The Rival I Fell for

CHAPTER 1 POV: EVELYN ANONYMOUS ONLINE FRIEND Everyone thought I lived a life they all dreamed of. But that was only what they saw from the outside. They didn't know I was going through a lot deep down. I owned a company, had people working under me and had everything I spent years trying to build. Whenever people saw me, they thought I had everything under control. Maybe I made it appear that way. I had gotten used to keeping my problems to myself. I never liked letting people know when something was wrong, especially when everyone expected me to have everything under control. I was sitting in my office, leaning back in my chair and staring at the files on my desk. I had been looking at them for a while, but I wasn't paying proper attention to what was written in them. My mind was somewhere else. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I was exhausted. Not the kind of exhaustion that goes away after sleeping for a while. It was the type that made me want to close down everything and disappear for a while. I removed one of my earbuds and placed it on the table. The office was peaceful. Most of the employees had already gone home, but I was still there trying to finish some work. I looked around my office. Everything reminded me of how hard I had worked to get here. The desk, the files, the large glass window, the wall clock and even the names written on the documents on my desk. I remembered how much I had dreamed of this day. This was what I always wanted. I wanted to own something that belonged to me, something I built with my talents and hard work. But sometimes, the things you dream of owning come with challenges. I looked at the files in front of me and tried to read through them, but my mind wasn't cooperating. I stood up and walked towards the window. Everywhere was already dark, so I checked the time. My eyes widened. It's this late? I couldn't believe I had already spent so much time in the office. I quickly gathered the files on my desk and arranged them on one side of the table before standing up. I needed to go home. Maybe taking a nap would help me clear my head. I walked out of my office and drove home. By the time I arrived, I was already tired. I dropped my bag on the shelf, took off my clothes, had a shower and changed into something comfortable. I sat on my bed and stared at my phone. There were a lot of notifications waiting for me. Calls, work messages and personal messages. I wasn't interested in any of them. For once, I didn't want to be Evelyn Whitmore. Everyone expected me to be strong and confident. I just wanted to be free. I just wanted to be myself for once. I opened the app I usually used whenever I needed to let out my feelings. My anonymous page. Nobody knew that the account belonged to me. That was why I liked it. I could write anything there without worrying about people finding out it was me, Evelyn Whitmore. I opened a new post, but for a while, I didn't know what to write. Eventually, I started typing. I wrote about how tired I was. I wrote about how hard it was to pretend everything was okay. I wrote about wanting people to understand me without asking too many questions. I didn't write my name. I didn't mention the name of my company. I didn't write anything that could expose my identity. When I finished, I read through the post again before pressing the post button. I placed my phone beside me and leaned against my pillow. I didn't expect anyone to comment on it. Usually, people read my posts and move on. But after a few minutes, I received a notification about someone's comment. I picked up my phone and opened the comments. Bad day? I looked at the message and, for some reason, smiled. Maybe it was because I hadn't expected anyone to comment on my post. I typed a short reply. Maybe. A few seconds later, another message came in. You don't sound okay. I was surprised. I didn't even know what to do. I wondered how someone could notice that just from what I had written. I typed again. How do you know that? The reply came almost immediately. Because you didn't write like someone who is okay. I laughed quietly. Maybe you're right. The person and I continued chatting. At first, our conversation was simple. We talked about random things, things we liked, things we disliked, things that annoyed us and things that made us comfortable or uncomfortable. Sometimes, we even talked about things we didn't understand ourselves. With time, our conversations became deeper. I started telling him things I had never told anyone before. Not everything, but things I felt comfortable sharing with him. Whenever I had a bad day, I knew I could go online and talk to him. Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I talked to him. I didn't know his real name. I didn't know what he looked like. I didn't know anything about his family background. And he didn't know those things about me either. We had decided from the beginning not to reveal our identities. Maybe that was what made our friendship different. There was no pressure. No pretending. No need to impress each other. I could just be Evelyn. Not the CEO of a company. Not the woman everyone expected to have everything figured out. Just myself. My phone vibrated again. Are you still thinking about what happened today? I looked at the message. Yeah, a bit. Another message appeared. Not difficult for you to say. I smiled. I'm serious. You need to relax. I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me. You're becoming too bossy. His reply came a few seconds later. Maybe someone has to be. I smiled. Unbelievable. I typed back. You're irritating. And you're still talking to me. I couldn't disagree with that. I smiled at my phone. This person had become one of the most important people in my life without either of us knowing the other's true identity. I didn't even know how it had happened. Maybe it was because he was the first person who stayed online while I talked about my bad days. Maybe it was because he remembered every little thing I told him. Or maybe it was because he never made me feel like I was doing too much. I placed my phone on my bedside table and stared at the ceiling for a while. For a moment, everything felt quiet. Then I picked up my phone again. Thank you. His reply came almost immediately. For what? For always being there. There was a short pause before the next message appeared. You don't have to thank me. That's what best friends are for. I stared at the words. Best friends. I smiled without even realizing it. I never thought I would become this close to someone I had never met or whose real identity I didn't know. But I trusted him more than I probably should. Another notification appeared. Maybe you should go to bed now. I laughed. You're not going to stop, are you? No, I won't. Good night, bossy stranger. Good night, best friend. I put my phone down. For the first time that day, my mind felt a little lighter. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I didn't realize that the person I called my best friend was someone I could barely stand in real life. Someone I disliked. Someone I never wanted to talk to. Someone I considered my biggest rival. Roman Bennett. And the strangest part was that neither of us knew the truth yet.