered a slight smile. "It's not over yet."

"What?" Adrian stared at him, bewildered.

The elevator doors slid open onto the rooftop, where the low hum of a waiting helicopter cut through the air.

Date number eleven.

Ethan briefed him during the flight, rattling off background details about the next candidate while Adrian stared out the window into the darkness in complete, stony silence.

At the venue, Adrian sat through the entire engagement without digesting a single word she said. He simply tracked the movement of the clock's hands, counting down the minutes until it ended.

Back in the elevator after the return flight, both men looked equally spent.

"They were all still better than the fake Aria," Ethan remarked, loosening his tie slightly. "Did anyone today catch your eye?"

"Not even close." Adrian rubbed his temples, a dull ache forming behind his eyes. "At least the fake Aria wasn't boring. How is it possible they all say the exact same things?"

"True enough." Ethan glanced over, then froze mid-nod. "President Adrian... your nose is bleeding."

He quickly pulled a crisp tissue from his pocket and handed it over.

"My nose is bleeding?" Adrian touched his upper lip, his fingers coming away stained red.

"Damn it." He took the tissue with a weary sigh. "These nosebleeds always show up at the absolute worst time."

By the time they arrived at the Chairman's estate, Adrian could barely keep his balance as he walked through the heavy front doors.

"You're late," his grandfather said, not bothering to look up from his desk. "How were the blind dates?"

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Adrian snapped, his carefully maintained composure finally cracking. "Do you have any idea how many blind dates I just sat through?"

"You flew all the way to New York for number eleven." His grandfather set down his pen. "Did you like anyone?"

"I can't believe you." Adrian turned on his heel to leave.

"Stop overreacting. You're the one who got me excited by saying you'd marry Aria, and then you called it off. Are you playing games with your grandfather?"

"That's not what happened."

"Then stop making excuses and keep your promise." His grandfather slapped a thick folder down on the dark wood table.

List of Blind Date Candidates.

"Meet the rest tomorrow. Up to number twenty. If you still don't find anyone, I'll line up a full year's worth of eligible women."

Adrian's stomach dropped into a floorless void.

"I have a woman I want to marry," he blurted out.

His grandfather froze, then slowly turned around.

"What? You have someone you want to marry?"

"Yes."

"You're always buried in work. When would you even have had time to meet someone?"

"No matter how busy I am," Adrian said, forcing an unwavering confidence into his tone, "I still make time to meet women."

"Then why did you go on all those blind dates? And why tell me you'd marry Ms. Aria?"

"The truth is... we broke up for a while. We had a fight. I agreed to the blind dates out of anger."

His grandfather narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze over to Ethan.

"Is he telling the truth?"

"You should ask Ethan," Adrian cut in quickly. "He's the reason we got back together."

Ethan caught Adrian's frantic gaze and offered the faintest, almost imperceptible wink.

"Yes, sir," Ethan answered smoothly, stepping forward. "I tried very hard to reconcile them."

A slow smile finally spread across the Chairman's face.

"So... when do I get to meet her?"

"I'll arrange something soon."

"Set a date immediately."

"I need to check if she's even available first." Adrian cleared his throat, pausing for effect. "That means... no more blind dates for me, right?"

"Of course. If you'd told me sooner, I wouldn't have arranged such an exhausting schedule."

His grandfather turned and walked away, still smiling to himself.

The grand room fell completely silent.

Adrian let out a long, shuddering breath of exhaustion, while behind him, Ethan fought a losing battle not to laugh out loud.

They had escaped the endless stream of blind dates.

Now, they were trapped in an even bigger problem.