Operation Blind Date

Gigi’s gasp cut through the heavy silence of the room. “You can’t be serious,” she said, her voice trembling. “Rowan, you’re walking away? From me? From us?”

Rowan’s gaze locked on hers, cold and unyielding. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Elizabeth Vaughn rose from her seat, her usual poise shattered by the tension in the air. “Rowan, think carefully before you speak another word. This isn’t just about you. Your decision affects the family, the company—”

“I’ve thought more about this than you’ll ever know,” Rowan interrupted, his tone sharp enough to make even his father, who rarely spoke, shift uncomfortably. “And I won’t sacrifice my life to keep up appearances.”

“You’re being reckless,” Gigi hissed, her voice rising with barely contained anger. “You’re angry. You’re letting—”

“Angry?” Rowan cut her off, his voice like steel. “Do you think this is about anger, Gigi? This is about honesty. Something you wouldn’t understand.”

“Rowan!” Elizabeth’s voice cracked through the air, her sharp tone laced with disbelief. “You will not speak to your fiancée like that!”

“Fiancée?” Rowan let out a humorless laugh, turning back to Gigi. “She stopped being that the moment I found out she’s been lying to me for months. Manipulating me. Twisting my life into something I don’t even recognize anymore.”

His father cleared his throat, the weight of his deep voice grounding the room. “Rowan, you’ve been through a lot. It’s understandable that you’re confused, but breaking this engagement is not the solution.”

“No,” Rowan said firmly. “It’s the only solution.”

Gigi’s mask of calm began to crack, her trembling hands clutching at the arm of the sofa. “You don’t mean this. You can’t mean this. After everything we’ve been through—”

“What have we been through, Gigi?” Rowan snapped, his words cutting like a blade. “What exactly do you think we’ve built? Because from where I stand, it looks like a house of cards, one you’ve been stacking with lies since the moment I woke up in that hospital.”

Her lips quivered, but she quickly composed herself, her tone shifting to one of desperate sweetness. “Rowan, you’re not thinking clearly. You’ve been stressed lately, with everything going on at work—”

“This isn’t stress,” Rowan interrupted, his voice cold. “This is clarity.”

Gigi’s eyes darted to Elizabeth for support, but even Elizabeth seemed momentarily stunned into silence.

“You can’t just walk away,” Gigi whispered, her voice a mixture of disbelief and fury. “What will people say? What about the Vaughn name?”

Rowan’s expression darkened, his voice steady but filled with quiet rage. “Let them talk. Let them say whatever they want. I’m done living my life for other people.”

His mother finally stepped forward, her expression unreadable. “Rowan, you’re making a mistake. This family has always prioritized its legacy. We don’t just walk away from commitments.”

Rowan’s jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath before speaking. “Maybe that’s the problem, Mother. You see commitments as tools for power, not people. But I’m not willing to be used anymore.”

Elizabeth froze, her usual commanding presence faltering. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“No,” Rowan said calmly. “I’m being honest. Something that’s been in short supply around here.”

The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over everyone.

Gigi finally broke the quiet, her voice venomous despite her attempts to keep her composure. “If you walk out that door, don’t expect me to be here when you come crawling back.”

Rowan turned to her, his gaze steady. “Good. Because I’m not coming back.”

He turned and strode toward the door, his shoulders squared. The sound of his shoes echoed against the marble floor as Gigi and his parents watched in stunned silence, unable to process that Rowan Vaughn—the son, the heir, the perfect CEO—was walking away.

****

"Operation Blind Date"

“Laura, hold it steady!” Larry whispered, leaning over her as she struggled to keep the laptop balanced on her knees.

“I am holding it steady!” Laura hissed back, her voice barely above a whisper. She stuck her tongue out in concentration, her tiny fingers clicking furiously on the keyboard. “You’re the one breathing all heavy, Larry!”

“I’m not breathing heavy! You’re just slow,” Larry shot back, crossing his arms.

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Shhh!” Laura snapped, glaring at him. “Do you want Mommy to catch us?”

Larry huffed but stayed quiet, watching as Laura typed into the dating site they had stumbled upon earlier that week. It was all part of their new plan: Operation Blind Date.

“She needs a new boyfriend,” Laura said decisively, glancing over at her brother for approval.

“And not just any boyfriend,” Larry agreed, nodding sagely. “A cool one. Handsome Uncle cool.”

Laura grinned, clearly delighted by the idea. “Yeah! Someone who’ll make Mommy smile.”

“Okay,” Larry said, leaning closer. “What do we write?”

Laura squinted at the profile form, her lollipop bobbing in her mouth as she thought. “Hmm… How about: ‘Super pretty doctor looking for a prince charming!’”

Larry groaned. “That’s so lame, Laura. Nobody’s going to believe that. Just say, ‘Nice lady. Smart. Likes pizza.’”

Laura snorted, typing quickly. “Fine. But I’m adding that she’s a super good mommy.”

“Obviously,” Larry muttered, rolling his eyes.

The twins fell silent for a moment, watching the profile take shape. A small photo of Remi—one they’d sneakily taken while she was drinking her morning coffee—sat at the top of the page.

“Okay,” Laura said, her voice tinged with excitement. “Now we wait.”

\---

By the next afternoon, the twins were back at the computer, eagerly scrolling through the messages that had flooded in.

“Look at this one!” Laura squealed, pointing at a profile. “He’s cute!”

Larry leaned over, frowning at the screen. “He’s old, Laura! He’s like… thirty-five!”

“That’s not old! Mommy’s thirty-something, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, but this guy has gray hair. Gray hair is old.”

Laura sighed dramatically. “Fine, let’s find someone younger.” She scrolled down, stopping at a man with a bright smile and a picture of himself holding a dog. “Ooooh, what about him? He has a dog!”

Larry considered this. “Hmm… Mommy does like dogs.”

“Exactly!” Laura clicked on the profile. “Okay, what do we say to him?”

Larry furrowed his brow, thinking hard. “Something smart. Like… um… ‘Want to go on a date with my mom?’”

“That’s not smart!” Laura giggled. “That’s obvious.”

“It’s honest!”

“But it’s boring.”

Before Larry could argue, Laura typed: “Hi! My mom’s super nice and she likes pizza and coffee. Want to meet her? She’s free Friday at 7!”

“Laura!” Larry whisper-shouted. “You didn’t even ask Mommy first!”

“She’ll thank us later,” Laura said confidently, hitting send.

\---

Friday evening rolled around, and Remi sat at the kitchen table, her hair still damp from her shower, scrolling through her phone. The twins were unusually quiet, sitting together on the couch with matching innocent smiles.

“What are you two up to?” she asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing!” they said in unison, a little too quickly.

Remi narrowed her eyes but didn’t press further. Just as she was about to go back to her phone, the doorbell rang.

“Were we expecting someone?” she asked, standing to answer it.

“Nope!” Larry and Laura chorused, looking at each other nervously.

Remi opened the door to find a man standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers and looking mildly confused.

“Hi,” he said awkwardly, glancing down at a piece of paper in his hand. “I… uh… I’m here for the blind date?”

Remi blinked at him, her brain taking a moment to process his words. “The what?”

The man hesitated, frowning. “Is this not Remi Laurentt’s house?”

“It is,” she said slowly, her eyes narrowing. “And who exactly are you?”

He smiled sheepishly. “Oh, sorry! I’m Dave. We’ve been messaging all week? You said to meet here tonight?”

Remi stared at him, her confusion quickly giving way to suspicion. She turned toward the twins, who were suddenly very interested in the ceiling.

“Larry. Laura,” she said in a dangerously calm tone. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Larry said, his voice an octave higher than usual.

“Nothing at all!” Laura added, though her wide-eyed expression gave her away.

Remi turned back to Dave, forcing a polite smile. “I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake. I don’t know anything about a blind date.”

Dave looked relieved. “Oh, thank God. Honestly, I thought it was a little weird that a doctor would use a dating site her kids were running.”

Remi’s polite smile vanished. “Excuse me?”

He gestured vaguely toward the twins. “Uh… aren’t they the ones who messaged me?”

Remi pinched the bridge of her nose, mortified. “Thank you for stopping by, Dave. Have a good night.” She closed the door firmly, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Turning back to the twins, she crossed her arms. “Start talking. Now.”

Larry and Laura exchanged guilty glances before Laura spoke up. “We just wanted to help, Mommy!”

“Yeah!” Larry chimed in. “You’re always working and stuff. You deserve to have fun.”

“So you decided to set me up with a stranger?” Remi said incredulously.

“He seemed nice!” Laura said defensively. “And he had a dog!”

“Enough,” Remi said, holding up a hand. “You two are grounded. No screen time for a week.”

“But Mommy—”

“No buts!”

The twins groaned but didn’t argue further, realizing they’d already pushed their luck.

As Remi walked away, muttering under her breath, Larry turned to Laura.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned.”

Laura sighed dramatically. “Next time, we need a better guy. Maybe someone who looks like Handsome Uncle.”

Larry nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. Definitely.”

“Definitely what?” Remi called from the kitchen.

“Nothing!” they shouted back in unison, quickly deciding it was best to lay low for a while.