Chapter 20
Emma was momentarily stunned. She instinctively glanced in the direction of the voice, only to see a tall, slender figure getting up and leaving. She narrowed her eyes and found the silhouette oddly familiar. But she couldn’t remember where she had seen it before.
Shaking off the thought, she turned back to the man sitting across from her, whose expression was dark with embarrassment.
“Sir, what redeeming qualities do you have? From what I’ve seen so far, you’re nothing but disgusting and petty. And tell me, is a 30–year–old man earning 20 thousand dollars a month really something to be proud of?”
Emma scoffed. Her annual salary at Castro Group was 300 thousand dollars.
The man had no comeback. He clenched his coffee cup tightly until his knuckles turned white.
She stood up, pulled a few dollars from her bag, and tossed them on the table. “The coffee’s on me. There’s no need to thank me.”
With that, she turned and walked away with effortless grace.
The man gritted his teeth and yelled, “In the end, you’re just another gold–digger looking for a rich man. I’ve seen plenty of women like you who try to take shortcuts while you’re young!”
He took the money off the table, furning. “We didn’t even hit it off. Why should I pay for your coffee?”
By the time Emma returned home, she was physically and mentally drained.
She collapsed onto the couch and massaged her temples.
Velma carried a plate of fruit and walked over. She paused at the sight of her daughter sprawled out on the couch. “Emma, why are you home so soon? It has been less than an hour. Did the blind date not go well?”
Hearing this, she groaned and looked up blankly. “Mom, please give up on these blind dates. I don’t want to meet any more horrible men.”
“What happened?” Velma’s expression turned grim.
Emma recounted the tragic date in detail. By the time she finished, Velma was so enraged that she slammed the plate onto the coffee table, her beautiful eyes burning with anger. “How could he be so disgusting? This is the so–called ‘highly educated and well–mannered‘ man they set you up with? I can’t believe he even expected you to give up on your studies just to have his children!”
Emma was relieved after seeing Velma’s fury.
At the very least, this meant that Velma would most likely refrain from matchmaking for the time being.
But she had underestimated Velma.
“I’ll find you a better match next time. Emma, please believe me one more time!” Velma seemed determined. Emma’s eyes widened in terror. “Mom, please let me off the hook.”
In an instant, Velma’s eyes pooled with tears. “Emma, I can’t bear to see you wasting your youth alone.”
Seeing this, Emma’s temples throbbed. After a moment, she bit her lip and said, “Fine. I’ll go on one final blind date. But I’m not promising anything!” Velma’s lips curved into a triumphant grin. “You should meet more men. The more you meet them, the better you’ll be able to choose an ideal candidate.”
After Emma finished her morning classes that day, she headed straight to the address of the restaurant Velma had sent her.
This time, the blind date appeared more normal. He was around her age, pleasant, and well–mannered.
He was definitely smitten with Emma the moment he saw her. Throughout the meal, he kept the conversation flowing with ease and brought up topic after topic. Still, love at first sight was probably just another way of saying he liked her appearance.
