CHAPTER 6

As anticipation lingered in the air, she found herself meticulously preparing for the upcoming date. Time seemed to slow down, each passing moment carrying the weight of expectation. Choosing the perfect outfit, she looked at herself in the mirror. Glancing at the time on her cell phone, she realized that she only had forty-five minutes left. She hurriedly finished getting ready. The countdown added a subtle thrill to the air as she readied herself for the anticipated date. He exited the room and went straight to the garage, entering his car. He headed to their dating place. His first date was named Patrick Alvarez. Mr. Alvarez was the CEO of an architectural firm in their area.

Lily arrived at the dating place ten minutes before the agreed-upon time. For the last time, she checked her reflection on her cell phone and quickly got out of the car. Upon entering the establishment, her date, Mr. Alvarez, was already there, so she greeted him promptly.

"Hi," she said and immediately gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Hi, Ms. Gray," Patrick greeted her in return.

She sat in front of him, and they promptly placed their orders. When their orders arrived, that is when they began sharing details about each other.

"So, what do you do, Lily?" Patrick asked.

"Uh… I'm about to graduate in two months. I'm taking up a civil engineering program," Lily replied with a hint of nervousness. Kevin is her first boyfriend, so it is normal for her to feel anxious about such events.

"I see," he nodded and took a bite of the served food.

“How about you?” Lily asked despite knowing what he really was doing.

“I guessed you already know,” he replied, and they laughed together.

They discussed her studies until their conversation shifted to more personal matters.

“Are you a virgin?” Patrick's question surprised Lily. She felt an immediate rush of blood to her head, causing it to heat up. Patrick noticed this, so he quickly tried to explain.

"Don't get me wrong. I was just being practical there. You know what, Lily, I do not like a virgin girl to be my wife. I wanted someone skilled in bed who could satisfy my needs," Patrick said, further heating Lily's blood. She wanted to pour water on him, but she did not. Instead, she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"If that's what you were looking for, sorry, Patrick, I could not be the one for you."

Lily immediately stood up, bowed, and walked away, leaving the young man behind. She quickly got into her car and there, she screamed in anger. She did not realize that tears were already streaming down her face. She remembered Kevin. Did he cheat because she did not give herself to him? She promised herself to save that for marriage. Lily went home with slouched shoulders after her first date.

Lily attended other dates in the following days, but all of them failed. The second one straightforwardly told her that he was already in love with someone else. Lily was actually happy to find a man who truly loved his partner in this day and age. The third one, however, she didn't like because he was too arrogant. Throughout their entire date, he talked only about himself, to the point where Lily couldn't get a word in. The fourth one immediately said "I love you" to her, which sounded very cringe to Lily.

Lily looked at herself in the car's mirror. This time, Mykel was her date. Even though she felt awkward about it, she had no choice. Seeing that her face looked fine, she quickly got out of the car. When she arrived, Mykel wasn't there yet, so she waited for him for a few minutes. Fortunately, he arrived promptly.

"Hi," Lily said, standing up as he approached. Though she wanted to kiss him on the cheek, she felt awkward about it and couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Hi," he greeted back as they both sat down. They quickly placed their orders. While waiting for their food, Mykel spoke up.

"I did not expect that we’d see each other again in this situation," Mykel said in a deep voice.

"As if you didn't propose the marriage," Lily bantered. She quickly fell silent when Mykel gave her a sharp look.

"I want to make it clear, Ms. Gray. I am proposing marriage to you because I need you," Mykel said, surprising Lily. She was about to respond when their order arrived. She waited for the waiter to leave before speaking again.

"What are you saying?" Lily asked, confused.

"As you know, I love getting on Kevin’s nerves. I'm sure he'll explode in anger when I marry you," Mykel responded.

"You're so childish if that's the case," Lily replied.

"I'm not childish, Ms. Gray. I have my reasons," Mykel said, giving Lily a sharp look.

"If that's the case, what are your reasons, Mr. Frost?" Lily asked.

Mykel took a long time to answer, just staring at her.

"Look. If we marry each other, surely I have the right to know what your real plan is. I want to get on his nerves as much as you do. He has a big offense against me," Lily explained to Mykel. Mykel thought deeply while looking at her before he spoke.

"I have a sister who died because of Kevin," he said, his gaze darkening.

"What?" Lily asked in a weak voice, unable to comprehend everything.

“My young sister committed suicide because he cheated on her.”

There was a deafening silence that reigned between them. Lily could not make herself talk, baffled by what she heard. The silence stretched to a couple of minutes before Lily brought herself to answer.

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you sorry because you’re turning down my offer?” He asked her.

“No. I’m sorry about what happened to your sister,” she replied.

“So, you’re not turning me down?” He asked and crossed his arms.

“Mr. Frost,” she called him and stopped before she continued.

“Make me your revenge partner.”