
Dating A Hot TycoonPart 1 – The Blind DateThe restaurant glittered with golden chandeliers, the kind of place where every wine glass sparkled under the light and every whisper seemed too loud.Aria adjusted her dress for the fifth time. She hated blind dates. She hated that her parents insisted this was “for her own good.” After her messy divorce, she had promised herself she wouldn’t let anyone else step into her broken heart.“Just dinner,” she reminded herself. “One evening. I’ll smile, be polite, and leave.”But the moment she looked up, her breath caught in her throat.The man standing at the entrance wasn’t just anyone. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a sharp suit tailored perfectly to his frame—his presence commanded the entire room. His eyes, cold but captivating, locked with hers.And then recognition struck.Her ex-husband’s boss. Ethan Blackwell.The ruthless corporate lawyer whispered about in every business circle. A man with a reputation for winning battles in the courtroom and breaking hearts outside of it.Of all people, why him?He approached the table, his lips curving in the faintest trace of a smirk. “Aria, isn’t it? I didn’t expect you.” His voice was deep, smooth, carrying a kind of authority that made it impossible not to listen.Her chest tightened. “I… didn’t expect you either.”The awkward silence between them was almost unbearable until Ethan leaned closer and lowered his voice.“Since we’re both here, I have a proposal. Why don’t we make this easier on ourselves? Pretend, just for tonight, that we’re… a couple.”Aria’s heart skipped. Pretend?This was insane. And yet, some reckless part of her whispered that maybe—just maybe—it wouldn’t hurt to play along.“Fine,” she said finally, lifting her chin. “But only tonight.”Ethan’s smirk deepened, his gaze lingering on her as though she had just agreed to far more than she realized.And just like that, the game began.---

