Chapter One: The Job.

Chapter One, part one: The Job.

Year 2023

 
 "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
                                                                                                   — William Shakespeare

"Cupid" — by FIFTY FIFTY
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A young woman shuffles through the halls of Soul-Link Inc., glancing around as she takes in her unfamiliar surroundings. Employees pass by in every direction. The pristine white walls and towering windows make the building look like any ordinary corporate office.

The people inside, however, are anything but ordinary.

Instead of business suits, most employees are dressed casually, each sporting their own unique style.

Too distracted by everything around her, she walks straight into someone.

The stack of papers in her arms slips from her grasp, scattering across the polished white floor. She quickly drops to her knees, scrambling to gather them.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she blurts out, too focused on picking up the papers to look at the person she bumped into.

The stranger kneels beside her, silently helping collect the scattered sheets.

When the young woman finally looks up, her eyes go wide.

"C-Cupid!"

Her face flushes bright red. She can't believe she just bumped into the best matchmaker at Soul-Link...

...according to the board, anyway.

The woman across from her flashes a lazy grin.

Bright hazel eyes sparkle beneath messy, shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair that frames her pale face. Her outfit is best described as effortlessly indie, comfortable, colorful, and just a little chaotic.

She wears oversized black Bermuda shorts covered in an assortment of colorful patches and stickers, from unicorns to grinning goblins making ridiculous faces. Brown sneakers peek out beneath her bare legs, which are dotted with mismatched bandages.

Tucked into the shorts is a green-and-black checkered shirt, layered beneath an oversized black denim jacket left hanging open. Tiny red hearts are stitched all across the fabric, giving the worn jacket an unmistakably playful touch.

"No need to fall for me so hard," Cupid teases with a light cackle before standing up. The young woman follows suit, taking the remaining papers when Cupid offers them to her.

Cupid tilts her head, studying the flustered stranger.

"Are you new here?"

The woman nods, still a little shaken.

"Y-Yes. I'm trying to find..." She glances down at the papers in her hands. "Umm... Mr. Valentine's office?"

Cupid's eyes light up. Slipping her hands into her pockets, she grins as if casually chatting in the middle of the bustling hallway. "First day, huh?" She strolls over and casually drapes an arm around the woman's shoulders, wearing a smug smile.

"Don't worry. There's basically nothing you can do wrong." She pauses dramatically. "Well... except taking Katie's coffee from the fridge. Trust me, don't do it. Very dangerous."

Unsure how to react to the sudden contact, the woman stiffens.

"I-I'll make sure to remember that!"

Seemingly satisfied, Cupid lets her go and points down the hallway.

"Last door on the right, be careful, Fred just cleaned the floors there, it's slippery!"

The newcomer, still flustered, nods and stumbles away with a last look at Cupid.

"Hey, Cupid!"

A voice calls out from farther down the hallway. Jogging toward her is Chris, another matchmaker and a social butterfly through and through.

He wears a pair of jeans with a white tank top displaying a rainbow. His short, messy hair is dyed green, and his brown eyes sparkle with energy. Judging by how much darker his skin has gotten, he must have spent quite a bit of time in the sun.

Cupid waves as he approaches.

"Chris! What's up? I was just heading home."

Chris throws an arm around her shoulders as they continue down the hallway, waving at two passing matchmakers with his free hand.

"I know. That's why I tried to catch up with you. I'm planning a party this afternoon. Every matchmaker's invited, including the newcomer."

He pauses.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I should probably catch up with her too and let her know."

Cupid raises an eyebrow, settling into a relaxed pace beside him.

"What's the occasion?"

Chris slowly turns his head toward her.

"You're kidding."

"What?"

"You're actually kidding."

Cupid gives him a confused look.

"Chris..."

He suddenly stops and grabs her by both shoulders, bringing his face close to hers with a dramatically wide grin.

"Your one-year anniversary as Cupid! C'mon, how could you forget that?"

"Oh... that."

Cupid scratches her jaw thoughtfully.

"I don't know why that's such a big deal." She chuckles lightly. "I mean, it's just a title for—"

"—BEING NUMBER ONE ON THE SOUL-LINK BOARD!"

"—being number one. Yes."

Cupid gives him an amused glance as he finally lets her go.

Chris stares at her for a moment.

"You're impossible."

She simply grins.

"And, just so you know, you're the first matchmaker who's managed to hold onto her Cupid title for this long," Chris adds.

"Yeah, but it's still just a board." Cupid shrugs. "I mean, sure, I like the nickname."

She gives him a smug grin.

"But that's it."

Chris shakes his head, laughing as they continue down the hallway.

"So, where are you planning this so-called party?"

"Here."

"Here?"

Chris nods. "Yeah. I thought about making it like an office party or something. Either way, you should go to the second floor. That's where it'll mainly be. Jake and I also want to bring the poker table out of the cellar—"

"We have a poker table?"

Cupid's mouth falls open in shock.

Chris gives her a gleaming-eyed grin. "Yeah! My expression was exactly the same when I saw it. But seriously, I was in the cellar with Jake yesterday because we needed more tables for the party, and Ethan didn't want us stealing any from the other offices. That's when we stumbled across this old but really good-looking poker table. Can you believe it?"

"You actually found a poker table in the cellar?"

"An entire poker table!"

Cupid shakes her head, amused. "This place gets weirder every day."

"Right? I almost wanted to keep it for myself."

"Did you ask Ethan what it was doing down there?"

"Yeah. He can't remember owning one either." Chris shrugs. "So it might've been down there for a really long time."

"I'm surprised Ethan is even letting you do this. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who enjoys parties." Cupid lets out a cackle.

"I think he's letting me do this so I can finally stop annoying him about it." Chris grins. "And besides, it's only fair that we celebrate the great Cupid's anniversary."

They reach the elevator and step inside. Chris presses the button for the first floor, and the doors close.

Cupid jokingly flexes her rather thin arms.

"Yes, yes. Beware the great God of Love. I'm not a fake. I'm as real as every beauty post on Instagram."

Chris snorts.

"That's the least convincing thing you've ever said."

They both burst out laughing.

The doors open, and the two step out, making their way toward the exit.

Chris leans down and whispers to Cupid, "Watch out. Princess Mean is coming."

Before Cupid can ask what he means, she looks up and notices a head of long, gleaming auburn hair.

It's not hard to notice Kiara Beaumont.

She could best be described as a woman of fashion, always dressed in the latest trends or simply finding a way to make everything she wears look effortlessly stylish. She has pale, flawless skin, soft lips coated in natural-looking, glossy lipstick, and striking fiery-blue eyes accentuated by perfectly applied makeup. Her long, wavy auburn hair falls halfway over her shoulders, with the rest cascading down her back.

She wears a crisp white button-up blouse beneath a light-brown knitted sweater vest, paired with a fashionable brown pleated miniskirt that shows off her long legs. White boots adorn her feet, looking like they cost far more than they should. Small sun-shaped earrings decorate her ears, while her wrists are covered in bracelets that jingle with every movement.

She walks inside without even acknowledging Tina, the receptionist, and strides forward with long, confident steps. Her eyes remain fixed on her phone as she scrolls through it, an expression of utter boredom plastered across her face.

As she passes Cupid, she doesn't even look up.

Cupid, however, catches a glimpse of her face the moment Kiara walks by, only inches away from brushing against her arm.

For a split second, all Cupid sees are those striking blue eyes, reflecting the light.

Then Kiara is gone.

"Brrr, I could feel the coldness coming off her," Chris jokes, watching Kiara disappear through the doors before following Cupid toward the exit.

The two give Tina a wave as they pass. The receptionist smiles brightly and waves back.

"It's late." Cupid checks her phone. "She probably just got back from finishing her mission."

"Either way, we're lucky she was too deep into her phone to notice us," Chris says.

"Will she be at the party?" Cupid asks curiously.

By now, they've stepped outside and are walking down the street. The sounds of passing cars and bustling crowds fill the evening air.

Chris shrugs. "No idea. I just told everyone to spread the word that we're having an office party today. I guess if she knew it was a party for you, she wouldn't come. But you know Kiara. She'd rather eat dirt than talk to any of her coworkers."

He grins.

As the second-best matchmaker, according to the board, Kiara is well known around Soul-Link too. She and Cupid have known each other for years, having worked together for most of their careers.

There had been a time when they could actually sit together and have a conversation without it turning into an argument. They used to laugh together, tease each other.

Somewhere along the way, that changed.

Kiara became more distant. More hostile. More avoidant.

And things only seemed to get worse after Cupid rose to the top of the Soul-Link board.

Now, whenever they're in the same room, it inevitably ends in either an argument or an awkward silence where they deliberately ignore each other.

"I wouldn't mind if she were there," Cupid says after a while, jumping over the crosswalk markings out of boredom. "I barely see her nowadays."

Chris gives her a look as if she'd suddenly grown two heads.

"Are you, by any chance, a masochist? Every time I've seen you two in the same room, it's like someone flips a switch and suddenly two people start roasting each other." He chuckles.

"Though Kiara definitely does most of the roasting. It's pretty obvious she has some kind of grudge against you."

Cupid's smile fades slightly. "I don't know why she hates me so much."

For a moment, neither of them says anything.

Chris eventually places a hand on her shoulder.

"Let her be. Seriously. There's no reason to make the fire any bigger."

Cupid nods quietly.

They reach a turn in the street, and Chris stops.

"Alrighty, that's my stop. Don't forget, nine tonight!"

He starts walking backward, pointing at her as a reminder.

Cupid slips her hands into her pockets and smiles brightly.

"I'll try not to fall asleep!"

"If you do, I'll come over and storm into your home like a crazy person!"

He gives her a wink before turning around and disappearing down the street.

Cupid watches him go, shaking her head with a quiet laugh.

(end of part one)