Between Work And Screens
Elliot Hale had always preferred the shadows. At work, he was practically invisible: the man who quietly turned chaos into order without asking for praise. No one remembered his birthday, and his desk was strategically tucked into the corner of an open-plan office, like a detail everyone had forgotten about halfway through designing the building. And that was fine with him. Being overlooked meant being safe.
But online, in the quiet hum of his favorite forum, he wasn’t invisible. He wasn’t “that guy from the finance department.” He was “TailoredTips,” the anonymous go-to guru for anyone in need of advice. Love troubles? He’d solved them. Wardrobe crises? He’d turned fashion disasters into triumphs. A friend’s floundering confidence? Restored with a few typed words. It was the one place where he could say what he truly thought, uncensored and unapologetic.
That’s where he first met her.
Of course, he hadn’t known it was her at the time. The woman who called herself “Vee” on the forum was smart, funny, and refreshingly candid. She spoke about her life as if she were untangling a knot no one else could see, venting about her “unruly employees” or her endless schedule of social events. But beneath her polished tone, Elliot could sense her loneliness, her need for something real in a world that expected perfection.
For weeks, they talked. First in public threads, then in private messages. Their connection was instant and electric, sparking late-night conversations that blurred the line between strangers and confidants. He became her anchor, her secret adviser. And every time she asked him to meet in person, he gently deflected, keeping the fragile boundary between their two worlds intact.
Because Vee wasn’t just anyone. She was Victoria Langley, the CEO of his company.
The woman whose voice could silence a room. The woman who, just hours ago, had stood in the center of their office, sharp heels clicking against the marble floor as she delivered a scathing critique of his department’s latest report. She hadn’t even glanced his way. Why would she? He was nobody to her.
And yet, that same evening, she had messaged him online, desperate for advice on what to wear to a gala, thanking him for being her “lifeline” when no one else seemed to understand her.
Elliot stared at the glowing screen of his laptop, his heart thudding in his chest. He should stop. This was dangerous. Reckless. Every time he gave her advice—every time he offered her a piece of himself—he was tightening a noose around his own neck.
But then she sent another message.
Vee: “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Sometimes I think you’re the only person who really sees me.”
His fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling. He typed out a reply.
TailoredTips: “I’m just glad I can help. You’re stronger than you think, Vee.”
He hit send and leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. Two lives. Two versions of himself. And one impossible secret.
Elliot knew it was only a matter of time before his world came crashing down.
