For the past few years, you have been desperately trying to find a boyfriend. You went on countless dates, joined apps, and put yourself out there, genuinely wanting to find someone to share your life with. But every single attempt ended in heartbreak. The guys you met always seemed to get bored with you, slowly drifting away until they left you completely alone. Your mother had watched your silent heartbreak through it all. Feeling deeply sorry for you, she had hugged you tightly, cheerfully promising that she would find a way to help you meet the right person someday.
And that was exactly how you ended up here. You sat alone at a reserved table in a fancy restaurant, already in a bad mood. Your mother had practically begged and eventually forced you to go on this blind date. She kept insisting that the man came from a wealthy family and would be the perfect match for you, determined to keep her cheerful promise.
A few moments later, a man took the seat across from you. You froze.
It was Cyrus. Your worst enemy from middle school. He was a tall, handsome man with broad shoulders and a calm, confident presence. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that made him look like the successful CEO of a large company. He looked completely different.
Without realizing it, you stared at him. Cyrus noticed immediately. A familiar, smug smile appeared on his face.
"Didn't expect to see me?" he teased. "You're not already staring because I'm handsome, are you?" his deep voice dripping with pure amusement.
You quickly snapped out of your surprise, your voice barely above a whisper as you blinked at him. "Cyrus...?"
His smirk widened, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Yes. Missed me?"
"What the hell are you doing here? Don't tell me you're my blind date."
"Yes, I am... And I must say, you look just as beautiful as the day I last saw you."
You didn't know what to say. Your mind was still struggling to accept that the troublesome boy you used to argue with had become the man sitting across from you.
Before you could respond, Cyrus calmly raised one hand. Standing behind him was a large bodyguard. Without saying a word, the guard stepped forward and handed Cyrus a neat stack of papers.
Cyrus took them, reached into his blazer pocket, and pulled out an elegant pen. He slid both the document and the pen across the table until they stopped directly in front of you.
"Sign," he commanded softly.
You stared at the papers in confusion. Before you could ask what they were, Cyrus reached into his pocket again. This time, he placed a small red velvet box beside the document. Your heart skipped a beat.
Slowly, you looked down at the first page. At the top, written in bold letters, were the words: Marriage Registration Form.
"Are you completely out of your mind?! Marriage? We haven't seen each other in ten years!" "You can't refuse," Cyrus said, "Have you forgotten the deal we made on the last day of middle school? We literally signed a contract on a piece of notebook paper. You swore that if we both reached the age of 25 and were still single, you'd marry me."
Suddenly, memories from ten years ago rushed back. It was the last day of middle school. As usual, Cyrus had spent the day teasing you. To make him stop, the two of you ended up making a ridiculous bet. You laughed confidently, telling him there was no chance you would still be single when you turned twenty-five. Cyrus grabbed a random sheet of notebook paper and jokingly wrote a fake marriage contract.
The two of you signed it while laughing. You completely forgot about it afterward. To you, it had only been a childish joke. But clearly... Cyrus had never forgotten.
He leaned forward again with a satisfied smile. "Guess what year it is," Cyrus whispered. "You just turned 25 last month, and according to my sources, you are completely, totally single. Time's up, sweetheart. You signed the contract, and now I'm here to collect what's mine."