Page 24 of Twisted Control

Hey girls, I (30F) am in a full-blown crisis and need your wisdom.

After a very public, humiliating breakup that destroyed my reputation, my family is now in full damage-control mode. Their solution? Marry me off immediately to some “appropriate” man (rich, boring, and old enough to be my father).

Meanwhile, I’ve made everything worse by getting involved with someone completely inappropriate—someone who works for my family. We only had one night together, and now he’s convinced I have a massive crush on him. (I don’t.)

So two questions:

How do I get this man to leave me alone?

How do I stop my father from marrying me off to one of his ancient business associates?

I hit post wait about twenty five seconds and then hit refresh.

The first reply comes in.

@user4821: is this a joke?

The second follows seconds later.

@lawyeredup: “Works for my family” is a HR nightmare waiting to happen. Shut it down immediately and create distance. Document everything.

@practicalprincess: Okay I’m going to be real with you…this whole post is wild. If you actually want control, pick one of the “appropriate” guys yourself so you’re not just reacting. And for the guy…stop engaging. No banter, no flirting, no mixed signals. Be ice cold. He’ll either get bored or finally get the message.

Ice cold. I can do that.

Drew can bait me and tease me all he wants—I don’t have to react. From now on, I’ll be completely non-reactive.

And she’s right. Maybe I really do need to try harder to find someone appropriate. Someone hotter, richer, and far more powerful than Max Carter. Someone who would make me look like the ultimate It Girl again. My friends would come crawling back within seconds. Brands would beg to work with me. I’d turn them down, of course…but it would feel so good to watch them grovel.

A wicked little grin tugs at my lips at the thought…then fades just as quickly.

The problem is, if there were someone obviously better than Max in Alton Hills, I would have already met him by now.

Still, maybe I just need to cast a wider net. I’ve always limited myself to men who live here. Long distance has never appealed to me. But maybe it’s time to look beyond our little hill.

I open a new tab and type: Billionaires East Coast under thirty-five.

I’m certainly not moving to the East Coast. But they can come to me.

Twenty minutes later my options have narrowed dramatically. Most of them are married, or come with disturbing allegations, or both.

Only one man checks every box: single, no known scandals (as far as the internet knows), and actually semi-attractive.

His name is Julian Vale. Thirty-two. He made his fortune in crypto, then pivoted into a string of bestselling self-help books about mindfulness and “conscious capitalism.” He has longish dark hair that he ties in a bun, calm eyes, and that quiet, intellectual kind of handsomeness that photographs beautifully.

Not my usual type.

Not my type at all, honestly, but he’s respectable, not ancient, and—miracle of miracles—he’s hosting an event across town on Saturday night.

I read the name of the event and actually recoil.

Intentional Living and Authentic Connection.

But he’ll do.

This is exactly what the girls on the forum meant. Someone appropriate, but most importantly, someone I choose.

I bite my lip and quickly buy two tickets. One for me, one for Drew.