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.
Iamloud. 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.”
