Chapter 6 - THE FIRST DATE WASN'T FIRST
Their charity dinner meeting was not random.
Ethan had arranged the seating.
The event organizer, Melissa Grant, confirmed it later.
Ethan had donated to the event and asked casually:
“Could you seat me near Claire Carter? We have mutual industry contacts.”
Melissa thought it was networking.
Nothing more.
Ethan already knew:
Claire liked Italian food,
worked late Thursdays,
had recently ended a relationship,
and was considering leaving her firm.
He did not magically read her.
He had researched her.
Claire remembered feeling amazed by how quickly they connected.
Now she saw hidden preparation.
That did not mean every emotion between them was fake.
That was almost worse.
Ethan really did love spending time with her.
Claire really did laugh.
May you like
Really did choose him.
But her choice had been made inside a reality Ethan had secretly engineered.
