Chapter 25 The Most Eligible Bear in Town
The Most Eligible Bear in Town
Max
It’s Wednesday morning and by the time we make it to Eli’s office, I already know something’s up. Not because anyone warned me, but because Lara is practically vibrating.
She’s seated across from me at the conference table, tablet in hand, eyes bright in that way people get when they’re sitting on information they’ve been dying to share.
The room smells faintly of coffee and wood polish.
Still, yet commanding. Very Eli. Which only makes whatever Lara’s about to say feel louder by contrast.
“So,” she says, barely waiting for me to sit. “I don’t know how much Drake’s already told you, but—”
“Let me guess,” I cut in. “Social media is on fire.”
Her mouth drops open. “How did you—”
“Drake mentioned he had a master plan to knock Vanessa off her game,” I say. “Yesterday he warned me the leaks would start today. I just assumed the drama would follow.”
She laughs, relieved. “Okay, yes. There are… stories.”
I fold my hands on the table. “That part I expected. I knew he was going to plant some narratives about me and Eli being a thing.” I pause, studying her expression. “What I didn’t expect is you looking like my name just surfaced in files that were part of a federal investigation.”
Lara turns the tablet toward me.
Oh.
Oh.
Headlines first.
CANADA’S MOST ELUSIVE BACHELOR OFF THE MARKET?
ELI SHAW’S “BIGGEST MERGER YET” ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK
FROM BOARDROOM TO BEDROOM: WHAT’S REALLY CHANGED FOR ELI SHAW?
Then the comments.
Who is she and where did she come from?
I give it six months.
An American? Really? His fine ass?
Must be serious—he doesn’t even let people photograph him, really.
I’ve lived here ten years and never seen him with anyone.
Give him to me, sis! You deserve better!
The article I read about Eli just before I came here said he has been a ghost since returning to Canada.
Reclusive by choice. Deliberate in his absence.
A man who built his empire quietly, avoided society pages entirely, and was almost never seen with a woman at his side. A bachelor by reputation and by design.
Until this week.
I scroll past headline after headline, and the story is suddenly everywhere. Locally, at least. Blogs. Business columns. They all circle the same point: Eli Shaw has been spotted with and seems to be showing interest in an American tech consultant.
Me.
The articles are careful with language, calling me a strategic advisor, a cybersecurity consultant brought in to evaluate risk ahead of a potential investment. Which is true. But it’s clearly not the whole truth, and the internet buzzes with speculation. Drake’s plan seems to be working.
There’s a photo embedded halfway down the page.
Eli and me standing side by side at one of his drafting desks, papers spread out between us, both of us mid-conversation.
Drake must have snapped it Monday afternoon when we got back to the office after the team lunch.
I look focused. He looks… almost relaxed.
Almost smiling. The caption speculates about collaboration and timing with Americans.
What it doesn’t say outright, but heavily implies, is that this goes beyond work.
I feel Lara watching me as I scroll.
“It’s everywhere,” she says. “Canadian blogs. Social media. Even a couple of the bigger outlets picked it up.”
I don’t look up right away.
It’s…a lot. I knew this was coming. I agreed to it, whether Eli fully did or not. But seeing it laid out in print makes it impossible to ignore that my presence has disrupted Eli’s carefully constructed brand in a very public way.
What I can’t stop circling back to is Drake and the way he positioned it. Not as a passing headline or a convenient narrative, but as something that looks like he wasn’t just acknowledging a moment, but planting the idea of a future.
I look up from the tablet and meet Lara’s eyes. “Some of these comments don’t exactly sound happy for him,” I say. “Isn’t this doing the opposite of what we want?”
Women are flooding the comments talking about how an American woman isn’t good enough for him. How I’m probably too loud. Too uncultured. Too much.
I want to be offended.
But they’re only half wrong.
I am loud. Especially when I’m screaming Eli’s name in bed, you jealous cow.
“Not really,” Lara says calmly. “People love a good love story. And if this gets enough attention ahead of the weekend, it spins Eli and the entire company in a positive light.”
“I see.”
Lara laughs. “I just don’t think anyone realized just how popular Eli was with the ladies until these stories hit.”
I lean back in my chair, letting out a slow breath and a crooked smile. “So what you’re saying is…I’ve snatched up the most eligible bear in town.”
She blinks. Then laughs. “I mean—yeah?” She tilts her head, turning the nickname over like she’s deciding whether to question it. “If that’s how you want to phrase it.”
I smile, then my expression shifts. “But, do you think this actually worked? I’d hate to think we disrupted Eli’s life for nothing.”
Lara’s expression turns softer now. “It’s not for nothing,” she says. “It’s for the good of the business. He agreed to it.”
“Also,” Lara says, her tone shifting, “Drake’s looped in PR about the reaction online. He thinks it’ll cool off after the event, but he wants a plan for how to frame things once you’re gone.”
I nod. I see. Drake doesn’t strike me as someone who ever leaves an angle unexplored.
“Has Eli reacted to any of this yet?” I ask, trying to sound casual even though I’m anything but.
The moment we got to the office, he was pulled straight into a meeting, so I haven’t seen his reaction. And I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous he might blow a head gasket when he finally does.
She hesitates. “He hasn’t said anything yet. But if he were upset, he wouldn’t show it to you. Normally, he’d pull me into a meeting to talk it through.”
Which tells me exactly how little she knows about the arrangement between Eli and me. Because if he were frustrated, he wouldn’t hide it. He’d bring it straight to me. He’d make sure I felt every inch of it until there was nothing left unsaid.
Since I’m part of the problem, I’m a lot less optimistic than Lara. And I’ll stay that way until I find out whether Eli plans to have a calm conversation with Drake… or quietly bury him somewhere in the woods.
Lara shifts the conversation back to business. “Your input on this pitch has been incredible,” she says. “The idea to add a small-scale 3D printing arm to product development—using recycled materials from our own waste stream—was genuinely smart. It’s sustainable and scalable.”
I can’t help the smile. “Once I understood what this company actually stands for, it felt obvious. The technology has to reinforce the mission, not contradict it.”
“It really shows the judges how far this investment could go. It’s not flashy, but it is impactful.”
“I appreciate you letting me be part of this,” I say. “And not being one of those territorial women who treat other women as competition.”
Lara snorts. “Clearly, you haven’t been in Canada long enough. First visit, you’re family. Second time—”
“You’re home,” I finish, recalling the phrase mentioned at Tiny’s.
“But tell that to these vicious women in the comments online! They don’t want me getting comfortable with Canada or Eli!”
Lara laughs, then she squeezes my hand, and I realize I needed that kind of easy, affirming touch more than I thought. “Okay, most Canadians would welcome you home. Feral women who have been clamoring for an opportunity to end up with Eli Shaw? Maybe not so much.”
“Noted,” I say laughing.
I step out of the conference room and spot Eli holed up in his office with Drake. Whatever’s happening in there, it’s not calm. Voices are raised, hands are moving. It’s… animated.
And I’m suddenly suspicious that ethically sourced Drake is about to become environmental waste Drake.