CHAPTER 4 - PLAYING DRESS UP

The rest of the week had been completely miserable. Ever since that disastrous dinner, Eugene had vanished into his own world. I barely saw him around the house; he either left early for work or stayed locked inside his study until late at night. His sudden coldness made me feel incredibly small. It proved what I had feared on Tuesday night—I had completely imagined the spark between us. I had projected my own foolish desires onto a man who just saw me as his daughter’s friend.

Now, it was Saturday evening, and the reality of this blind date was crashing down on me.

"Stop moving, Flora! If you keep twisting, this eyeliner is going to end up on your forehead," Emily scolded gently, holding my chin steady.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, staring blankly at the wall of her bedroom. "I just... I really don't feel like going out tonight, Em. My mind is just not in it."

"You're just having pre-date jitters," Emily assured me, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Trust me, you've been buried in textbooks for months, and you've been so down the last few days. You are going to feel so much better after you get out of this house and have some fun. Now, stand up. Let's see the final look."

I sighed and stood up, turning slowly to face the full-length mirror against the wall.

I froze. I honestly could not recognize the girl staring back at me. Emily had done my makeup flawlessly, making my eyes look dark and captivating. But it was the dress that changed everything. It was a deep emerald green, hugging my curves in all the right places, with a sweetheart neckline that showed off my collarbones. It was definitely sexy, but Emily had styled it perfectly so that it still looked elegant and appropriate.

"Oh my gosh," Emily gasped, clapping her hands together. "Flora, you look absolutely stunning. Sam is going to lose his mind."

"It's... a lot," I whispered, my heart doing a strange flutter. I wasn't thinking about Sam at all. A wicked, desperate thought crossed my mind: I wonder if Eugene will look at me now.

"It is perfect. Now come on, Josh is picking me up in ten minutes, and Sam is meeting you at the lounge. Let's go downstairs," Emily said, grabbing her purse.

My chest tightened as I followed Emily out of the room and down the stairs. When we reached the bottom of the staircase, I saw Eugene. He was standing by the front door, keys in his hand, looking like he was about to head out himself.

Hearing our footsteps, he turned around.

The moment his eyes landed on me, Eugene stopped completely dead in his tracks. The keys in his hand clicked loudly in the quiet hallway. He was completely dumbfounded. His jaw tightened, and his dark eyes swept down my dress, taking in every single detail, before snapping back up to my face. For a long, breathless second, he couldn't even speak. The calm, unshakeable older man was completely frozen.

Eugene stared at me, his chest rising and falling heavily. For a split second, his professional, calm mask completely shattered. His eyes darkened with an intense, raw hunger that sent a massive jolt of electricity straight to my core. I hadn’t imagined it. The heat from the kitchen was back, and it was burning brighter than ever.

"Wow!" Emily said carelessly, breaking the silence as she nudged my arm. "See, Dad? I told you she would look amazing. I think I should open a beauty parlor instead of going into finance."

The sound of his daughter's voice seemed to snap Eugene back to reality. He swallowed hard, his jaw working as he forced his control back into place. He let out a strained, tight joke. "Maybe you should, Emily. With skills like that, you’d probably make a fortune before your first corporate interview."

He took a slow, deep breath, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt as he looked at both of us. He carefully kept his eyes from lingering too long on my neckline. "You both look... very beautiful tonight. Be smart, and have a good time."

Right then, a loud car horn sounded from the driveway outside.

"That's Josh!" Emily cheered, grabbing her coat. "We have to run. Bye, Dad!"

"Goodbye, girls," Eugene said quietly.

Instead of walking out the front door behind us like he originally seemed planned to do, Eugene turned right back around and started walking toward his master bedroom.

Emily paused at the door, looking back at him in confusion. "Dad? I thought you were heading out to meet your colleagues tonight? Why are you going back to your room?"

Eugene didn't turn around. He just kept walking, his shoulders tense. "Changed my mind," he mumbled, his voice thick and strained. "Just going to stay in... and get some rest."

Before Emily could ask anything else, she pulled me out into the cool evening air. But as the front door clicked shut behind us, all I could think about was the look in Eugene's eyes. He wasn't indifferent. He was fighting himself.