Billionaire’s Sister Forces Blind Date On Him, Never Expected To Actually Want Second Date
The Unexpected Encounter
The moment Eve Apprentice stepped through the doors of the bustling auction house, his phone buzzed with his sister’s name flashing on the screen. He ignored it. Then it buzzed again and again. On the fifth call, he finally relented, stepping into a quiet corner as bidding began on a rare Basquiat.
“What is so urgent that you need to call me five times in a row, Olivia?” Eve hissed into the phone, watching a paddle raise for 8 million.
“You need to leave right now.”
His sister’s voice was unnervingly calm.
“I’m in the middle of an auction.”
“You don’t care about it. You’re only there to avoid the blind date I set up for you, which started 15 minutes ago.”
Eve froze. He’d completely forgotten about Olivia’s latest matchmaking attempt.
“I’m not going.”
“She’s still waiting at Lumine. Her name is Zara Forester. She’s wearing a blue dress, and if you don’t show up in the next 20 minutes, I’m donating $50 million from your foundation to that cat sanctuary you hate.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
The line went dead. Eve cursed under his breath.
At 35, he’d built a shipping empire worth billions and negotiated with hardened business tycoons across six continents. But his 32-year-old sister still knew exactly how to corner him.
The cat sanctuary donation was a direct hit, not because he disliked cats, but because the sanctuary’s owner had once tried to sue one of his companies over a ridiculous pollution claim.
23 minutes later, Eve stalked into Lumine, the upscale restaurant his sister had chosen. He scanned the room quickly, spotting a woman alone at a corner table, absent-mindedly stirring her drink while reading something on her phone.
She wasn’t what he expected. Olivia usually set him up with socialites or models—women who spent more time cultivating their social media presence than actual personalities.
This woman was different. Her dark hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and her blue dress was elegant but understated. There was no excessive jewelry and no obvious designer labels screaming for attention. He approached her table.
“Zara Forester?”
She looked up, startled, then smiled.
“You must be the infamous Eve Apprentice. I was just about to pay for my drink and leave.”
“I apologize for my tardiness.”
He sat down across from her, signaling a waiter.
“My sister can be quite persistent, but I should have had the decency to arrive on time or cancel.”
Zara added, raising an eyebrow, “That would have been fine too.”
Eve studied her. There was something refreshingly direct about her manner.
“Fair enough. So tell me, what did my sister bribe you with to agree to this?”
Zara laughed, a genuine sound that momentarily caught him off guard.
“She’s donating to my wildlife conservation program. I run field research on endangered species.”
“Wildlife conservation? I would have expected…”
He stopped himself.
“Let me guess: a model, socialite, trophy wife in training?”
Her green eyes held a challenging sparkle.
“Something like that,” he admitted. “Olivia usually has a type when it comes to her matchmaking endeavors.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint. I spend most of my time tracking migration patterns and fighting for habitat protection, not much time for cocktail parties and Instagram poses.”
The waiter approached, and Eve ordered a scotch.
“I’m not disappointed,” he said after the waiter left. “Just surprised.”
“That makes two of us. When Olivia described her billionaire shipping magnate brother, I pictured someone…”
She trailed off, measuring her words.
“Older? Fatter? With a monocle, perhaps?”
Eve suggested this, finding himself amused despite his initial reluctance.
“Less approachable,” she finished, though the monocle would have been interesting.
Eve found himself smiling. Their drinks arrived, and he lifted his glass to low expectations exceeded.
“Then I’ll drink to that.”
