Emotionally unavailable. Strategically interested. Makes you feel like the exception.
The Business Chad is emotionally unavailable, strategically interested, and always makes you feel like the exception. I will admit it. I fall for this Chad more than I would like to admit. My friends tease me because this is absolutely “my type.” However, it’s not because of his salary, title nor status. It’s his confidence, his swag if you will, his presence, the way he looks at you.
This Chad is smooth. He carries a quiet, intentional confidence. Not loud. Not flashy. Just controlled in a way that feels magnetic. He knows how to walk into a room, read it, and bend it around his presence. And the moment he focuses that energy on you, it feels personal.
And that is the trap. He is very good at creating connection. He is terrible at creating commitment.
This Business Chad was married. Two kids. Widely respected. Calm. Not flashy. The guy everyone at work thinks is solid and honest. And the moment he met her, he launched into a well-crafted emotional storyline.
His wife was bi-sexual, or so he said
They were best friends, not lovers.
The marriage was dead.
They stayed together because of cultural and religious reasons.
They were in an open marriage.
His wife supposedly knew everything.
He was emotionally stuck but still a “good man.”
He made cheating sound noble. That is talent.
And yes, she believed him. Because he was consistent. At conferences and work events where they were both present, he showed up emotionally. He was attentive. He was open. He was present in ways that felt intimate and safe.
It felt real because she was being real.
It felt mutual because he mirrored her so well.
And she ignored red flags the size of highway signs, ladies we HAVE to stop doing this.
- The facts are they are married and they have children.
He told her he had not been with anyone else except her. Which conveniently left out the part where he was still sleeping with his wife. But when you are in the emotional fog of attention, consistency, and fantasy, details get blurry.
Even when she started dating someone new, he still wanted her. Wanted to see her. Wanted to keep the emotional connection alive. Wanted all the benefits of a second relationship without any of the consequences of the first.
Then, two years in, the truth cracked open.
His wife was not bi-sexual. They were not open. She knew nothing. He had never been honest.
He insisted he hid the truth to “avoid hurting anyone,” as if that was not exactly what he had been doing the entire time. He had created an entirely fictional version of himself.
The misunderstood husband.
The emotionally trapped partner.
The man who couldn’t stay but couldn’t leave.
The man who finally found something real with her.
Poor poor Business Chad, taking no responsibility nor accountability.
But the truth was painfully simple. He wanted a fantasy without accountability. He wanted the emotional intensity of two relationships while taking responsibility for neither. He told just enough truth to make every lie convincing.
And she only saw it clearly when she finally had the self-worth to say she was done.
The Definition
The Business Chad
This man is a professional. In his career and in his emotional manipulation. He does not need everyone’s attention. He only needs yours. He is typically in a long-term relationship, often with kids, and uses that fact only when it makes him look tragic, stuck, or emotionally profound.
He flirts intentionally. He uses perfectly timed vulnerability. He throws out “what if” scenarios like fishing lines. He mirrors your emotional openness but only long enough to secure the connection. He is not trying to fall in love. He is trying to feel alive.
And when things get too real or too complicated, he retreats. Quietly. Conveniently. Effortlessly. He slips back into his life, his inbox, his family, and his carefully curated reputation as if nothing ever happened.
You are left carrying the fallout alone. Hurt. Embarrassed. Angry at yourself because deep down you knew better. Even angrier because, technically, he never promised anything. He just acted like he did.
He was never available. Not emotionally. Not spiritually. Not logistically. He only wanted the version of you that made him feel important, desired, and alive.
Chad Scorecard: The Business Chad
| Category | Behavior | Chad Level |
|---|---|---|
| Emotional Performance | Acts captivated and connected while never actually available | ✅✅✅✅ |
| Manipulative Honesty | Drops half-truths to make lies sound believable | ✅✅✅✅ |
| Situational Vulnerability | Opens up just enough to hook you emotionally | ✅✅✅ |
| Conference Chemistry | Emotionally present at conferences, vanished in real life | ✅✅✅✅ |
| Ethical Fog | “Technically” didn’t lie, but emotionally misleads you the entire time | ✅✅✅✅ |
| Availability | Never truly available — emotionally, spiritually, or logistically | ❌❌❌❌❌ |
Ophelia Writes 