The day after, and the days that followed, were all just the same to Ethan Cole: meetings, files, and prep work. It wasn't that I never knew how to handle these kinds of clients-I'd done this dance a hundred times. But Ethan wasn't just difficult; he was an enigma, a fortress wrapped in designer suits, and I had the distinct feeling that if I weren't careful, I'd end up on the wrong side of his razor-sharp tongue.
Zoe was in her element, doing the numbers and making new investments for our expanding business, but I could tell she was just as interested in how things were unfolding with Ethan.
"How are you going to handle this?" Zoe asked one morning as we sat in our office, her desk piled high with financial reports. "The guy's like an iceberg. You'll need dynamite to make a crack."
I let out a breath, staring at the profile I'd been building for him on my laptop. "I don't know yet. I'm still trying to figure out what makes him tick. He's not just cold-he's detached. Like he doesn't think love is a necessity."
Zoe shrugged. "It's a luxury to him, probably. He's got money, power, everything he could ever need. Why bother with messy emotions?
That's the problem," I said, massaging my temples. "He's coming at this like it's a transaction, and love isn't something you can plan out. He can't just give me a shopping list of what he wants and then expect me to find this perfect woman who'll fit into his life like some kind of puzzle piece."
Zoe gave me a knowing look. "You want to fix him, don't you?
I blinked, taken aback by her candor. "No. I just want to. help him realize there's more to a relationship than convenience."
She raised one eyebrow. "That sounds a lot like fixing, Chloe.
I shook my head, fighting off her words. I really didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't all that wrong. Ethan wasn't like any of my other clients, and the challenge of finding someone who could break through his walls was tempting. But it wasn't just that. Deep down, a part of me couldn't help but wonder if he even wanted to be fixed-or if he'd shut down any chance of real connection a long time ago.
***
I was again in Ethan's office for the next meeting, and as I rode to the top floor on the elevator, I went over in my head what I would say. I needed him to understand that matchmaking wasn't a Band-Aid-it was a process. And convincing a man like Ethan to show some patience? That was going to be a fight.
He was waiting by his desk, leaning against the edge with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression, as always, was unreadable.
"Ms. Hastings," he said, nodding toward me as I approached. "I assume you've come with options."
I stopped dead in my tracks, blinked at him. "Options?"
Possible matches," he elucidated, as if it were evident. "That's what you do, isn't it? You present me with candidates who fit what I want?
I bit back a sigh. It was just what I had been trying to avoid. He was asking me to give him a list of women, like they were sending their applications in. I could almost hear his voice: *'Find me a woman who ticks all the boxes, and we're good to go.'*
That's not how this works, Mr. Cole," I said, my voice even but firm. "This is about the connection. A real one. Not about finding some person that fits into your life with no effort involved."
He lifted an eyebrow, his cool blue eyes regarding me. "I am aware of how relationships function, Ms. Hastings. But I have certain. expectations.
I took one step closer, my eyes right on his. "And what, exactly, are those expectations? Because from where I stand, it would appear to me that you're going out of your way to avoid the very thing that does indeed make a relationship real."
His jaw slightly tensed, and for the first time, something flickered across his face-annoyance? Vulnerability? I couldn't tell, but it was there, just below the surface.
"I don't have the luxury of wasting time," he said, his tone even but with a sharpness to it. "I don't need someone who complicates my life."
"Love *is* complicated, Mr. Cole," I snapped. "That's the point. If it were easy, you wouldn't need me. But what you're asking for isn't love—it's convenience."
There was a moment of silence between us, heavy and thick, falling upon me like an electric air. I half-expected him to shoo me away, telling me I wasn't the one that he was looking for. Instead of that reaction, his surprise met mine.
"What do you suggest, then?" he asked, softer now, yet still guarded.
I did a double take from the question. He was asking me for advice? That wasn't exactly the response I would've expected from him. Maybe, just maybe, there was a crack in that ice after all.
"I think this is the pace for now," I said, folding my arms and effectively doubling his stance. "You need efficiency, and that's what I can provide. But this whole process isn't going to work unless you open up to it. You have to want to learn how to connect with someone, and that's just not going to happen in an instant."
Ethan shifted slightly to the side, his expression such that he seemed to consider my words. "So you're saying I need. training?
I couldn't help but smile at that. "I guess you could call that. I'm not just here to find you a match-I'm here to teach you how to be in a relationship."
He didn't smile back, but his expression softened just a fraction. "Fine. I'll follow your lead. But let's be clear-I'm not here for romance. I need someone who understands the demands of my life.
"And I need you to trust me," I replied. "This goes beyond checking the boxes. You would have to be committed to the work."
Ethan nodded; a slight crease formed between his brows. "I can manage to put in the work, Ms. Hastings. That has never been a problem."
The way he said that, he sounded like he absolutely believed it. Something inside me told me that real work was going to be far more challenging than anything he'd faced in the boardroom.
***
That evening back at the office, I recounted the meeting to Zoe over takeout. She listened with her usual mix of amusement and curiosity, her green eyes sparkling with mirth as I told her of my plan to "train" Ethan Cole in the art of relationships.
"So let me get this straight," she said between sips of noodles. "You're basically turning the city's most eligible—and emotionally unavailable—bachelor into your personal project?
I rolled my eyes. "It's not like that. He needs help, Zoe. He doesn't even know how to be romantic, let alone vulnerable. If he's going to make this work, he needs to learn how to actually connect with someone."
Zoe laughed, shaking her head. "You've got your work cut out for you, that's for sure. But hey-if anyone can pull it off, it's you.
I smiled, but deep inside, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Ethan was used to control, to keeping people at arm's length. And I had this feeling that the closer I came to cracking his exterior, the more resistant he'd become.
Yet, I couldn't shake off this feeling that Ethan Cole had more to him than meets the eye. Maybe, just maybe, beneath the ice was a man who needed someone to understand him. A man that needed to be taught how to love.
And like it or not, it would be me who did.