First Meeting

At the sight of her cousin and friend waving their hands enthusiastically at her, Violet rolled her eyes. She let out a snicker and waved them goodbye before she hailed a cab and instructed the driver to pull over a block away from the cafe called Frosted.

The first thing that Violet did after she arrived was to peek through the window glass to observe the atmosphere. Once she was convinced that the man she was supposed to meet wasn't there yet, Violet entered the cafe and opted for the booth at the back.

It was a perfect spot for her to check on the customers coming in and out, and Violet wanted to be the first who see the other person. A few seconds after she sat down, a waitress came over and handed her the menu.

Then, the waiting games began...

Half an hour later, Violet was sipping on her latte with her eyes glued towards the entrance. This was her second cup.

The waiting plus the coffee was making her jittery.

Though her parents had given her a photo of Ryan Chen last night, Violet was still afraid that she might miss this man. Every time a male species walked into the cafe, Violet would jump from her seat with too much excitement.

The man her mother set her up with should have stepped in like ten minutes ago, but he had not shown up and gradually, her patience was thinning.

Violet glanced at her wristwatch and decided to give him another five more minutes before she walkout. Personally, she would be relieved if her date didn't show up at all. At least, she would not be blamed for their failed meeting.

Just then, a man in a white shirt and khakis walked in. His face hidden under a cap was making it difficult for Violet to identify him. Seconds later, she decided that the man with the cap was not the man she was supposed to meet. He didn't look like he was there to meet anyone. And his body built clearly doesn't match the one her mother had described.

Just as Violet took another sip on her drink, another man walked in. The first thing that Violet noticed was his dark hair. And that frown on his face. Violet observed him as he stood in front of the entrance with his eyes roaming around the café. A waitress stepped in and they had a brief conversation before the waitress pointed him in her direction. Seconds later, a man in a blue shirt walked towards her.

Her throat went dry as he approached her. Violet stared at his face and recognized that he was the same person that her mother had shown her.

"You are Violet Xu?" The man raised a brow at her.

Violet gave the man a once-over and smiled politely. "Yes. I'm Violet Xu."

"Hi. I'm Ryan Chen." He said half-heartedly. "I'm sorry for my tardiness. There was an emergency at the hospital and I had a few patients to attend to."

"Hello," Violet stood up and greeted.

Violet soon found that her anger disappeared as she learned that he did not show up in time for a good reason. She knew that he was a doctor and saving lives was more important than attending a date.

She extended her hand for a handshake but was ignored by him.

"Why am I not surprised that you would be here," Ryan mumbled as he pulled the chair to sit.

Seeing that he had refused to want to shake hands with her, Violet pursed her lips and went back to sit down.

She was not a fan of the tone he used to talk or act towards her, but when she recalled that she had made a promise to her mother to play nice, Violet decided to bear with his attitude.

The only excuse she could think of right now was that Ryan might be too tired due to work. After all, he had told her that he had an emergency at the hospital just now.

A waitress walked over to their table and smiled as she placed down the cafe's menu. "Would you like anything to order?"

"Just a cup of black coffee," Ryan said without looking at the menu. "Thank you."

As soon as the waitress left, Ryan turned his attention back to Violet. He leaned back on the chair and spoke lazily, "Let's cut the chase, shall we?"

Hearing his sudden question, Violet was in a daze. "What do you mean?"

"I'm here because my mother wants me to be here. That's the only reason." Ryan said. "Personally, I don't agree with this setup. I have no intention of marrying right now. I want you to tell your parents that you object to this marriage too. I figured that if we're both against the idea, our parents will back off."

Her heart grew at ease at his words.

To think that the two of them had the same opinion!

She too did not like her parents' idea of an arranged marriage as much as he did, which was why she proposed the one-month-dating idea to see whether they have the chemistry together before the engagement took place.

"How much do you need from me to get the wedding canceled?" Ryan continued before she had the chance to say anything.

It took Violet a few seconds to process what Ryan had asked her. "How much do I need what? What are you talking about?"

Ryan chuckled at her expression. "Isn't that what you're after? Money? I heard from my mother a little bit about you, Violet Xu. You opened up a cupcake bakery and now, you are in need of money because of your business. I'm sure that your parents had told you about me and my family as well."

A realization hit her and Violet stared at him in disbelief. "Do you think that the reason I agreed to come here was that I need money from you?"

"Was that not the reason?"

Violet took a deep breath, trying to control her anger from flaring. She was perplexed by his accusation. She was told by her parents to attend this so-called date, but the man had done nothing but insult her. "Why would I be after your money?"

Ryan shrugged. "You tell me. If we were married, wouldn't you be able to enjoy the privileges that my family would give you? Tell you the truth. I have seen a few girls like you, Violet Xu. The kind of girl who approached my mother just because she wanted to climb up the social ranking and enjoyed the privileges that my family could offer. Wouldn't it be best if you could tell me just how much you need from me? I'll give you the money, and we'll both part our ways."

Violet stared back at the man in a rage. Sure, he might be blessed with a handsome look, but his attitude right now only made her want to slap his face.

And so, Violet did what her heart told her to do. She stood up, and swing her hands as hard as she could to slap him. Then, she grabbed her purse, slapped some cash on the table, and headed towards the exit.