Her taste in clothes wasn''t bad at all—a pale blue, long, soft-fabric coat draped over her shoulders, cinched casually at the waist with a dark belt she hadn''t bothered to tie properly. There was an effortless ease about her, a touch of nonchnce that somehow made it all look artistic.
It was the kind of look that made M want to pull out her sketchbook and capture
her on the spot.
"Chairman Suthend." The driver''s door opened and Leonard stepped out. He spared a brief nce at Johnnie, who stood there smiling but silent, before turning to M. "It''s prettyte," he said. "Are we dropping him off at home now?"
“I haven''t had dinner yet.” Johnnie spoke suddenly, his gaze warm and direct. “Ms. Suthend, if you''re free, would you join me for dinner?"
"Of course," M agreed at once.
She''d nned to have a proper conversation with him after picking him up anyway, and dinner was as good an opportunity as any. After all, this was the child of her great-aunt''s dear friend-she couldn''t just let him go hungry. "But don''t you want to drop off your luggage first?" she asked, ncing at the suitcase covered in Van Gogh''s Starry Night.
"It''s fine. It''s not heavy."
Of course, M couldn''t be expected to handle it herself. Leonard, silently taking the hint, picked up the suitcase and stowed it in the trunk. When they pulled up outside an elegant little restaurant, he suddenly got the sense that something was
off.
He watched as M and Johnnie went inside, but instead of following, he hung back and made a quick call. The response came almost immediately.
A set-up. Arranged by Jade, no less.
Once he confirmed it, Leonard—usually the picture of calm—actually looked a little surprised. But this wasn''t his business, especially if it was Jade''s idea. Still... he tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel and sighed inwardly. Trouble, he thought.
...
Upstairs, on the second floor of the restaurant.
M handed the menu to Johnnie, inviting him to order whatever he liked. He pushed it back with a gentle smile, insisting she go first and assuring her he wasn''t picky.
Once they''d ced their orders, Johnnie finally spoke. "I haven''t properly introduced myself. I''m Johnnie. My family''s been in the perfume business for several generations. My parents moved abroad in their time, and I''m currently doing my master''s at the University of sgow in the UK. I''m 24. nning to settle in Britain after graduation. I love studying fragranceposition." M was taken aback.
Had she heard that right? He was still in school? Okay, a graduate student, but... 24? Great-aunt, what were you thinking!
He''s just a kid!
For a moment, her expression shifted. She hesitated, then said, "Um, you know I have a child, right? He just turned nine."
"Yes, I know." Johnnie smiled. "I''ve seen pictures-he''s adorable. I really like kids."
"...Thank you."
At that moment, the waiter arrived with their food, and conversation stalled. After the server left, M spoke up again, "Look, since you''re still in school, you should probably focus on your studies for now. There''s no need to rush into these things. Marriage should be considered carefully."
"So, you want to wait until I graduate?" Johnnie asked with a faint smile. "That might take a while I''m probably going to do a PhD."
"No, that''s not what I mean." M took a deep breath. "I mean... you''re so much younger than me. You''re still so young. We''re not really suitable."
Silence settled over the table.
"So, Ms. Suthend, you don''t like me?" Johnnie asked.
"It''s not that." M sounded exasperated. "It''s just... everything else is negotiable, but marriage isn''t. We''re not a match."
"I understand."
The words had barely left her mouth when Johnnie, who''d been wearing that polite little smile, suddenly let out a long sigh. His smile brightened, even became
a bit mischievous. "Well, that makes this easier, then."
M blinked. "Pardon?"
"To be honest Johnnie said with a wry grin, "my parents don''t like how much I''m immersed in academics They''ve been hounding me to married for two years
now nonstop. I couldn''t ta eine
it
anymore, so I came back home to escape for a while. And then, well... here we are."
M understood instantly.
They were both here because they had no choice. She looked at him with sudden
empathy a sense of kindred spirits in adversity.
"But honestly, even though this
meeting was forced on us," Johnnie said, his eyes crinkling, "if I ever had to marry, think someone as straightforward and easy to talk to as you would be a great match. As for your age or your child, don''t see those as problems. You''re young and beautiful."
"Oh-thank you," M replied quickly, then added, "But as for marriage, I really don''t think so."
Her refusal didn''t seem to bother Johnnie. He just smiled. "Ms. Suthend, since we''re both being pressured by our families but neither of us wants to rush into anything, why don''t we make a deal? Something mutually beneficial."
...
Meanwhile
In the Federal Security Bureau''s tech conference room, Forrest Whitmore scrolled through his phone during the break. A new message had popped up.
It was from Giselle.
"Well, Forrest, have you made up your mind? Do you want to work together? If
you keep hesitating, even I won''t be able to help you."
He tapped on the photos attached.
There was M, sitting by the window on the second floor of a chic restaurant, deep in
conversation with a strikingly young man. She wasughing,pletely at ease. Forrest''s long fingers
paused over her smiling face, erged on his screen.
A smile tugged at his lips, but it never reached his eyes.
How wonderful.
Just perfect.
She''d said she''d think about it, but here she was, sneaking off to a blind date. Wonderful indeed... Ignoring Giselle''s message, Forrest immediately called M.