「The next day.」

At 7:50 AM, Chloe Reed pushed open the door to the coffee shop.

The shop had just opened, and the baristas were bustling about.

"Chloe, over here!"

Seeing her arrive, Iris waved her over.

Chloe walked over and sat down beside her, her face a picture of resignation. "A blind date at eight in the morning... that’s a new one for me."

Iris said, "Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. Let me tell you, I had one guy ask to meet me at one in the morning, then he just sent me a hotel address. Another one wanted to meet at three in the afternoon, downed three cups of coffee the second he arrived, and when I suggested we get a bite to eat, he said he was already full from the coffee. And this one? He set the date for eight, and he hasn’t even shown up yet."

Chloe’s mouth twitched as she listened to her friend’s rant. She asked, "Your mom really lines up a bunch of oddballs for you, doesn’t she? Why is she in such a hurry to marry you off?"

Iris shook her head. "I have no idea. It’s like it’d be a crime against heaven if I didn’t get married. She shoves every kind of weirdo my way. I’m gorgeous! How could any of those freaks possibly be worthy of me?"

Chloe patted her shoulder soothingly. "Today’s probably just about going through the motions anyway. Perfect timing, actually. You can come with me to the Civil Affairs Bureau later."

"Huh?" At this, Iris’s eyes lit up. "Grant the Scumbag agreed to the divorce?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "We don’t have to wait for the court date."

Iris let out a muffled cheer. "Finally! You can finally get rid of that damned scumbag. Let him and his precious sister-in-law live happily ever after!"

Chloe didn’t order coffee, opting for a glass of warm milk instead. She took a couple of small sips, smiling silently.

At 8:10, the bell over the door chimed again. Iris glanced toward the entrance, then nudged Chloe’s thigh under the table, signaling that her blind date had arrived.

Chloe glanced over nonchalantly, but her expression immediately froze.

The man walking toward them wore an ill-fitting suit. He had only a few strands of hair on his head, small, upturned eyes, and a large black mole right next to his nose.

When he grinned, his eyes vanished into slits.

To make matters worse, he kept reaching up to fuss with the few strands of hair on his head.

Chloe pretended to tuck her hair behind her ear, using her arm to shield her face as she shot Iris a look of utter astonishment.

"Iris, are you sure your mom arranged this?"

Iris’s expression soured. "I wasn’t expecting this, either."

The man walked over, his eyes glued to Iris. "You must be Iris, right? Hello, I’m Adam Miller."

Iris replied, her face a blank mask, "I’m not Iris. You’ve got the wrong person."

Adam Miller froze for a second, then turned to Chloe. "Then you’re Iris?"

The moment his gaze landed on Chloe, Adam Miller’s eyes went wide, and he practically started drooling.

"Chloe."

Just then, a warm, smiling voice came from behind them.

Chloe turned her head, surprised. "Mr. Vance, what are you doing here?"

Preston Vance was dressed in a simple shirt and, surprisingly, an apron. He gave a faint smile. "I own this coffee shop. I like to drop by and check on things when I’m free."

He glanced at Adam Miller, then asked curiously, "And you all are...?"

Iris immediately shot to her feet. "I have to go, something’s come up."

’I need to get home and give Mom a piece of my mind! Why is she torturing me like this?!’

On her way out, she stealthily snapped a picture of Adam Miller.

Chloe turned to Adam Miller and said, "I’m not Iris, either."

Adam Miller looked bewildered. He pulled out his phone to call Iris but, unsurprisingly, the call wouldn’t go through.