Chapter 3: The Grumpiest Bachelor

Ava burst through the door of her dorm room, her heart pounding like a drum solo. She tossed her backpack onto her bed and collapsed onto the chair, still reeling from the encounter at the coffee shop.

Him.

She didn't even know his name, yet his face – those piercing blue eyes, that hint of a smirk – was burned into her memory. Why did she keep running into him? And why did each encounter leave her feeling more flustered than the last?

She glanced at the romance novel lying on her desk, the one he had pointed out. "The Pride and Prejudice" the cover proclaimed, featuring a bare-chested man with smoldering eyes. Ava groaned and buried her face in her hands. Of all the books to be caught with, it had to be that one.

"What's with the melodrama?" a voice chirped from the doorway.

Ava looked up to see Chloe sauntering into the room, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Worse," Ava muttered, recounting the coffee shop incident. "I bumped into him again. Spilled my latte all over him."

Chloe's eyes widened. "No way! Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding?"

Ava nodded miserably. "And he saw the book I was carrying."

Chloe burst into laughter. "Oh my god, Ava, you're killing me! This is priceless."

Ava shot her a withering look. "It's not funny, Chloe. I want to crawl into a hole and die."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Chloe said, stifling her giggles. "But seriously, this is like something out of a movie."

Ava sighed. "I just want to forget about him."

"Forget about him?" Chloe scoffed. "Are you kidding? He's like, the most eligible bachelor in the city. And you've bumped into him twice! This is fate, Ava."

Ava rolled her eyes. "He probably thinks I'm a complete klutz."

"Or he's intrigued," Chloe countered, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Maybe he likes the clumsy, bookish type."

Ava snorted. "Yeah, right."

Chloe plopped down on Ava's bed, pulling out her phone. "Speaking of eligible bachelors, my parents are on a husband-hunting spree again. They sent me a whole catalogue of potential candidates."

She scrolled through a series of photos, showing Ava pictures of various men in suits, posing awkwardly in front of expensive cars or sprawling mansions. Ava barely glanced at them, her mind still preoccupied with the nameless stranger.

"This one's a doctor," Chloe said, pointing to a man with a neatly trimmed beard. "And this one's a lawyer. Apparently, he's argued a case in front of the Supreme Court."

Ava mumbled a noncommittal response, her gaze drifting towards the window.

"And this one," Chloe continued, "is Liam Blackwood."

Ava's head snapped up. "Liam?"

Chloe nodded, oblivious to Ava's sudden interest. "Yeah, his family owns Blackwood Industries. They're like, ridiculously wealthy."

Ava stared at the photo. It was him. The same piercing blue eyes, the same strong jawline, the same hint of a smirk playing on his lips. He looked even more handsome in a tailored suit, his confidence radiating through the screen. Suddenly, the club incident, the spilled latte, the embarrassing book - it all made so much more sense.

"He's the grumpiest bachelor in the city," Chloe said, wrinkling her nose. "Apparently, he's rejected every single girl his parents have introduced him to. I wouldn't choose him even in my nightmares."

Ava's mind raced. Liam Blackwood. The mysterious man from the club. The book lover from the coffee shop. And now, apparently, a grumpy billionaire. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute.